“They’re desperate for work, desperate for cash”: Wagga Mayor Dallas Tout. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen.
Wagga Mayor Dallas Tout has spoken out against the exploitation of migrant workers in the Riverina, including on a nationwide broadcast on ABC Radio this week.
“If people have to eat and put a roof over their head and take cash jobs, then the opportunity is there for [a] minority of people to take advantage of those people,” Cr Tout told Region.
“They’re desperate for work, desperate for cash, and they have to put a roof over their head and food in their stomach.
“[There is] opportunity there to be taken advantage of, and sadly, there are a minority of people who do that.”
This comes after a NSW parliamentary inquiry into temporary migrant workers’ work and living conditions, which found that they were at risk of being forced into what’s been called “modern slavery”.
The inquiry detailed stories of migrant workers found to be residing in overcrowded and “unliveable” accommodation. There were also shocking accounts of temporary workers hiding pregnancies, attempting unsafe home terminations or spending thousands of dollars to access abortions.
“I’ve been liaising with members of the community for … at least [the past] 18 months or two years,” Cr Tout said.
“I’ve been talking to the Leeton and Griffith mayors, and [the Leeton mayor] suggested the idea of the Mayoral Alliance for the Pacific.
“Then we went into an arrangement with Welcoming Australia, who now facilitate that mayoral alliance.”
There are nearly 30,000 workers from the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme across Australia, which allows Australian businesses to hire short-term workers from nine Pacific islands and Timor-Leste.
“They’re able to then work and assist their family back home, send money back home,” he said.
“It also gives a solution to some of the employers who are unable to find workers. So it’s a win-win situation. So the PALM scheme at its heart is a great thing.”
Traditionally, slavery meant owning someone else as property, either through trafficking or to pay off debt. The NSW Government has expanded the term “modern slavery” to include forced labour through coercion, manipulation or exploitation and forced marriage.
The Wagga mayor urged the NSW Government to set up policies to regulate and ensure compliance from labour hire agencies across the state.
“For the Federal Government, it’s more about ensuring that the support services are in regions, not in a metro area,” he said. “That then leads to early identification of people who are going to disengage.
“The other thing we’re not seeing is country liaison visits from the countries involved.”
He’s only seen one country liaison visit from the Solomon Islands in the past three years he’s been mayor.
“So having those country liaison visits as well, so people can see people from their own country who they can advocate to if they need to.
“And my suggestion all along has been that, if there are resources in place to support people in regional NSW, and those resources should be situated in the regions.”
Being in regional areas makes it difficult for temporary workers to access services, giving a minority more opportunity to exploit these workers.
“Your access to services is an issue,” Cr Tout said.
“One of the major systemic issues I keep commenting on is that a substantial tender was let for an organisation to provide support services to PALM workers so that they don’t disengage from the PALM scheme.”
Workers under the PALM scheme are sponsored by their employers and become disengaged if they resign, losing the rights to work in Australia.
“The problem then is you become effectively illegal, and they are not entitled to any services, Medicare or anything,” Cr Tout said. “So everything or anything you have to apply for or access [you] have to pay full price.
“Which is where the potential for an increased incident of being taken advantage of can happen.”
Cr Tout believes these migrant workers are “part of the community” and add to the vibrant tapestry of the Riverina.
“If they’re part of their community, then, as an elected person, I’m always passionate about ensuring I’m aware of what’s happening and what’s going on in our community, and showing any advocacy if it’s needed,” he said.
Please call triple zero or 1800 FREEDOM (1800 37 33 36) if you or someone you know is at risk of modern slavery. Cr Tout also advised those at risk to reach out to their town mayor or a community leader from their home country.
Original Article published by Erin Hee on Region Riverina.
