Illegal Malaysian workers found on Aussie farm in crackdown over exploitation

Authorities have located three Malaysians working illegally on a Western Australian farm as part of an ongoing operation to target companies exploiting foreign workers.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) said the three were part of a group of 10 foreigners located at a large strawberry farm north of Perth on Sept 26.

Some of the workers, the ABF said, were found to be living in “squalid” conditions.

“Seven were from Vietnam and three from Malaysia. One female and one male from Malaysia were in Australia unlawfully, whilst the other eight were found to be working in breach of their visas.

“The foreign nationals were identified after two Migration Act 1958 warrants were executed on the property yesterday (Sept 26) as part of an ongoing operation established to target unscrupulous labour-hire intermediaries and the companies that use them to exploit foreign workers.

“Some of the farmworkers were found to be living in cramped and squalid conditions in a house and donga style accommodation on the property,” it said in a statement.

Donga style is an Australian slang used mainly to describe temporary or demountable structures such as housing.

However, when contacted by Malaysiakini, the Australian Department of Home Affairs declined to confirm if the Malaysians concerned were suspected victims of exploitation, nor if they were detained.

“At the moment there’s no new information we can release. The investigation is ongoing, and I’m advised, will be for some time,” a public affairs officer from the department’s executive coordination division said in an email response.

Meanwhile, in its earlier statement, ABF investigations commander Graeme Grosse was quoted saying that foreign workers in the country are often extremely vulnerable.

“We often find evidence of them being underpaid, deprived of entitlements, and being treated poorly.

“Unscrupulous individuals facilitating illegal worker exploitation are making significant profits at their expense, and it also disadvantages local businesses who do the right thing by paying and treating their workers properly,” Grosse said.

The ABF is an independent operation body underneath the country's Home Affairs portfolio tasked with, among others, customs services, as well as investigating and enforcing immigration infractions. - Mkini