Employment is widely recognised as the most vital step for successful settlement in a new country. However, recently arrived migrant and refugee workers face many barriers. Finding employment is difficult. For those who do find work, exploitation is widespread. Exploited workers are not aware of their rights, and rarely access help to enforce the law. Temporary migrant workers, women and young people face additional barriers. Exploitation continues unabated and employers gain a competitive advantage by breaking the law, while companies that do the right thing are disadvantaged. Exploitation not only damages individual workers, it also undermines the Australian workplace relations framework.

The report provides evidence-based recommendations for legal and policy reform. Recommendations are grouped into ten steps that stakeholders can take to eliminate exploitation. The report is targeted at state and federal governments, policy makers, regulators, commissions, courts, agencies and community organisations. We have strived to ensure that migrant voices are heard in this report and hope that they are now heard by others and acted upon to stop exploitation and benefit all Australians.