This report adds to the growing evidence base of widespread underpayment and unscrupulous labour hire practices in Australian horticulture, casting a spotlight on the blueberry industry situated on the NSW mid-north coast.

It details the nature of underpayment and labour exploitation in the area, demonstrating that even during the ‘worker shortages’ induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, nefarious behaviour is still occurring in Australian horticulture, leaving both migrant workers and local workers shortchanged and aggrieved by their experience.

Part 1 explores the impact of COVID-19 on the horticultural industry, the established evidence base documenting exploitation in the sector, and the power imbalance inherent in the 88 days regional work requirement associated with WHM visas.

Part 2 then investigates incidents of wage theft and other forms of labour exploitation and employer malfeasance in the Coffs Coast region during the 2019/20 blueberry harvests.

Ultimately, this report concludes that the exploitative practices evident in the Coffs Coast berry industry is the consequence of not just employer malfeasance – but also a broken WHM program that prioritises meeting regional labour demand over facilitating cultural exchange. The program permits — through an omission of government action — underpayment and employer malfeasance to occur with effective impunity, in northern New South Wales and elsewhere.