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April 17, 2019 Wednesday 12:45:42 PM IST

Australia against student exploitation

Australian employers who underpay and exploit international students could face criminal penalties for the first time under new recommendations from the Migrant Worker Taskforce.

The government will not be tolerant to those who repeatedly and deliberately underpay workers, whether they are an Australian or a worker on a visa. For the very first time, it has been decided to launch criminal proceedings against serious and egregious forms of deliberate exploitation of workers. The move is being adopted in the backdrop of realisation of the fact that wage exploitation of temporary migrants offends Australian values of fairness.

The report also suggested legislative changes, such as amending the Fair Work Act to prohibit employers from advertising jobs at pay rates below the minimum. It also sought creation of awareness campaigns for international students, led by the employer, provider and education agent. Issues on international education came into political focus in Australia last year after senator Pauline Hanson called to remove work rights from overseas students in April 2018.