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Immigration officials will today begin arranging to remove 28 illegal workers located in compliance operations across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
Of the 28 detained:
- 17 were located in Wangaratta, Victoria
- three were located in Albury, NSW
- and a further eight were located near Clare, South Australia.
In South Australia late yesterday, departmental officers located eight unlawful non-citizens, all Thai nationals working illegally in the horticultural industry near Clare, north-east of Adelaide.
In two separate Victorian operations, compliance officers located a total of 20 people of interest – 18 from Malaysia and two from Thailand. All were working illegally in Australia in the agricultural, retail food and horticultural industries.
Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) officers located 17 illegal agriculture workers near Wangaratta. The 14 males and three females from Malaysia were transferred to Melbourne’s Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre.
A couple and their 17-year-old son were among those located working on farms in the Victorian operation. The family was taken to an alternative place of detention pending their removal from Australia.
In the other Victorian operation in Albury, just over the NSW border, three others were located working illegally in restaurants. One had overstayed his visa while the rest were working in breach of visa conditions.
All of those detained are expected to be removed from Australia shortly, a departmental spokesman said.
Employers convicted under Commonwealth legislation face fines of up to $13 200 and two years’ imprisonment while companies face fines of up to $66 000 per illegal worker.
Source: DIAC
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