Australian governments and businesses have been unable to effectively combat migrant worker exploitation and modern slavery because they occur in the shadows. In our survey of 4,000 migrant workers, fewer than one in ten of those reporting being underpaid had talked to anyone about their experience. Policy responses have failed because they do not address why workers stay silent.
Our research reveals that Australia’s migration system is significantly to blame: over a third of migrant workers said they stayed silent for fear of losing their visa or being deported. For example, international students can lose their visa if they have worked more hours than permitted - which many are driven to do because they are paid half the minimum wage.
We are changing this situation. In late 2022 with our partner, Human Rights Law Centre, we developed a blueprint for migration reforms that safeguard the visas of migrants who seek to hold exploitative employers to account. We called the proposal ‘Breaking the Silence’.
We built a powerful coalition of 40+ organisations that is collectively pressing for the government to implement these. They include business groups, peak welfare organisations (e.g. Salvation Army), churches, unions, and the NSW Anti Slavery Commissioner. The Grattan Institute and the UN Global Compact Network of Australia (representing many ASX 100 companies) publicly supported the reforms.
IMPACT OF THIS WORK
SAFEGUARDING MIGRANT WHISTLEBLOWERS In June 2023, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles announced that the government will implement the key pillars of our proposed reforms. These visa protections are slated for introduction in July 2024. We are working with the government to refine the details of the model.
SETTING THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD Exploited international students, backpackers and sponsored workers will no longer have to choose between staying in Australia and holding abusive employers to account. This will set global best practice in effectively addressing a challenge that migrant workers face in every country.
“‘Well done to Laurie Berg & Bassina Farbenblum at the Migrant Justice Institute for leading
the way in advocating for these reforms, to everyone else who joined them and demonstrated
what we can achieve by working together for real freedom. Empowering people to speak
out without fear of their visa being canceled is a vital step toward making Australia a safe
place to live and work for everyone, no matter where they are from.”