Anti Slavery Commissioner reports labour hire firms placed berry pickers in ''illegal brothel"

Questions are mounting about what Australia’s berry industry knew about alleged conditions of modern slavery within its billion dollar supply chain. A NSW parliamentary inquiry tabled a landmark report into modern slavery risks faced by migrant workers on Thursday. It made explosive claims that a small syndicate of labour hire firms on the state's mid north coast had placed workers into debt bondage, sexual servitude and potentially conducted people trafficking.Anti-slavery Commissioner for New South Wales Dr James Cockayne. (ABC News: Abbey Haberecht )Evidence by the NSW Anti-Slavery Commissioner Dr James Cockayne cited 'interlocking patterns of conduct' between the companies and berry farm operators, owners and buying entities in the region."Producers in the region, and those that buy berries from them, have real questions to answer about what they knew, and when," Dr James Cockayne wrote in his submission to the report. "Have they turned a blind eye to ongoing signs of exploitation and modern slavery?"'Concerning behaviours'Farms in Coffs Harbour and the Nambucca Valley are the heart of the most serious claims of migrant exploitation contained within the report.A blueberry farms on NSW’s mid-north coast. (ABC Landline)The region's horticultural sector has experienced an explosion of growth in the last decade, led by the billion dollar blueberry industry.Citing evidence by Dr Cockayne, the report states that a small syndicate of labour hire firms had 'systemically exploited' temporary migrants working there as berry pickers. "There is one recurring allegation that a particular [accommodation] site... may have been used as an illegal brothel involving forced labour and sexual assault of female temporary migrant workers," Dr Cockayne wrote in a submission to the inquiry. The report urged the government to urgently investigate the exploitation of migrant workers in the region among 31 recommendations.Executive director of Berries Australia, Rachel McKenzie said there had been reports of 'concerning behaviours' from labour hire companies within the sector. (ABC News)Executive Director of Berries Australia, Rachel McKenzie said she was not aware of any specific cases of exploitation within the local supply chain."I'm not aware of any specific examples, I have been told that there are some concerning behaviours," Ms McKenzie said."Many of the growers are frightened to speak out because of these powerful syndicates working in the region.""This is criminal activity run by criminals, we need to address this behaviour."NSW Nationals leader and member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh was a founding director of the multi-million berry co-operative Oz Group that operates in the Coffs Coast.Nationals leader and Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh, who previously farmed blueberries. (ABC News)Mr Singh denied the coop relied on labour hire firms during his time at the company which ended in 2019."The way the industry worked, at least in the time that I was in it, [was] that people ran their own farms," he said."Packing suppliers like Oz Group… essentially handled the fruit on behalf of the farmers. They didn't use labour hire,""There will be a degree of questions that need to be asked, but they need to be asked of the board and the management of those companies."Mr Singh has denied allegations made by Dr Cockayne in the Sydney Morning Herald this week, who claimed he had been "on notice for a long time" over migrant worker exploitation in his electorate.(STATEMENT from Oz Group, Costa Berries, Driscolls (3pm deadline)SafeWork conducts surprise farm inspectionsThe NSW safety regulator SafeWork conducted a series of surprise farm inspections in the region the day the report was tabled to parliament on Thursday. SAFEWORK STATEMENT HERE. In a statement issued after the report was tabled yesterday, Dr Cockayne called for urgent action. "After this report, no one in the NSW Parliament – indeed, no one in New South Wales – can credibly claim to be unaware of the modern slavery risks temporary migrant workers face in our state," he said.