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Article

18 Feb 2020

Author:
Katri Uibu & Erin Cooper, ABC News

Australia: Farms workers of fruit & vegetable grower Costa are found living in 'slum-like conditions'

"Dozens of farm workers found living in five-bedroom building in Latrobe in Tasmania's north", 7 February 2020

About 70 people participating in a Federal Government-led seasonal workers program have been found living in a five-bedroom property in Latrobe, in northern Tasmania.

Latrobe Mayor Peter Freshney said..."[s]ome of the issues relate to a malfunctioning wastewater treatment system that generated smells. There was concern with the number of people being accommodated at that site,"....

[...]

Robert Flanagan from the Australian Workers Union said the residents would have been subject to "slum-like conditions".

[...]

"The fundamental concern that we've got is this is a Federal Government-sanctioned program sourcing labour from island communities and those communities are being subject to exploitation and misery, and they are a vulnerable group of people."

[...]

The workers were employed on a berry farm run by fruit and vegetable grower Costa.

In a statement, Costa said the accommodation was arranged by a "third-party labour supplier".

"Costa has issued the supplier with a notice of breach of contract," the company said.

"It is clear that the supplier did not obtain proper planning approvals from the local Council and it is also evident the standard of accommodation being provided by the supplier ... was not acceptable and does not meet Costa standards and community expectations."

[...]