7 September 2026
$3.2 billion lost: ABNs are being used to underpay migrant workers — time for an urgent fix
Recent reporting shows employers are increasingly using Australian Business Numbers (ABNs) to misclassify and short-change workers, costing a cohort of employees about $3.2 billion a year. Many bosses are perpetrating underpayment through 11‑digit ABNs, exposing cracks in enforcement and labour protections.
Downunder Voices perspective
Why this matters
Local communities rely on fair workplaces. When migrant workers are underpaid through ABN misclassification it not only harms those individuals and their families, it also corrodes wages and conditions for everyone in sectors that depend on migrant labour. Ordinary Australians should care because wage theft distorts competition, pressures services and undermines social cohesion.
About this report
This article contains independently written commentary and community perspective from Downunder Voices.
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