Immigration compliance officers located seven illegal workers on two adjoining construction sites in Charlestown, Newcastle today.
Compliance officers from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), assisted by NSW Police, located this group following an operation at a Hurstville construction site last week where 17 illegal workers were located.
“A total of four unlawful non-citizens and a further three people working in breach of their visa conditions were detained as a result of today’s successful operation,” a departmental spokesman said. “They were all Chinese nationals."
The four unlawful non-citizens will be taken to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre, where arrangements will be made for their removal from Australia. Interviews are continuing with the other three people located.
The illegal workers located at the Charlestown sites were performing gyprocking tasks.
Information received from a variety of sources combined with DIAC’s investigations into last week’s Hurstville locations led to today’s activity.
Immigration officers are investigating the circumstances under which the people were employed. The spokesman said the operation served as a warning to people and employers that breaches of immigration law would not be tolerated.
An earlier operation at a construction site in the Sydney suburb of Rhodes in August found 12 illegal workers.
“DIAC is committed to ensuring the integrity of our migration and visa programs,” the spokesman said. “These recent operations demonstrate that if people work illegally or if people employ illegal workers, they will be caught.”
He strongly urged employers to check that all people they hire have the legal right to work in Australia.
In 2008-09, the department located almost 11 500 people who had either overstayed their visa or were in breach of their visa conditions, including almost 1000 people who were working illegally.
The main industries where people were found to working illegally were agricultural (29.8 per cent), hospitality (16.1 per cent) and construction (14.7 per cent) sectors.
“Employers can face severe penalties for hiring people who do not have work rights in Australia and the department will be seeking information on any involvement of organisers behind this illegal employment,” the spokesman said.
Employers convicted under Commonwealth legislation face fines of up to $13 200 and two years’ imprisonment while companies face fines of up to $66 000 per illegal worker.
Employers can gain access to the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) service which allows employers to provide relevant identification details of prospective employees with their consent to quickly confirm that they are eligible to work in Australia.
The department conducted a total of 2228 employer awareness visits in 2008-09 to educate them about checking a person’s immigration status, particularly through the VEVO service.
People with information about illegal workers or visa overstayers should call the Immigration Dob-In Line on 1800 009 623.
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