DIGITAL REPORT

Off The Books: Inside Australia's Hidden System of Migrant Worker Exploitation

Laurie Berg & Bassina Farbenblum | May 2026

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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INTRODUCTION
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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The findings
Part01
ABOUT THE SURVEY Methodology, Sample and Contours of the 2024 National Temporary Migrant Work Survey
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Part02
PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS AND LOWEST PAID JOB IN 2023–24 A Profile of the 8,370 Participants Who Worked in 2023–24 and Their Lowest Paid Jobs During That Time
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Part03
WAGES Australian Businesses Systematically Underpay Migrant Workers
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Part04
EMPLOYMENT STRUCTURE Businesses Engage Most Migrants in Insecure Work Arrangements That Give Employers Strong Leverage
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Part05
WAGES AND EMPLOYMENT STRUCTURE Many Australian Businesses Abuse Their Leverage Over Migrant Casual and ABN Workers to Engage in Severe Wage Theft
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Part06
IMPACT OF TEMPORARY MIGRANT STATUS Casual and ABN Work Especially Disempower Migrant Workers, and Many Perceive Lawful, Secure Jobs as Unavailable to Them
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Part07
NONCOMPLIANCE BEYOND UNDERPAYMENT Employers That Underpay Migrants Engage in Other Noncompliance and Cover Their Tracks
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Part08
OTHER FACTORS AFFECTING RISK OF UNDERPAYMENT Union Membership and Perceptions of Peer Experience Shape Underpayment Risk More Than Geography, Gender or Length of Stay in Australia
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Part09
INDUSTRY DATA Underpayment and Noncompliance Define Migrant Work in All Industries, but Some Carry Especially High Risk
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Part10
FORCED LABOUR AND UNDERPAYMENT Migrants' Experiences of Modern Slavery Indicators Increase as the Extent of Underpayment Deepens
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Conclusions and recommendations
Part11
CONCLUSION The Evolution of Migrant Exploitation in Australia Over the Past Decade
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Part12
RECOMMENDATIONS Recent Reforms, Their Limits, and Further Measures Needed to Address Systemic Migrant Exploitation
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Appendices
App01
PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS
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