Tougher penalties for employers to protect foreign workers

The federal government is moving to protect foreign workers and new migrants who are at risk of exploitation by bringing in new laws making it a criminal offence to coerce a person into breaching their visa conditions.

New laws to protect foreign workers

Employers or agents who coerce migrants or foreign workers into breaching their visa conditions could face jail time, the federal government has announced. (Please see Albanese Government to tackle worker exploitation, 5 June 2023.)

Businesses that exploit migrants and those on working visas would be barred from employing additional overseas workers under plans to overhaul the temporary visa system.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said section 235 of the Migration Act actively deters people from reporting exploitative behaviour and will be repealed.