The ABF has been cracking down on sex worker exploitation and abuse within Australia since late 2022 as part of Operation Inglenook, but the approach is all wrong - according to sex workers who have dealt with raids on their workplaces and dehumanisation.

Scarlet Alliance CEO Mish Pony said that the union had approached the Department of Home Affairs to try and reach a solution that prioritised worker safety.

"We are trying to engage with the Department of Home Affairs and Border Force around the harm that these raids cause - we're still working through that process," they said.

"There's quite a bit of trauma and disruption and fear because your workplace has been stormed by armed personnel, but there's also the fear of deportation for migrants who may be working without the correct visa ... Border Force sees that as a successful raid."

Mx Pony said that the fear of deportation had already stopped sex workers from feeling able to talk to police or other agencies, proven in a leaked review from former Victorian chief police commissioner Christine Nixon, and that the latest raids had simply reinforced that.

"Our argument is that we need to be addressing the barriers that migrant sex workers face in accessing labour protections, however Border Force seems to not be amenable or interested in that strategy and continue to pursue a 'raid and rescue' approach despite the overwhelming evidence of the harms that they cause," they said.

Mon, from Scarlet Alliance's Asian Migrant Sex Worker Advisory Group or AMSWAG, shared her own story with Border Force raids.

She explained that Border Force agents would enter with no notice, split workers up and stop them from contacting outside help - not even translators for those who speak little English.

"When they're banging on the door, I know I was allowed to work but it was still so scary ... how they treat us workers is not quite human," she said.

"You're not allowed to call anyone. It's not like the way they talk to us is gentle, they really yell at us like we are criminals. I think, even if a person has broke their work permits or doesn't have their work permit, they shouldn't be talked to like that."

She remembered an industry friend of hers who was so afraid of the Border Force agents that she broke both of her legs jumping out a second-storey window rather than deal with them.

Mon added that while the raids could be conducted under good intentions, it was sending workers underground and rather than limiting risk, it was only making things worse.

"If they keep raiding all these sexual service premises, it only will put people under more risk. People will try to hide, they isolate because of how they're treated - they go underground," she said.

"I think it's about saviourism. Trying to 'rescue people' and making it worse. They're not thinking that what they do isn't really helping us."

Mx Pony said that a 'firewall' between workplace protections and law enforcement would help workers feel comfortable accessing workplace protection, knowing that it wouldn't be flagged with the Australian Border Force.

"Our position has always been that access to legal and accessible migration pathways for migrant sex workers makes them less reliant on third parties, and more able to access labour protections that are available to Australian citizens," they said.

"Other things we're calling for are a firewall between Fair Work Australia and Work Health and Safety enforcement agencies and the immigration system, so even if someone is working without a visa, they're still able to access labour protections without fearing that that information will end up with immigration and end with their deportation."

IN OTHER NEWS:

The recent raids have been being conducted as part of Operation Inglenook - a multi-agency crackdown on exploitation of migrant workers across all industries, but with a heavy focus on sex work.

The operation is led by Australian Border Force, but also includes the Australian Federal Police, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre.

A spokesperson for the Australian Border Force said that they had a 'zero tolerance' policy.

"The ABF has zero tolerance for the practice of underpaying or exploiting migrant workers in Australian workplaces, regardless of the industry where this may occur," they said.

"Nobody, regardless of their visa status, how long they're in Australia for, or what work they undertake, deserves to be subjected to exploitation of any kind."

So far, 99 people have been referred for visa cancellation as a result of Operation Inglenook while 601 visas have been referred for refusal.

Two Registered Migration Agents registration have been cancelled and a number of others have been referred for investigation, while eight education providers of concern have been referred to the Australian Skills Quality Authority.