{
  "id": 9074833,
  "title": "Aged care provider underpaid migrant staff by more than $1m",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/aged-care-provider-underpaid-migrant-staff-by-more-than-1m",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-22T03:27:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-22/goodwin-aged-care-services-fair-work-enforceable-undertaking/107180332"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Aged care provider Goodwin Aged Care Services has been ordered to pay back over $1.3 million to 335 employees who were underpaid between July 2018 and March 2025. Among the 313 affected staff, many were migrant workers who were paid less than their due due to unsatisfactory terms that relied too heavily on non-monetary benefits. Twenty-two employees were also incorrectly paid afternoon shift penalties. Goodwin, a charity operating various aged care services, self-reported the underpayments in July 2024, and has taken steps to rectify the issue, paying back wherever possible. Most of the affected staff were based in the ACT, with some being nurses, allied health professionals, and care managers. The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) highlighted that migrants and visa holders are often vulnerable due to a lack of awareness of workplace laws and concerns about speaking up, yet they are entitled to the same rights and protections as other employees. The FWO's investigation revealed that sub-standard individual flexibility arrangements (IFAs) led to the underpayments, with 313 of these agreements being unfair to the workers. Additionally, a payroll system configuration issue resulted in 22 employees not receiving penalty rates for early afternoon shifts. Goodwin has since remediated the situation for all contacted employees, transferring funds to the FWO for those it couldn't reach. The company has also strengthened its payroll governance and measures to prevent future issues, expressing sincere regret for the errors and apologies to the affected employees.",
  "summary": "The underpayments came from worker-employee agreements which disadvantaged staff, along with errors in Goodwin Aged Care's payroll system.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}