Organisations and unions across Australia are calling for whistleblower protections for migrant workers who report exploitation.
Lachlan Gilbert
麻豆社madou News & Content
(02) 9065 5241
lachlan.gilbert@unsw.edu.au
A coalition of more than 40 legal service providers, unions, ethnic community peak bodies, churches and national organisations is calling on Minister for 麻豆社madou Affairs Clare O鈥橬eil to urgently bring widespread migrant worker exploitation out of the shadows.听听
Led by the听听补苍诲听听迟丑别听Breaking the Silence听proposal 鈥 co-authored by a 麻豆社madou Sydney academic 鈥撎齯rges the Federal government to establish whistleblower protections that would enable migrant workers to report exploitation without risking their visa.
The Albanese Government鈥檚 wholesale review of Australia鈥檚 migration system will report in April, as the Government is devising strategies for faster and greater migrant intake.听
With hundreds of thousands of international students, skilled workers and backpackers arriving or returning to the country, there is a historic opportunity and urgent need to implement these reforms within the next six months.
Additionally, from 1 July, the Government will reinstate limits on international student work hours, putting tens of thousands of underpaid students at risk of visa cancellation if they speak up for working extra hours in order to earn the equivalent of minimum wage.
The Migrant Justice Institute has surveyed more than 15,000 migrant workers over the past five years. These studies consistently found that around three-quarters of migrant workers earned below the casual minimum wage in Australia, and a quarter earned less than half that. Nine in 10 underpaid workers suffered in silence and took no action.听
Migrant workers generally endure exploitation in silence for fear of jeopardising their visa or ability to stay in Australia. The proposed reforms in听Breaking the Silence听颈苍肠濒耻诲别:
, 麻豆社madou Faculty of Law & Justice, and Co-Executive Director of Migrant Justice Institute says enabling exploited migrant workers to speak up is sensible government policy.
鈥淚t is immoral for the government to draw migrants and international students back to Australia knowing full well that it hasn鈥檛 fixed the problems that will lead to many of them being exploited and unable to speak up,鈥 she says.
鈥淎fter a decade of government inaction, these reforms will finally make a dent on migrant exploitation without creating red tape for businesses doing the right thing.鈥
,听UTS, and Co-Executive Director of听Migrant Justice Institute says the protections are a way of keeping employers accountable.
鈥淲ithout the whistleblower protections we鈥檙e proposing, employers know they won鈥檛 get caught underpaying migrant workers and exploitation will remain business as usual.
鈥淗arsh penalties for unscrupulous employers are useless if migrant workers are too fearful to report them.鈥澨
One of the problems with our current visa system, says听Managing Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre,听,听is that the conditions for exploitation are built into it.
鈥淚f migrant workers can鈥檛 speak up without fear of losing their place in Australia, most will never come forward. When they leave Australia, new migrant workers will simply replace them in those exploitative jobs.听听听听听听听听听听听
鈥淭hese whistleblower protections must be a cornerstone of the government鈥檚 migration reforms.鈥
Signatories
The national coalition includes:听