Australian employers who exploit migrant workers will be banned from hiring other visa holders and will face new criminal penalties, as part of a government crackdown…

On Monday the federal government will announce legal changes to tackle what it calls “a crisis of exploitation with up to one in six recent migrants paid less than the minimum wage”.

The changes, to be introduced to parliament within weeks, will include making it a criminal offence to coerce someone into breaching their visa condition. This offence will attract a penalty of up to two years in prison.

The government will also use new prohibition notices to “stop employers from further hiring people on temporary visas where they have exploited migrants”.

In addition to tripling some existing financial penalties, the government will give temporary visa holders who are sponsored by an employer much longer to find a new job. This aims to ease the pressure exploited workers face to stay in poor conditions…

The government will also repeal a section of the Migration Act that says it is an offence for a visa holder to contravene a condition regarding the work they are allowed to do.

This provision … it actively undermines people reporting exploitative behaviour…