Minister for Employment Michaelia Cash last week established a Ministerial Working Group to examine a range of policy options to protect vulnerable foreign workers in Australia.

The establishment of the Working Group is in line with other actions taken by the Coalition Government to eradicate exploitation, particularly of foreign workers.

“Foreign workers are important contributors to the Australian workforce and we want to ensure they continue to view Australia as a great destination.” Minister Cash said.

Over the past three years, the Fair Work Ombudsman has dealt with over 6,000 requests for assistance and recovered more than $4 million in wages and entitlements owed to foreign workers.

Minister Cash further adds “We know that foreign workers are potentially more vulnerable to workplace exploitation and as such we have a responsibility to investigate additional measures to ensure their protection.”

She also stated that the Working Group will not create red tape and extra costs for businesses, and will ensure that only businesses that are doing the wrong thing will be targeted.

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