Overseas Workers
We as people who have actually worked for a living find it ridiculous that anyone in Parliament can claim surprise over illegal workers or those on expired visas, or employers paying what is now being referred to as slave wages. Anybody who has ever picked fruit or worked day labouring jobs will tell you they have had offers of lower cash wages.
This little scam is primarily designed to save the employer wage costs, dodge superannuation payments, ignore insurance and abuse then discard the workers. We propose the reinstatement of the Immigration & Workplace Inspectorate. Officers would randomly attended businesses to detect these issues. Successive Governments have cut back these types positions until they have all but cease to exist. We would advocate for these positions to be returned to our Government agencies in every city, and every regional centre across Australia.
Further to this, the widespread manipulation of the overseas workers visa system must not only be rationalised but should face ongoing scrutiny. Those companies found at fault of manipulating the system to import low waged workers should face tough penalties. Misuse of the system takes advantage of the overseas workers and disadvantages local workers while placing downward pressure on our own wage structures.