Tougher penalties to protect vulnerable workers from exploitation.

Penalties of up to $126,000 for individuals and more than $600,000 for companies have been passed by the Senate under new changes to the Fair work Act to protect vulnerable workers from being exploited by their employers. The company 7-Eleven has so far paid about $150 million in compensation to staff around Australia who were overworked and underpaid. The company was also accused of falsifying records and pay slips and coercing some workers to pay back part of their wages.

7-Eleven store in Brisbane Source: AAP