Migrant Workers Centre advances workplace justice for migrant labour
- Editorial Team SDG8
- Jan 18
- 2 min read
Migrant workers remain fundamental to Australia’s economy, yet they continue to face heightened risks of exploitation, wage theft and unsafe working conditions. In Victoria, the Migrant Workers Centre plays a critical role in addressing these challenges by empowering workers to understand and enforce their rights while advocating for structural reform. Its work reflects a wider global concern, how labour mobility can be governed in a way that supports fair sustainability and social cohesion.
The need for focused intervention is well established. Complex visa arrangements, limited access to reliable information and persistent language barriers often prevent migrant workers from seeking help when abuses occur. These gaps harm individual livelihoods while also weakening labour standards across entire sectors. Addressing exploitation therefore requires approaches that combine education, trust building and policy reform rather than enforcement alone.
Education sits at the centre of the organisation’s mission. The Centre delivers training on workplace rights and occupational safety through workshops, digital tools and community outreach. A core initiative, the Bicultural Work Rights Ambassadors Program, equips community leaders to share accurate information in more than 30 community languages.
This approach ensures that knowledge reaches workers in culturally relevant ways and that workplace rights are understood in practice, not just in law.
Advocacy and direct support complement these efforts. The Centre provides individual case assistance to migrant workers facing wage theft, discrimination and unsafe conditions. By working closely with unions and community organisations, it transforms individual cases into collective advocacy, exposing systemic patterns of exploitation and pushing for long term solutions that improve compliance across industries.
Research and policy engagement form the third pillar of its work. Drawing on frontline experience, the Centre develops evidence based policy recommendations aimed at strengthening labour and migration frameworks. Its advocacy contributed to the creation of the Workplace Justice Visa, enabling exploited migrant workers to remain temporarily in Australia while pursuing their legal rights. Such measures align with the intent of SDG 8 on decent work, recognising that labour protections must include migrants to be effective.
Bridging linguistic and cultural barriers remains central throughout. By embedding services within communities and prioritising trust, the Centre addresses structural factors that often keep exploitation hidden and unreported.
Based in Carlton and supported by the Victorian Government, the Migrant Workers Centre continues to play a key role in advancing workplace justice in Victoria. As labour markets become increasingly mobile, its model demonstrates how community led institutions can help ensure that economic participation does not come at the expense of dignity or safety.
For more information and further reading:Migrant Workers Centre, Victoria
