Migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation due to a lack of support networks, limited understanding of Australian workplace relations, or simply a desperation for income.
Reports of exploitation and possible forced labour of foreign workers have increasingly captured media headlines over the past year.
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has stated that foreign workers now account for at least one-third of all their investigations and a range of inquiries at the Commonwealth and state levels have been conducted or announced.
Now, just this week, we have heard allegations of widespread fraud in Australias visa programs, involving, according to Fairfax, some licensed migration agents and education providers, and a thriving cash-for-visa black market.
Thus far, reporting has focused on border security and the anti-corruption framework, but has not delved into how corruption poses a serious threat to vulnerable workers and to the integrity of our industrial relations system and national anti-slavery framework.
