Dodgy Employers to be Sent to the Clink

The Morrison government has announced plans to introduce criminal sanctions for employers who repeatedly and deliberately underpay workers.

The Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP, Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, said the Coalition Government has accepted in principle all 22 recommendations of the Migrant Worker’s Taskforce Report delivered by Professor Allan Fels AO and David Cousins AM. Minister O’Dwyer said:

“The exploitation of workers in Australian workplaces is not only illegal, it harms individuals, undercuts law-abiding employers and reflects poorly on Australia’s international reputation,”

“The Coalition Government has no tolerance for those who repeatedly and deliberately underpay workers, whether they are an Australian or a worker on a visa. For the very first time we will introduce criminal sanctions for the most serious and egregious forms of deliberate exploitation of workers.”

Reassuringly, the Minister went on to say that only the most serious and egregious cases would be subject to criminal penalties, not employers that accidentally or inadvertently do the wrong thing.

Read the Minister’s media release here.