Legal loophole leaves migrant workers with thousands of dollars in unpaid wages

Despite agreeing 'in principle' to include them in employee protections, the federal government has done nothing in six months

Oppressed for his religious beliefs, and driven from his job, Fu Cong fled China for safety and a new life in Australia, seeking, in his words, "fairness and justice". He found, instead, a prolonged but perfectly legal exploitation.

Having joined the banned Falung Gong spiritual group persecuted as "anti-government" by the Chinese communist party, Cong lost his job as a teacher after nearly two decadesof service. He made the "agonising" decision to leave his home town in northeast China for a land, he had read, was fair and egalitarian.