The federal government has introduced a range of reforms to protect migrant workers.
Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles, said the package of measures target employers who seek to exploit temporary visa holders.
Giles said one in six recent migrants to Australia were paid less than the minimum wage.
“This exploitation doesn’t just hurt the individual worker, but effectively drives down wages and worsens conditions for all Australian workers,” he said.
“After a decade of neglect, the Albanese government is cleaning up the mess of the former Liberal government who failed to implement key recommendations in the Migrant Workers Taskforce Report.”
The package of legislative powers, enforcement tools and additional funding have been introduced following eight months of consultation.
Legislation will be introduced to Parliament in coming weeks that will make it a criminal offense to coerce someone into breaching their visa conditions.
In addition to increased penalties and new compliance tools, the government will repeal section 235 of the Migration Act which actively undermines people reporting exploitative behaviour.
The Government will also provide $50 million in funding to resource the Australian Border Force for this and other enforcement and compliance activities.
The Minister for Workplace Relations and Employment, Tony Burke, said exploiting workers is never acceptable.
“We’re committed to stamping it out wherever it’s happening and protecting all workers working in Australia – regardless of their migration status,” Burke said.
“The previous government neglected these workers, by failing to act. We’re fixing that.”
Minister for Home Affairs, Clare O’Neil, said that over the last 10 years Australia’s migration system drifted deeper and deeper into reliance on low-paid temporary migrant workers who are routinely exploited.
“The fact that this has been happening almost unchecked in our migration system is a reflection on the competency and values of the former government,” she said.
The reforms were welcomed today by the Migrant Justice Institute and the Human Rights Law Centre.
Co-executive director of the Migrant Justice Institute, and UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice, Professor Bassina Farbenblum, said the visa protections could be a game-changer if they are designed properly.
“For the first time, migrant workers can safely address wage theft and walk away from employers who exploit them without risking their visa,” she said.
“Dodgy employers will no longer be able to assume that international students and other migrants will suffer in silence if they’re underpaid or abused.”