The Strengthening Employer Compliance Act 2024, which received royal assent on February 20th, 2024, aims to combat exploitation and enhance protections for temporary migrant workers in Australia.
This Act, coming into effect on July 1st, 2024, introduces several crucial measures:
Key measures include:
• Criminalizing coercion: It becomes a crime to pressure or coerce individuals into violating work-related visa conditions.
• Banning repeat offenders: Employers convicted of these offenses will be temporarily prohibited from hiring further temporary migrant workers.
• Public blacklisting: The names of such employers will be published on the official Home Affairs website.
• Increased penalties: Both financial and civil penalties for related offenses will be significantly increased.
• Enhanced enforcement: The Australian Border Force (ABF) will gain new powers to issue compliance notices and enforceable undertakings.
• Empowering victims: Repealing the section criminalizing breaches by visa holders encourages victims to report exploitation without fear.
This legislation aims to create a safer environment for migrant workers by holding employers accountable and providing better avenues for reporting exploitation, reflecting the Australian government’s commitment to ensuring fair treatment within the country.
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