{"id":52833,"date":"2024-08-08T17:07:30","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T07:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/?p=52833"},"modified":"2024-08-08T17:25:29","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T07:25:29","slug":"protection-for-migrant-workers-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/news\/protection-for-migrant-workers-2","title":{"rendered":"Protection for Migrant Workers: Migration Amendment (Strengthening Employer Compliance) Act to combat exploitation"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"52833\" class=\"elementor elementor-52833\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-20767a4a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"20767a4a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-db2069a\" data-id=\"db2069a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-75ea38c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"75ea38c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freepik.com\/free-photo\/female-ceo-talking-with-colleagues-office_3952556.htm#fromView=search&#038;page=1&#038;position=1&#038;uuid=441023da-92fb-41e1-9cc5-6d8557ec0536\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Photo credit:@\nyanalya<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d0621dd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4d0621dd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Australian government has taken a significant step towards safeguarding the rights of migrant workers through the Migration Amendment (Strengthening Employer Compliance) Act 2024. Effective on 1 July 2024, these new laws amend the Migration Act 1958 to tackle the exploitation of migrant workers, ensuring a fairer and more just workplace environment.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h4><span style=\"color: #ed7d31\"><b>Addressing exploitation\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The new laws specifically target exploitation by making it illegal for employers and labour-hire intermediaries to coerce or pressure temporary visa holders to breach their visa conditions. Additionally, it is now unlawful to exploit workers based on their visa status, such as:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"24\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Coercing or pressuring a temporary visa holder to break their work visa rules<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:426,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278,&quot;335559991&quot;:426}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"24\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Coercing or pressuring a non-citizen without a valid visa to accept a work-related arrangement<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:426,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278,&quot;335559991&quot;:426}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"24\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Coercing or pressuring a worker because of their temporary visa status<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:426,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278,&quot;335559991&quot;:426}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><h4><span style=\"color: #ed7d31\"><b>Protection scope<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Under these laws, a wide range of exploitative practices are addressed. Employers can no longer underpay migrant workers or pressure them to work beyond their allowed hours. Threatening to cancel a worker\u2019s visa or coercing them into handing over their passport are also prohibited. Furthermore, the laws protect workers from being forced into unwanted sexual acts or accepting inadequate living conditions, such as poor housing or lack of basic amenities like water and electricity.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h4><span style=\"color: #ed7d31\"><b>Comprehensive protection<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">One of the most significant features of the new laws is the comprehensive protection they provide, regardless of the worker\u2019s visa status. This means that all migrant workers are protected under the new regulations, whether they have valid work visas, expired visas, or are working in breach of their visa conditions. This inclusive approach ensures that no worker is left vulnerable to exploitation due to their migration status.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h4><span style=\"color: #ed7d31\"><b>Reporting Mechanisms<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">To enforce these laws and offer ways to report issues, the government has established reporting mechanisms for workers facing exploitation through the <\/span><span style=\"color: #ed7d31\"><a style=\"color: #ed7d31\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fairwork.gov.au\/workplace-problems\/send-us-an-anonymous-tip-off\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fair Work Ombudsman<\/a><\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> and <\/span><span style=\"color: #ed7d31\"><a style=\"color: #ed7d31\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeaffairs.gov.au\/help-and-support\/departmental-forms\/online-forms\/border-watch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Border Watch<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For further details, visit\u202fthe<\/span><span style=\"color: #ed7d31\">\u202f<a style=\"color: #ed7d31\" href=\"https:\/\/immi.homeaffairs.gov.au\/visas\/employing-and-sponsoring-someone\/migrant-worker-protections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Migrant Worker Protections<\/a><\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">page on the Department of Home Affairs website.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">For more information and to arrange an online consultation, please contact our expert team at<\/span><\/b><span style=\"color: #ed7d31\"><b>\u202f<\/b><\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\"><span style=\"color: #ed7d31\">aisupport@absoluteimmigration.com<\/span>.<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202f<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b3e7c8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0b3e7c8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/\">home<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Migration Amendment (Strengthening Employer Compliance) Act 2024 aims to reduce the exploitation of temporary migrant workers, promote employer compliance, and improve fair workplace practices, creating an equitable environment for all businesses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":52841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[449,265,455,456],"class_list":["post-52833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","tag-employer-compliance","tag-migrant-workers","tag-worker-protection","tag-workplace-justice"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52833"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52840,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52833\/revisions\/52840"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}