News

Technology to tackle exploitation of foreign workers

Last month, we wrote about wage theft and the firms undertaking pro bono legal work to secure justice for exploited temporary migrant workers. Shortly afterwards, 4Corners aired an investigation into modern slavery happening inside Canberra’s embassies and the foreign workers that are tricked into inhumane conditions as domestic servants in the nation’s capital. With the plight of temporary migrant workers increasingly under the spotlight, the Diplomacy Training Program’s (DTP) Migrant Worker International Law Reference Tool is a timely resource for advocates.

Case study: Melbourne’s new employment law clinic – a pro bono partnership increasing capacity to address unmet legal need

Ashika* lost her job when she refused to give up her employee status for an independent contracting arrangement with the same business. Feeling that she’d been wronged but not knowing what she could do about the situation, she came to Inner Melbourne Community Legal (IMCL). When IMCL partnered with Clayton Utz to launch a fortnightly employment law clinic, the idea was to create a sustainable solution.

Wage theft: what can pro bono do to help?

With the publication of Wage Theft in Australia: Findings of the National Temporary Migrant Work Survey, we’re highlighting the crucial need for pro bono work in this space. See the story for more on the report and how two large law firms are helping tackle the problem.

Q&A with Peter Livers, Slattery Thompson

Continuing our series of Q&A interviews with Target Signatories, this month we catch up with a NSW lawyer from a small firm who was nominated for the 2017 Law Society President’s Award. See what Peter Livers, principal of Slattery Thompson, has to share about his many years of involvement in pro bono.