Welcome to the latest edition of the Migrant Workers Centre newsletter.
In this edition, you’ll find updates on our national Protecting Migrant Workers project, highlights from recent events and research, new resources in multiple languages and details of upcoming workshops and legal clinics. We’ve also expanded our legal team so more workers can get the support they need.
The Migrant Workers Centre offers free and confidential advice to any worker who was born overseas.
Our service is open to all people born outside Australia who work or live in Victoria, including refugees and asylum seekers, international students, working holiday visa holders, other temporary visa holders, permanent residents and citizens.
Learn how to connect with Migrant Workers Centre for guidance on workplace matters or get support.
Legal help
Protecting Migrant Workers
Migrant workers across Australia continue to face serious challenges, from underpayment to unsafe conditions and threats to their visas.
That’s why the Migrant Workers Centre is proud to be part of the Protecting Migrant Workers federal project, a nationwide collaboration with Trades and Labour Councils to educate and empower migrant communities.
Through this project, we’re:
- Developing clear, accessible resources for workers and employers
- Delivering educational materials across Victoria, including in regional areas, to reach workers where they are.
- Creating digital content on workplace rights and visa protections, shared through multiple platforms so information is easy to find and use.
- Engaging in community events to connect directly with migrant workers and ensure they know their rights.
Alongside this national work, the Centre has expanded its own legal services to better support migrants facing exploitation. We’ve recently welcomed an additional Employment Lawyer and a Migration Lawyer to our team. This expansion helps us respond to the growing demand, particularly for Workplace Justice Visa certifications, where many workers are experiencing significant backlogs. Our legal team is bridging that gap and ensuring migrant workers get the support they need to pursue justice.
Precarious Migrant Worker Seminar
On Tuesday 15 July, we hosted researcher Panos Theodoropoulos at Solidarity Hall, where he shared insights from his fieldwork in the UK’s warehouses, kitchens and factories. The discussion explored class struggle, resistance and the power of collective action under neoliberalism.
Special thanks to New International Bookshop, Search Foundation and Interregnum for their support.
Pre-order the book
Listen back to the seminar
If you’re an international student working in Victoria and facing challenges at work, our free legal advice clinics can help. These drop-in sessions are run monthly at the Study Melbourne Hub and offer confidential, one-on-one legal advice tailored to your workplace issue. Each session last up to 60 minutes total.
Upcoming dates:
Thursday 30 October: 12PM – 5PM AEST
Thursday 27 November: 12PM – 5PM AEST
Thursday 11 December: 12PM – 5PM AEST
What the clinic offers:
You’ll speak with a qualified employment lawyer who can help you understand:
- Whether your pay and conditions are fair
- What to do if you’ve been dismissed unfairly
- How to handle workplace bullying or harassment
- What your contract means for your rights
Work Ready at The Couch
In August, MWC and LLAMA, with support from Study Melbourne, hosted two free workshops at The Couch International Student Centre to help international students navigate work and life in Australia.
- Know Your Rights at Work (6 Aug) introduced students to workplace rights, student visa work limits, tax file numbers and practical tools like pay calculators.
- Building Confidence with Finances & Understanding Payslips (20 Aug) guided students through banking, superannuation and how to read payslips, with support from the Financial Independence Hub – Good Shepherd.
These sessions gave students the knowledge and confidence to protect themselves at work and manage their finances more effectively.
This September, international students can join two our upcoming Cover Letter Workshop at The Couch International Student Centre to build their job application skills. Run in collaboration with MWC and LLAMA.
Cover Letter Workshop
Wed 17 Sept, 5:30 – 8:30pm
Level 1, 69 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC
RSVP: Cover letter workshop
Solidarity Hour – Protection Visa Information session and Modern Slavery
Our recent Solidarity Hour sessions brought together partners and community members to share practical tools on key issues affecting migrant workers.
- Protection Visa Information Session (30 July) – Polaron Connect provided an overview of the Protection visa program, sharing multilingual resources and answering community questions.
- Modern Slavery Training (13 Aug) – The Australian Red Cross delivered interactive training on recognising and responding to modern slavery, with insights from the Support for Trafficked People Program and a live demonstration of the Work Right Hub.
Understanding Migrant Health and Wellbeing
On 28 August, we hosted researchers from the Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (MonCOEH) for a webinar exploring migrant workers’ health and wellbeing in the workplace. Drawing on studies in the stone benchtop industry and the care sector, speakers highlighted occupational risks, systemic challenges and opportunities to create safer, fairer workplaces.
Special thanks to Dr StellaMay Gwini, Dr Tessa Keegel and Dr Monica O’Dwyer for sharing their expertise and insights.
We’re also excited to share details of an upcoming event hosted by Monash:
MIGRANT WORKERS’ HEALTH SYMPOSIUM
Bridging Work and Health: Closing the gap in occupational health for migrant workers
Date: Tuesday 2 December
Time: 10AM - 3PM
Location: 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Registration opening soon: To express your interest, please contact [email protected]
If you would like to present your research at this forum, click here.
Updates to resources (English and in-language)
We’ve refreshed our key resources:
- Exploited at Work
- Should I Be on an ABN?
- Your Wages and;
- Workplace Justice Visa
These resources are now available in multiple languages, including English, Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and Urdu.
Resources
With your donation, we can expand our reach and continue delivering essential services to migrant workers across Victoria and beyond.
Here's how your contribution will make an impact:
Expand Know your Rights sessions
Your donation will help us take our free, in-language sessions to regional Victoria, ensuring migrant workers in all corners of the state have access to vital information about their rights at work.
Support our Research and Policy team
This will allow us to amplify our advocacy for stronger migrant worker rights and drive change at a national level.
Strengthen our legal support
For migrant workers across Australia, making a lasting impact on their lives and their rights at work.
Become a monthly donor
Join our community of regular supporters and enjoy exclusive content and a free MWC sticker pack as a thank you for your commitment to supporting migrant workers.
