Treasurer and Industrial Relations Minister Dominic Perrottet. Credit:Geoff Jones Some students told researchers they had been subject to intimidation by their employers, who threatened to deport or blacklist them for future work if they complained. "The research showed that when it comes to international students in the Australian workplace, 60 per cent believe that if they report a workplace issue to their employer the situation will either remain the same, or get worse," Natalie James said. Ms James is now urging 564,869 international students in Australia to speak up if they have any concerns about their jobs or pay, stressing that they have the same workplace rights as resident workers. "The number of international students reporting issues to the Fair Work Ombudsman is disproportionately low compared to other categories of visa holders, despite the fact that international students represent a significant proportion of overseas visitors with work rights," Ms James said.

NSW Labor spokesman on industrial relations Adam Searle. Credit:James Brickwood "We know that international students can be reluctant to speak out when something is wrong, making them particularly vulnerable to exploitation. This is especially the case when students think that seeking assistance will damage future job prospects or lead to the cancellation of their visa." The Ombudsman has seen cases where employers have threatened international students with deportation for working more than the number of hours permitted under their visa when they have raised questions about their entitlements. Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James. Credit:James Brickwood "In some cases these same employers have altered pay slips and underpaid hourly rates in order to disguise the number of hours the student has worked," Ms James said.

"I would like to reassure international students that in line with an agreement between my agency and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, you can seek our assistance without fear of your visa being cancelled, even if you've worked more hours than you should have under your visa." The Fair Work Ombudsman has seen serious and highly exploitative treatment of young international students in Australia. The Fair Work Ombudsman website provides information about workplace rights in 30 different languages. NSW Labor industrial relations spokesman Adam Searle said exploitation and wage theft was common among young students in NSW, including the Illawarra, but something the Berejiklian government has been reluctant to address. In a budget estimates committee hearing earlier this month, Mr Searle asked the NSW Minister for Industrial Relations Minister Dominic Perrottet whether the state government planned to provide protection for young workers in the wake of the wage theft scandal in Wollongong exposed by Fairfax Media.

Mr Perrottet replied: "I would have thought one of the more significant issues in terms of wage theft was the union movement contracting out the entitlements of Sunday workers at the expense of those who work during the week." "The best protection and the best support we can provide to young people across this state is a job." NSW Labor has pledged to introduce a new wage theft law to criminalise deliberate failure to pay wages and entitlements and new laws to hold head franchisors accountable for the actions of franchisees if it wins government. It would also widen the powers of workplace inspectors to undertake wage audits and introduce new laws to protect Sunday penalty rates in all state awards and agreements. Rashid Saleem, an international student from Pakistan, has been among students at the University of Wollongong who have been underpaid for work at local cafes, restaurants and in jobs as cleaners. He worked three days for free at a restaurant in September 2015 on the promise of a job that would pay him $16 an hour. But when he completed his five-hour unpaid trial shifts, he was instead offered $12 an hour. After just one day of paid work as a waiter, he was never called back.

"There are a lot of students in Wollongong – international and local – who are being underpaid. Especially in cleaning jobs," he said.