WHILE it is commendable an investigation has been launched into the employment and housing circumstances of 29 foreign workers engaged in the installation of a pellet feed mill at Manildra, it is disturbing that it has taken almost four months for their plight to come to light.
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It is extremely worrying that a Taiwanese company can somehow undertake work in this country without the checks and balances that would have shown its workers were not only being paid poorly but housed in appalling conditions and being stung with $13,000 deductions from their pay packets for the privilege.
If one does just the basic maths, the Taiwanese company would always be way ahead of local tenderers if it could charge its workers so steeply just for their food and board. Documents we saw revealed that workers were being charged $13,000 per annum for accommodation. Given there are 29 workers in the one home, $377,000 would go to the company for the rent, making its bid for the work so much more competitive than anything a local firm could offer.
Not only does this practice threaten the jobs of Australians – and there are many seeking work in this region – it jeopardises the viability of local businesses trying to compete.
The federal government has a responsibility to close loopholes such as this if it is at all serious about protecting the rights of Australia workers and the businesses that employ them.
This is particularly critical in light of the free trade agreements with China and Japan, which will open the door to companies from those countries to bid for contracts in Australia.