Overview
- Deputy State Coroner Rebecca Hosking ruled Royupa died in March 2019 from blunt-force injuries after he exited a moving vehicle driven by his employer.
- The coroner found Royupa was exploited at a southern NSW winery through excessive hours, inadequate pay, denial of promised training, and lack of access to his passport.
- Evidence to the inquest included an allowance of $134.92 per month with six months’ withholding, more than 200 hours’ unpaid work, and outdoor labour in extreme heat without proper protection.
- Hosking described the sponsor’s conduct as deplorable, noting a delay in calling an ambulance and disparaging comments while Royupa lay unconscious; the sponsor cannot be identified for legal reasons.
- Recommendations included a national anti-slavery hotline, mandatory modern-slavery training for police in high-risk areas, and a Home Affairs review with consideration of a formal examination of 407 visa approvals; reporting described the inquest as the first to scrutinize forced-labour issues since 2013 laws.