A retired farmer on the NSW mid-north coast has described seasonal blueberry workers as 'emancipated slaves', highlighting widespread exploitation in the booming industry. Workers from Pacific islands, Asia and Europe reportedly face underpayment, poor housing and confiscation of passports by labour hire companies.
James, a 33-year-old Solomon Islander, said he was in debt to a farmer for car repairs, had his passport taken and wages docked, leaving him without money for food. He and fellow worker Janis, 41, claimed they were paid $15 an hour to pick blueberries, well below the legal minimum of $31.19 an hour for casual workers. They lived in an old caravan with eight people paying $150 a week each, and were charged $10 for using the washing machine.
In Coffs Harbour, 20 people shared a house, with one sleeping in a pantry and others in partitioned lounge rooms. James said he slept in an old toilet. Workers reported paying $10 each way for transport, for kitchen use, and handing over passports until visa costs were repaid. Some even had to provide their own picking buckets.
NSW's antislavery commissioner, James Cockayne, said worker exploitation is widespread in fruit-picking but worse in the blueberry industry. He cited low entry barriers, small farms and unlicensed labour hire companies as factors. Unlike Queensland, NSW does not licence labour hire firms, which Cockayne described as 'semi-organised crime' taking advantage of weak regulation and visa loopholes.
A Fair Work Ombudsman report in June rated the Coffs Harbour region at 'very high risk of breaching labour laws', with 61% non-compliance in recent inspections. The blueberry industry has grown rapidly, with Australian production jumping 40% between 2022 and 2024, centred on the mid-north coast.
