“This is an ongoing issue across all digital platforms, and we are very much committed to being part of the solution together with peers and the regulator,” Logtenberg said.

“We are currently working on further back-end developments directly targeting this issue, and we hope to be able to announce them soon. We interact with six million Australians every month, and we are making continual improvements to our user experience and safety.”

Seek declined to comment but confirmed it would seek a meeting with the regulator to work more closely together. Indeed did not respond to requests for comment.

The spate of infringement notices mark the first time that new laws under the Secure Jobs Better Pay Act, passed in 2022, have been used. As of January 7 last year, it is unlawful for employers to post job ads for pay that is lower than minimum wage, industry awards, or enterprise agreements.

But the volume of contravening job ads, a problem Booth described as broad and enduring that often deliberately targets migrant workers, had not abated since the legislation was passed. In another instance, an ad for a cafe attendant listed a pay rate of $13.36 an hour. The employer claimed the rate was “close” to the rate for a worker under 17 and that they should receive only a warning.

“It has been a deep-seated problem for a long time,” Booth said.

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Employers issued with fines will go into the regulator’s broader surveillance system, which folds in tip-offs from the community, media and even members of parliament.

“We initially try to resolve them through dispute resolution, and then if we can’t, we have to investigate them, and ultimately, if necessary, issue some enforcement instruments, and if those enforcement instruments are not complied with, then of course, the next step is to take them to court.”