Royupa died the following day at the Royal Melbourne hospital from complications of \u201cmultiple blunt force injuries\u201d, Hosking said.<\/p>\n
Hosking said she could not conclude the precise reason why Royupa left the vehicle but could not rule out there was some threat.<\/p>\n
The training sponsor understood that if Royupa absconded he would be liable for costs associated with the worker\u2019s recovery, the coroner said. While living at the winery where he worked, Royupa did not have access to his passport, Hosking found.<\/p>\n
Royupa, a Filipino national who had studied agriculture, moved to Australia five weeks before his death. He arrived on a temporary subclass 407 visa, designed for workplace-based occupational training.<\/p>\n
But the coroner found Royupa was \u201cexclusively\u201d performing manual labour and was not engaged in any educational training, contrary to what had been proposed to him.<\/p>\n
The 21-year-old worker was required to work \u201cexcessive\u201d hours \u2013 up to 60 a week \u2013 which was at odds with the \u201ctraining schedule\u201d that had been proposed, Hosking said.<\/p>\n
He was required to work outside in excessive heat with no appropriate clothing or sun protection.<\/p>\n
He was promised a \u201cgenerous allowance\u201d \u2013 which Hosking said was \u201cwholly inadequate\u201d. But no payments were made to him during his time in Australia, because the sponsor told Royupa the salary would be paid after six months.<\/p>\n
Royupa\u2019s proposed remuneration was a monthly base salary of $134.92, despite working 10 hours a day for six days a week, the inquest heard.<\/p>\n
Hosking accepted the Department of Home Affairs view that it was \u201cinappropriate\u201d to approve the training visa, as the same documentation provided by the sponsor in a separate nomination after Royupa\u2019s death was rejected. The decision maker for the second nomination said they were not satisfied a \u201cgenuine\u201d training opportunity was intended.<\/p>\n
The three-day inquest, held in December 2024, was the first in Australia to examine concerns of forced labour since modern slavery offences were criminalised through standalone offences in 2013.<\/p>\n
Hosking made six recommendations, including that the coronial brief of evidence and transcript from hearings be referred to the AFP for consideration of further investigations.<\/p>\n
She recommended the home affairs minister conduct an internal review to identify potential \u201clessons learned\u201d and consider the need for a formal review to investigate the department\u2019s role in approving 407 training visas that may have been used for exploitation of visa-holders.<\/p>\n
Hosking\u2019s other recommendations included that the NSW police commissioner liaise with the state\u2019s anti-slavery commissioner to develop and implement mandatory modern slavery training for officers working in high-risk areas such as regional parts of the state.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson said the Department of Home Affairs had provided full assistance to the inquest and was carefully reviewing the findings and recommendations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe department expresses our condolences to the family and friends of Mr Royupa,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe department is working on strengthened regulations for the training visa to protect visa-holders and will incorporate the coroner\u2019s findings in this work.\u201d<\/p>\n
The department \u201capplies close scrutiny\u201d to all applications in the subclass 407 visa category, with refusal rates for 2025-26 now sitting at 45%, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
NSW Police was contacted for comment.<\/p>\n