The measure was one of a number of proposals – aimed at curbing the widespread underpayment of young workers – discussed during a meeting of industry representatives on Tuesday.

The roundtable, which looked at workplace exploitation in the wake of a Fairfax Media investigation into Wollongong workers being short-changed, also explored changes to laws and tougher penalties for employers.

South Coast Labour Council secretary Arthur Rorris said displaying the minimum award rates applicable to a business was a “very simple, but powerful reminder” to the public, and workers, that the employer knew their obligations. 

Mr Rorris said tougher underpayment penalties were also needed to discourage “exploitation”.

“There is a perception [of employers] that the worst that might happen is that you might have to pay back what you already owe. Clearly, the question of penalties needs to be addressed and massively increased,” he said. 

The policy talks came as Lucy Vance, one of 13 underpaid workers whose case was highlighted by Fairfax late last year, was back-paid in full – about $600 – on Tuesday.

Ms Vance worked at the Lagoon Restaurant between March and June last year. 

When she questioned her pay rate of $12.45 per hour, as a then 18-year-old serving food and alcohol to tables, she was told it was correct.

She later discovered she should have been paid at least $17 to $18.47 per hour.

The 19-year-old now works at a local pub for award rates.

While Ms Vance had pay slips to prove how much she was underpaid, others including Ashleigh Mounser, who uncovered a tsunami of underpayment after reaching out to other students with similar stories on Facebook, have been paid in cash.

Ms Mounser said businesses should be monitored to ensure they are not underpaying staff in the same way they are checked for occupational health and safety and responsible service of alcohol.  

“I think it is important to stop it from happening again on this scale,” she said.

Mr Rorris is helping Ms Mounser and her boyfriend, Brian Sibanda, negotiate a settlement over their unpaid wages from cafes and takeaway food outlets.

More young Wollongong workers, underpaid or not paid at all by their employers, are expected to be back-paid within days.

The South Coast Labour Council (SCLC) has prioritised the backpay cases of 13 workers who came forward as part of a two-month Fairfax Media investigation into the underpayment of workers aged 18 to 24 last year. 

The probe – dubbed ‘The great student swindle’ and revealed by the Mercury in December – uncovered claims of exploitation in cafes, restaurants and shops across the Illawarra.

The first backpay landed in one of the worker’s pockets on Tuesday and more would follow “in the next week or 10 days”, SCLC secretary Arthur Rorris said.

The Fair Work Ombudsman is also understood to be investigating.