Voluntary Fair Conduct and Accountability Standards

The Standards specify practices that are to be applied across all industries and sectors in which platforms operate. Platforms are encouraged to put in place the Standards.

Platforms engaging non-employee gig workers in Victoria are expected to take up and implement the Standards.

There are six standards focusing on:

• consultation about work status and arrangements
• consideration of parties’ leverage or bargaining power
• fair conditions and pay, including gender pay equity
• fair and transparent independent dispute resolution
• worker representation, including the ability to seek better work arrangements
• safety.

The GWSS administers the Standards by:

• publishing and promoting them to platforms
• advising on their application by platforms.

Guidelines for Platform Businesses

Guidelines have been developed to support platforms to understand and implement the Standards. These Guidelines outline the arrangements that meet the objectives of the Standards, designed so that any available guidance on a particular Standard immediately follows that Standard.

Background

The Standards put in place recommendations 13 and 14 of the Inquiry into the Victorian On-Demand Workforce (Inquiry):

• to develop standards that foster fairer conditions for non-employee on-demand workers and greater operational transparency by platforms.

Find more information on the Inquiry.

The Standards were developed following extensive consultation with platforms, unions and other organisations. Many platforms expressed a desire during the consultation process to introduce fairer conditions for their workers. The Standards commenced operating from 1 May 2023.