The ACTU welcomes the opportunity to make a submission on the Migration Amendment (Strengthening Employer Compliance) Bill 2023 (hereafter, ‘the Bill’). This Bill would establish a criminal offence for employers and third-party providers who misuse visa programs to exploit temporary migrant workers. It would also implement recommendations 19 and 20 of the Report of the Migrant Workers’ Taskforce:
Recommendation 19: It is recommended that the Government consider developing legislation so that a person who knowingly unduly influences, pressures or coerces a temporary migrant worker to breach a condition of their visa is guilty of an offence.
Recommendation 20: It is recommended that the Government explore mechanisms to exclude employers who have been convicted by a court of underpaying temporary migrant workers from employing new temporary visa holders for a specific period.
