High-risk work licence fraud referrals
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) reports fraudulent high-risk work (HRW) licences and general construction induction training cards (white cards) to the Queensland Police Service (QPS).
Performing HRW without a valid licence is illegal and penalties can include fines and criminal records. Producing or procuring fraudulent HRW licences poses an unacceptable safety risk to workers and workplaces.
Licensing fraud also comes at a financial cost to Queensland workers, businesses, and the general public through lost time, wages and additional expenses.
Cases of HRW licensing fraud are often reported to WHSQ by diligent business owners, safety officers and workers that either notice irregularities with a physical HRW licence presented to them, a worker displays hazardous behaviours, or as a result of an internal investigation conducted by a workplace.
Section 43 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (the Act) states:
A person must not carry out work at a workplace if
- a regulation requires the work, or class of work, to be carried out by, or on behalf of, a person who is authorised.
Previously these cases of licensing fraud were dealt with by WHSQ internally under provisions of the Act; fraudulent HRW licences and white cards were confiscated, and in some cases, fines were imposed.
A new initiative commenced in 2025 to report suspected cases of fraud and offences against the Criminal Code Act 1899 to the QPS.
Under the new initiative, WHSQ have referred:
- Two cases of white card fraud, with no charges recorded
- Two cases of fraud, one of attempting to pervert the course of justice, with both cases in progress
- Six cases of high-risk work licence fraud, with five licence holders charged and one case closed. A total of 14 charges were laid relating to fraud, forgery, uttering, dishonesty to gain benefit, and diverted caution.
A person conducting a business or undertaking must not direct or allow a worker to carry out HRW unless they sight evidence that the worker either:
- holds the relevant HRW licence for that work
- is undertaking the training course and is under supervision of a suitably licensed person
- has applied for the relevant licence.