Everyone who arrives in Australia deserves the same rights to basic healthcare, secure housing and dignity at work. But workplace exploitation is rife for people on temporary work visas in Australia. The Human Rights Law Centre advocates for the rights of migrants to be protected at work.

PROJECT | Migration Justice 

For decades, our migration laws have ensured that certain temporary migrants are treated like second-class citizens, by withholding basic rights and protections available to others. Strict visa conditions and migration laws have forced temporary migrants into unsafe and underpaid work, endangering their health, their lives and their family’s future.

From bullying to wage theft, predatory bosses are getting away with it because migration laws are set up to silence workers – to ensure that if they speak up, they will risk their visa and permission to stay in the country.

New visa pilot to address workplace exploitation

For several years, the Human Rights Law Centre has led a coalition of 40 unions, civil society, faith-based and migrant rights groups calling for stronger protections for migrant workers. Together we proposed a suite of changes, including a guarantee against visa cancellation and a short-term Workplace Justice visa for exploited workers.

In July 2024, the Australian Government listened to our tireless advocacy and expert advice and introduced a two year pilot on world-leading protections to prevent migrant worker exploitation.

The Workplace Justice Visa provides the most robust protections for the rights of migrant workers of any country in the world. They will ensure that all workers – no matter their nationality or visa status – can speak up about exploitation at work.  

The Human Rights Law Centre is assisting temporary migrant workers to take up these new protections by providing legal support and through capacity building. Our team has delivered information sessions to unions, international student groups and other organisations supporting migrant workers, to ensure people know about new legal benefits and how to take them up. The Centre is one of a limited number of legal centres authorised to certify applications for the visa.

With our partners at the Migrant Justice Institute, we are conducting research which will lay the groundwork for the next chapter of this work – advocating for the removal of all work-related restrictions on people seeking asylum.

For years, people seeking asylum and the organisations supporting them have called for an end to arbitrary restrictions on work rights which force people to choose between a life of poverty in Australia, and returning to danger in their home country. 

We will continue to conduct focus groups and research in partnership with people seeking asylum, to create the evidence base to lobby against work restrictions on people seeking asylum.