A major visa program targeted to attract wealthy investors to Australia has been quietly scrapped. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil told NCA NewsWire on Monday why she made the decision to pull the trigger on the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP), a scheme introduced in 2012 in a bidContinue Reading
Locals in a rural Victorian town have called for a major rethink of the federal government’s flagship migrant farm work program, after an influx of fruit pickers created a surge in anti-social behaviour so severe it resulted in an official “apology ceremony”. Red Cliffs, a small town of around 5000Continue Reading
Australian workers have received a share of half a billion dollars as the Fair Work watchdog continues its pursuit of businesses with dodgy pay practices. Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) recovered a staggering $509 million for 251,475 underpaid workers in 2022-23, the watchdog announced in a statement on Monday. MoreContinue Reading
The federal government has been called to amend a bill to ensure vulnerable migrant workers will not face deportation for reporting employer exploitation. On Wednesday, Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister Andrew Giles will launch a report into the disturbing treatment of temporary migrant workers, titled: Not Just Numbers: AContinue Reading
More than 140 “unscrupulous” employers have been named and shamed by the government after allegedly exploiting migrant workers. The Australian Border Force (ABF) revealed the shocking figure on Monday following its month-long compliance blitz across the country. Throughout July, the ABF targeted businesses sponsoring migrant workers who contravened workplace rights,Continue Reading
Australian employers have been warned they face a two-year prison sentence if migrant workers are exploited under a fresh government crackdown. Reforms to expand protections for some of the most vulnerable in the workforce will be introduced to federal parliament within weeks. The proposed changes would make it a criminalContinue Reading
Migrant workers are twice as likely as long-term residents to be underpaid, while at least 16 per cent are making less than the minimum wage, a new report has revealed. The new Grattan Institute report shows exploitation is not only hurting migrants, but is weakening Australian workers’ bargaining power andContinue Reading
Low paid migrant workers should not get a pay rise because their conditions are already better than where they have come from, according to Barnaby Joyce. Wages for temporary skilled migrants will be raised by up to $16,000 from July under a major rewrite to Australia’s migration system after aContinue Reading
Migrants are exploited, underpaid and Australia must prepare for climate change refugees, a fresh report has found. A review of the nation’s embattled visa system will be released on Thursday, paving the way for the biggest reform to migration settings in a generation. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neill will frontContinue Reading
FIFA made the virtually unheard of move just weeks before the tournament was set to kick off, after two of Indonesia’s top politicians called for Israel to be banned from the competition. Bali’s governor, Wayan Koster, wrote to Indonesia’s Sports Minister to protest against Israel’s participation in a letter that’sContinue Reading