Researchers found pervasive worker underpayment in Australia, with two-thirds of temporary visa holders paid less than they were legally owed.
Articles on wage theft
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For workers still being deliberately underpaid, it’s vital to ensure these laws are actually working.
Behind the allure of sun-soaked getaways lies a hidden risk of worker exploitation and modern slavery.
Australia has adopted a tougher, more targeted approach than New Zealand to investigating wage theft by employers – and it doesn’t involve the police.
Workers can report violations to the government, regardless of their immigration status.
Migrant workers who get labour claims ‘certified’ will now be allowed to stay and pursue them. But significantly, it’s not only the government that will be able to certify these claims.
The ‘small claims’ court process is supposed to help workers pursue unpaid wages and entitlements without needing a lawyer. But the system isn’t working for migrants.
Appointing an anti-slavery commissioner is critical to stamping out abuse of more than 40,000 people in Australia who trapped by forced marriages or controlling employers.
Migrants in Australia less than five years are twice as likely to be underpaid as other employees.
Federal Labor made an election promise to criminalise wage theft. But there are better reforms more urgently needed.
With the government’s Draft Tourism Transformation Plan now out for consultation, the hospitality industry has an opportunity to clean up long-standing concerns over wages and conditions for workers.
Reports of big university budget surpluses appear to undermine calls for their federal funding to increase. But a closer look at how the surpluses were achieved reveals why change is needed.
The problem of insecure employment for academics came to a head during the pandemic. The neglect of this issue is eroding our intellectual capital along with education and employment opportunities.
Exploitation flourishes because regulators do not routinely detect or punish labour law noncompliance.
Australia’s Fair Work Commission has struck out a legal loophole allowing employers to pay farm workers exploitative piecemeal rates.
More than a dozen Australian universities have been publicly accused of underpaying staff. Some have paid millions in backpay after audits. And a big factor in wage theft is the rise of casualisation.
Research suggests harsher civil or criminal penalties will not automatically lead to greater compliance by employers with workplace laws.
High-end restaurant Dinner by Heston Blumenthal has allegedly underpaid staff by $4 million. Our research finds wage theft is accepted as the industry norm.
Employers are blaming underpaying employees on the the complexity of industrial awards. They should blame themselves.
Underpaying workers has become rampant in Australia.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney
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Associate Professor, UNSW
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PhD Candidate in Law, Adelaide University
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Associate Professor, University of Sydney Business School, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor in Political Economy, University of Sydney
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Affiliate Researcher, Work and Organisational Studies, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor UTS Centre for Business and Social Innovation, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor in Education, University of Newcastle
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Distinguished Professor of Workplace Law, RMIT University
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Associate Professor of Workplace and Business Law, UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney
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Senior Lecturer in Accounting, University of Tasmania
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Lecturer in Marketing, University of Tasmania
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Associate Professor in Accounting, University of Tasmania
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Deputy Dean of Research, RMIT University