Australian authorities send strong message regarding underpaying interns

Australian authorities have sent a strong message to companies for underpaying interns.

The Fair Work Ombudsman issued a 281,010 Australian dollar fine to media company AIMG BQ Pty Ltd, for the exploitation of a Chinese international student through an unpaid internship.

The company operates Chinese-language websites and publications targeted at Australia's Chinese community.

It was alleged the 24-year-old international student was studying a Master of Event Management at University of Technology Sydney and required to do 180 hours of unpaid casual work over a four-month period before the company would begin paying her wages.

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers Employment Principal Giri Sivaraman told Xinhua on Monday businesses needed to be aware that using "internships" to circumvent worker protections under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) could possibly expose them to liability.

"Businesses are officially on notice that exploiting the labor of vulnerable workers will simply not be tolerated," Sivaraman said.

"Interns are susceptible to exploitation for a number of legal and social reasons."

He noted the legal meaning of "internship" was unclear.

"Businesses target migrant workers with no knowledge of Australia's industrial law framework, making them unlikely to question their poor employment conditions." Endit