Tragic death of migrant worker leads to visa review

The Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner has welcomed the Australian Government’s launch of an internal review of the Training (subclass 407) visa program as an important step towards strengthening protections for vulnerable migrant workers.

The review follows a Coronial Inquest into the death of Mr Jerwin Royupa, a Training visa holder, and responds to recommendations made by the Coroner for a “root cause analysis” of lessons learned from the circumstances of Mr Royupa’s death. The review will examine risks to workers within the Training visa framework and identify opportunities for reform across the broader visa system.

The Commissioner said the review represents a critical opportunity to address systemic risks and prevent exploitation. The Commissioner also noted the relatively short timeframe for the review and emphasised the importance of ensuring its depth and rigour.

“I recognise the tight timeframe for delivering this review and appreciate the urgency of this work,” the Commissioner said. “At the same time, the process must be sufficiently thorough to identify the systemic issues at play and support effective reform.” 

The Commissioner emphasised that the scope of the review—including sponsor obligations, compliance systems, and inter-agency coordination—provides a strong foundation for meaningful reform. However, the Commissioner stressed the importance of applying the findings more broadly. 

“It is essential that the findings of this review are not confined to the Training visa alone. Similar risks are present across a number of temporary visa programs, particularly where workers are tied to sponsors or employers,” the Commissioner said.

“Lessons from this review must be applied systematically across all visa frameworks where migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation, including other Temporary Activities visas and labour mobility schemes.”

The Commissioner welcomed and encouraged the review’s targeted consultation with key stakeholders, including affected families, government agencies, and civil society organisations.

“A robust and inclusive consultation process is critical to ensuring that the voices of workers and those with lived experience inform meaningful change.”

The final report is due to be provided to the Minister for Home Affairs by 1 June 2026.

Background: Terms of Reference for the review are available to view