Professionals Australia welcomes the Victorian Government’s proposed Fair Conduct and Accountability Standards for the Victorian On-Demand Workforce (the Standards) to help address the substandard working arrangements and serious disadvantage experienced by the On-Demand workforce.

This submission builds on our previous submission to the Inquiry into the Victorian On-Demand Workforce.1 While On-Demand work is often assumed to be the domain of transport and logistics sectors, professional services such as translating and interpreting are increasingly being delivered through these platforms. We have noticed a troubling increase in the use of On-Demand platforms in the delivery of translating and interpreting services during the COVID-19 pandemic and are concerned that more professional services will be delivered in this way in the future. Translating and interpreting is a profession that is already characterised by precarious work, low levels of remuneration and poor working conditions.

The use of On-Demand platforms for the delivery of translation and interpreting services creates even greater insecurity for translators and interpreters and undermines their remuneration and working conditions even further. Professionals Australia supports rigorous fair conduct and accountability standards being established for On-Demand work. While setting these Standards is clearly a step in the right direction, we believe the proposed Standards need to be strengthened in key areas and must be enforceable, as part of a strong regulatory framework to protect those in the On-Demand workforce.

Read full Submission here.