, some have charged individual workers $70,000 or more for a job. They often also charge workers for housing and rental of furniture.“Good 457 workers will get your [permanent residency] status, you will have five things in your hand: wife, kids, house, money, car,” wrote a recruitment syndicate member in a 2016 Facebook post on a private page aimed at attracting Chinese men to work at Warrnambool’s Midfield Meats.
One Australian meat company boss, who asked not to be named, said he left his meeting with a top Chinese customs official feeling he would need to pay a bribe to get the licence. He made no payment and his company is still without an export licence.In return for securing the licence, or lifting a suspension on one, some recruiters ask the meat bosses to commit to exclusive labour supply contracts with them.
One abattoir that received workers from this agency was so concerned about their English proficiency that it had them retested in Sydney. Mr Tudge has previously confirmed attending a meeting while acting immigration minister that was organised by Mr Tehan to discuss visa issues affecting a meat processing business in his electorate. Mr Tehan and Mr McKenna’s father, Midfield Meats owner Colin McKenna, previously part-owned a racing thoroughbred called Spin the Bottle.
A few weeks after this meeting, tensions at Midfield spilled over publicly when the Chinese workers refused to enter the abattoir after their colleague,The stand-off resulted in extensive media coverage and piqued the interest of Australian Border Force officials in Melbourne, helping trigger wider scrutiny of foreign worker visa applications in the nation’s meat processing industry.