Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Over the parliamentary break a number of issues were raised in the media, including on the Four Corners program, about the exploitation of temporary workers, people who come here in good faith, young people who are here on backpacker visas to work here on 417 visas. I am sure many people in this House were very concerned about some of the allegations that were being made and some of the heartbreaking stories they heard about exploitation and in some cases slave labour conditions. It is important that as a parliament and as parliamentarians we speak out on this issue when people are being exploited in the workplace, regardless of whether they are an Australian worker or a foreign worker here on a temporary work visa.

In my own electorate of Bendigo there is similar concern in the poultry industry and in the meatworks industry. There are constantly locals coming and saying to me that they have missed out on work and job opportunities and they believe it is because these particular employers are employing people on temporary work visas. In some cases some of the allegations are quite alarming, and I am looking forward to meeting with the companies to put those allegations directly to them, but in other cases it is purely and simply using the temporary workers, who are on award conditions, to undercut the wages of their own employees working directly for them. It is an area we need to address.

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