“Backpackers and migrants reliant on employers at 'high risk' of harassment"

The case of a Broome pub manager who raped and sexually assaulted multiple members of his staff highlights the vulnerable position migrant workers often find themselves in, advocates say.

Former Roebuck Bay Hotel manager Stewart Burchell was jailed for six years last month, after being found guilty of raping a female staff member and indecently assaulting several other women who worked at the pub.

"Women are still fearful of speaking up against unwanted harassment in the workplace, even when the conduct amounts to criminal conduct," Judge Belinda Lonsdale said while sentencing Burchell.

The woman the 52-year-old former manager raped was a temporary migrant, reliant on a workplace visa to legally remain in Australia.

It is a common arrangement across Broome, where the town's tourism and hospitality sectors are underpinned by a largely migrant workforce…

Migrant Justice Institute director Laurie Berg said temporary migrants were scared to come forward because they could lose their employment.

She said they were vulnerable and felt they must "accept unacceptable conduct"…

Ms Berg said only one in 10 migrant workers took action when discovering they were underpaid, with even fewer progressing to the Fair Work Ombudsman or any formal legal complaint…