A 39-year-old man was arrested and charged with assault in early February after a violent altercation at Adelaide shop Fun Tea was recorded on video.
The assault was over a suspected wage dispute, and two labour rights organisations in South Australia have told SBS Chinese they've seen a rise in enquiries from migrant workers since.
Meng is an advocacy officer at the Working Women's Centre in Adelaide, which provides free legal advice and counselling services.
"[The bubble tea incident] took the discussion of wage theft to a new level."
Over the last 12 months, the centre has seen and assisted more than 50 Chinese-speaking victims of wage theft.
Meng says Chinese speakers have reported more instances of crime to the organisation than any other non-English speaking group.
She's also experienced the issue first-hand.
After graduating in 2020, Meng interviewed for five jobs in Adelaide's CBD with employers who initially promised her a legitimate salary.
But by the second interview, all employers had substantially changed their offers.
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