Border Force raid nets 27 illegal farm workers near Stanthorpe
IT BEGAN with a chance traffic stop by police, and ended with a full-scale raid by Australian Border Force on a Queensland property.
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AUSTRALIAN Border Force officers caught 27 illegal foreign workers yesterday in a pre-dawn raid on a strawberry farm near the Queensland-NSW border.
Operation Laconicum was the latest in a string of ABF investigations around the country targeting illegal workers and businesses exploiting foreign workers.
The I Luv Pty Ltd farm at Cottonvale, near Stanthorpe, which supplies Coles and Woolworths, had been under investigation for more than 12 months and was warned last year against exploiting foreign workers.
The ABF ordered the raid after Queensland police intercepted a car carrying four workers living on the farm on January 9.
More than 30 ABF officers swooped about 3.45am yesterday, surrounding the accommodation blocks and presenting a search warrant to the farm’s manager in the main house.
Some startled workers poked their heads out of their doors but were ordered to wait inside. Officers cleared each of the dormitory-style rooms, moving workers into a large common room.
One woman without a passport hid under her bed. Others were rounded up in pyjamas as ABF officers conducted more than 180 visa and identity checks.
I Luv Pty Ltd manager Tan Thinh “Tommy” Ngyuen told The Courier-Mail that four labour hire contractors supplied the farm’s employees.
“My job is just to clean the rooms,” he said, adding that the farm owner Hour “George” Him was in charge of paying the workers.
ABF inspector and operation commander Teresa Skellett said businesses had a legal requirement to ensure all staff were eligible to work in Australia and faced severe penalties for employing illegal workers.
Last June the Fair Work Ombudsman charged the farm’s operators after an audit revealed foreign workers had been underpaid $2601.
I Luv Pty Ltd was fined $56,000 and Mr Him and a business partner were each fined $6400.
The FWO also made the company pay back nine employees more than $21,000 in 2013.
ABF officers yesterday detected 27 illegal workers on the property including 12 Malaysians. Of those, 13 were unlawful non-citizens who had overstayed visas.
The other 14 had breached visa conditions.
ABF detained 21 illegal workers and took them to Brisbane for removal or to apply for a new visa. Two were granted bridging visas and four will be interviewed further in Brisbane.
The workers were questioned about links with organised labour hire and the results passed to Taskforce Cadena, which targets criminals organising visa fraud.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton warned employers they could not hide behind labour hire companies if illegal workers were discovered on their properties.
“This government is serious about ensuring that we have integrity in our visa programs, and we will continue to target individuals and businesses involved in visa fraud, illegal work and the exploitation of foreign nationals,” he said.
“Employers have a responsibility for ensuring that their workers, whether domestic or foreign, are employed legally and that they receive all of their respective entitlements. Those employers seeking to bypass Australia’s workplace and immigration laws are on notice – the ABF and Fair Work will track you down and prosecute you”.
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