An interesting story I saw on The Age. I am copying it here for the readers of this blog:
EIGHTEEN months ago, Gong Wei and Huang Jiandong arrived in Sydney hoping to build prosperity for their families in China. Yesterday the two men were homeless, penniless and on the brink of deportation, the latest victims to slip through the cracks of the skilled worker visa scheme.
Mr Gong, 32, and Mr Huang, 37, say they are each owed more than $30,000, which was taken from their bank accounts by their former employer, Frank Wang. Mr Wang says they spent their money on “girls” and are harassing him for money he does not owe them.
The case is being investigated by police, the Immigration Department and the Workplace Ombudsman. Meanwhile, Mr Gong and Mr Huang were yesterday evicted from their home and, with no rights to stay in Australia, fear they will be sent back to China before anyone helps.
A parliamentary inquiry’s report into the 457 visa scheme yesterday called for changes to it, including the introduction of a “confidential complaints mechanism” to allow workers to report breaches without being punished by their employers.
Mr Gong, a carpenter, and Mr Huang, a construction worker, who each have a young child, were approached by their supervisor at a building site in Jiangsu province early last year. He knew a man who had a relative in Australia named Frank Wang who needed two workers.
Mr Wang sponsored Mr Gong and Mr Huang on 457 visas to work in Sydney for two years. But their contracts did not meet 457 visa conditions, which stipulate a minimum wage payment of $41,850, among others. The men also had to pay a $8065 “deposit” to Mr Wang’s representative in China.
