Migrant workers raise concerns at modern slavery inquiry in Coffs Harbour

1 hours agoFri 12 Dec 2025 at 10:46pm

Former fruit picker Ezekiel Nita has given evidence to an inquiry into modern slavery. (ABC Coffs Coast: Charles Rushforth)

In short:

Migrant workers have given evidence in Coffs Harbour at a NSW parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery.

The inquiry heard PALM workers faced exploitation and poor treatment by some employers.

What’s next?

The inquiry will continue hearings next year.

Ezekiel Nita says he felt "happy and lucky" when he was approved to work as a fruit picker in Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.

But warning signs that the trip was not the golden opportunity in Tasmania he was promised came shortly after his pay cheque was reduced from $1,400 to $300, due to unexplained deductions made by his employer.

"My family called me, asking ‘Why didn’t you send any money?’" he said.

"I told them: ‘We will be OK, I’ll get it.’"

Mr Nita said he watched with fear as two workers who raised complaints were fired and sent back to Papua New Guinea the next day.

"At that time, I was scared, my heart was beating," he said.

"How can I send this money home to my family?"

Unemployed and now living in Coffs Harbour, Mr Nita was among several migrant workers who gave evidence as confidential witnesses to a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery this week.

Workers living ‘like pigs’

The inquiry held a public hearing in Coffs Harbour this week, after the Fair Work Ombudsman found 61 per cent of horticulture employers in the area had breached employment obligations in the past three years.

The Coffs Coast is the nation’s largest producer of blueberries.

Volunteer Malia Sykes told the inquiry she had been providing essential supplies, such as cooking utensils and medicine to PALM workers in the region for more than five years.

Volunteer Malia Sykes was brought to tears while giving evidence about the living conditions of PALM workers in Coffs Harbour. (Supplied: NSW Parliament)

She said many workers employed by labour hire firms in the region lived "like pigs", hosted in small, overcrowded rooms without heating.

"[They are paying] anything above $170 to live with six-plus people in one room," Ms Sykes said.

"A lot of them were sleeping with their suitcases on top of their beds, that’s how they live for months.

"The smell of their rooms is horrendous."

Ms Sykes said she had travelled to Samoa to explain the difficulties of working under the PALM scheme to workers’ families.

"I have to explain to them, it’s not all a fairytale," she said.

"The money that they work so hard to send home … it comes out of hardship.

"I know that our people desperately need the money to support their families, but that doesn’t mean they have to live like pigs."

Hundreds of complaints

North Coast Settlement Services manager Biba Honnet said she had received more than 100 reports of migrant workers being exploited across Coffs Harbour in the past two years.

Biba Honnet says she no longer eats blueberries over fears migrant workers are being exploited. (ABC Coffs Coast: Charles Rushforth)

She said most complaints she had responded to came from migrant workers who were contracted to harvest blueberries in the area.

"I don’t buy blueberries anymore,"

Ms Honnet said.

"Their accommodation is usually very basic. It might have a tarpaulin for a front door with dirt flooring.

"I’ve seen containers where four to six people sleep in bunk beds, with doors that lock from the outside."

Legal Aid NSW senior solicitor James Blaxland said taking legal action against labour hire firms in New South Wales was difficult due to a lack of regulation.

"We’ve seen examples of a labour hire company whose registered address is a backpacker hostel, and their director is based overseas," he said.

"Bringing a legal action for a recovery of wages against a company like that is fruitless."

Biba Honnet appeared next to senior Legal Aid NSW lawyers Giles Fryer and James Blaxland. (ABC Coffs Coast: Charles Rushforth)

The inquiry heard that PALM workers faced a catch-22 scenario when seeking to challenge workplace grievances.

Legal Aid NSW senior solicitor Giles Fyer said it was common practice for PALM workers to be booked a flight home the day after being fired.

"It’s very common that their employer will buy them a ticket out of the country the next day," he said.

"But if that person wants to challenge that dismissal, by remaining in Australia, they are [technically] in breach of their visa.

"It’s a real minefield."

The inquiry continues.