Community Power
We strengthen communities through leadership development, mentoring, collective action, and worker empowerment.
Learn moreAbout us
Our voices, our centre.
The Refugee and Migrant Workers Centre is the only centre in Australia run by migrant workers, for migrant workers, providing support to migrant communities navigating workplace exploitation, discrimination, and other intersecting forms of disadvantage.
Who we are
A centre shaped by the people it serves.
We know that unsafe work, wage theft, discrimination and other forms of workplace exploitation are often linked to wider barriers in our lives, but support services rarely respond in ways that are culturally appropriate and reflect our experiences and concerns.
Shaped by the voices, experiences, and leadership of migrant communities across New South Wales, our work combines multilingual education, legal advice, casework, advocacy, and research to advance safe, fair, and discrimination-free workplaces. We believe every worker in Australia deserves to be safe at work and treated with respect.
Our team brings lived experience of migration, insecure work, and navigating complex systems. Every member of our staff is bilingual or multilingual, allowing us to deliver culturally informed and accessible support grounded in trust, care, and community.
Centre launch · Sydney Trades Hall
Every worker, regardless of visa status, the language they speak, or where they were born, deserves to be safe, treated fairly, and empowered to enforce their workplace rights.
Our commitment
Our work
How we support
Multilingual Education
We deliver accessible education programs in more than 12 languages across metropolitan and regional New South Wales, covering workplace rights, workplace health and safety, and related issues affecting migrant workers. Preventing workplace injuries and fatalities is central to our work, and workplace health and safety education remains a key priority.
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Research and Advocacy
We work alongside communities, unions, legal services, researchers, and decision-makers to strengthen workplace protections and address the systemic issues affecting migrant workers across Australia. Our advocacy and research are informed by the lived experiences of migrant workers and grounded in community knowledge and evidence.
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Legal Advice
We provide free and confidential legal advice on workplace rights and related matters, including wage theft, unsafe work, discrimination, unfair dismissal, and exploitation connected to employment.
Learn moreIn their words
Case Studies
Every case is different. These stories show what is possible when workers know their rights and have support.
482 visa / Hair and Beauty
Juan – Recovering unpaid entitlements
Full $22,000 in unpaid entitlements recovered
Juan worked as a barber on a subclass 482 temporary skilled worker visa. His employer stopped making superannuation contributions, denied his annual…
Read their story
Retail
John – Accessing carer’s leave
Carer's leave approved after employer refused
John worked as a retail assistant for an international cosmetics company. When his grandfather-in-law became seriously ill overseas, his employer rejected his…
Read their story
PALM Scheme / Agriculture
Karen – Preventing unlawful wage deductions
Unlawful $1,800 wage deduction stopped
Karen worked in the meat industry under the PALM scheme. Before her contract ended, her employer demanded evidence of a return flight…
Read their story
Hospitality
Hellen – Restaurant worker receives compensation for underpayment
Substantial compensation secured for $30,000 underpayment
Hellen worked in a Sydney restaurant for almost two years, regularly working up to 70 hours per week. Much of her pay…
Read their storyIn the community
Together, we bloom.
From cultural celebrations to public advocacy, moments that reflect the strength and diversity of the communities we serve.
12+
Languages spoken
across our team
across our team
NSW
Metro & regional
reach
reach
Need support? You're not alone.
Free, confidential advice in your preferred language. We're here whether you're facing wage theft, unsafe work, discrimination, or a visa-related workplace issue.