Pastoral Workers’ Accommodation Act 1980

Accommodation provided for workers shall, unless the award applicable to those workers otherwise provides be kept clean by the workers.

If those workers fail to keep such accommodation clean the occupier may restore it to a clean condition at the expense of those workers.

Where workers damage or cause or suffer any damage to be done to or remove any part of accommodation referred to in subsection (1) the occupier may have such damage repaired or such part replaced at the expense of the workers.

The workers referred to in subsections (1) and (2) shall be jointly and severally liable to the occupier for the cost of any cleaning referred to in subsection (1A) or of any repairing or replacing referred to in subsection (2).

Where the occupier is the employer of the worker the occupier may, or where the worker is employed by a person other than the occupier that person shall (if requested so to do by the occupier), deduct such cost from the wages due or accruing due to the offending worker, or if there is more than 1 worker in equal parts from the wages due or accruing due to such workers, but so that the amount deducted from the wages of any 1 worker does not exceed $100.

Where a person other than the occupier makes a deduction from the wages due or accruing due to the offending worker the person shall pay the amount deducted to the occupier.

The provisions of subsections (3) to (3B) are in addition to the occupier’s rights to recover such cost or the balance of such cost as a debt in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Any worker who wilfully damages or wilfully removes any part of a building, tent, structure or room referred to in subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence against this Act.