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Migrant Employment Legal Service launched in Sydney
A new $1.6 million statewide project will provide free legal assistance to help thousands of short-term migrants recover wages owed to them by bosses who have withheld fair entitlements.
Jerome Doraisamy
Source: rlc.org.au/article/rlc-employment-opportunities
Launched earlier this week by NSW attorney-general Mark Speakman, the Migrant Employment Legal Service (MELS) is a joint initiative of four Sydney-based community legal centres: Inner City Legal Centre, Redfern Legal Centre, Kingsford Legal Centre and Marrickville Legal Centre.
“For migrants and temporary visa holders, MELS offers free legal advice, representation and community legal education if you’ve been ripped off by your employer or unfairly dismissed.”
Mr Speakman said the participating CLCs have hired two workers fluent in relevant languages, who will work closely with the Fair Work Ombudsman, Legal Aid NSW and migrant groups.
“Every employee in Australia should be paid what they’re owed, and this project will go a long way towards holding to account employers who exploit their workers,” Mr Speakman said.
Acting minister for multiculturalism Geoff Lee added that this initiative plays an important part in helping multicultural communities.
“Temporary migrants make a significant contribution to the NSW economy, making up 11 per cent of the national workforce,” he said.
“The project will offer on the ground help to underpaid workers with the provision of free legal advice to almost a thousand people a year. In NSW we want to ensure our migrant and multicultural communities aren’t exploited.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. In June 2024, he also assumed the editorship of HR Leader. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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