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The MWC strongly supports and endorses the submission of the Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC), particularly the range of measures proposed to enhance consultation and participation with employees and their representatives. We offer additional comments to highlight how these reforms can better address the needs of migrant workers.

Migrant workers are often excluded from genuine consultation processes due to language barriers and/or the absence of trained representatives. For example, WorkSafe Inspectors and/or ARREOs wanting to interview workers as part of an investigation or inspection may be directed instead to informal or untrained bicultural intermediaries, who act as ‘go-to’ persons on behalf of workers. While often well-intentioned, this practice can distort or filter workers’ accounts, limiting inspectors’ access to accurate information about workplace risks and safety. It may also lead to incomplete or unreliable assessments of compliance.

Recommendation 1. Adopt the recommendations proposed by the VTHC’s submission in full.

Recommendation 2. Incorporate culturally and linguistically inclusive requirements into consultation and participation mechanisms, including access to interpreters, translated materials, and trained inspectors or representatives.

Recommendation 3. Provide additional funding to WorkSafe Victoria to ensure the effective implementation and wider awareness of existing resources, including the Compliance Code: Communicating Occupational Health and Safety Across Languages.