Australia

A study conducted by the University of Melbourne found that many homeworkers involved in making clothes are making less than half of the minimum wage. The study surveyed 56 “outworkers” in 3 Melbourne neighborhoods and found that they were paid on average US$6.80 per hour, significantly less than the US$14.90 federal minimum. Study authors say that many companies they talked to said that using homeworkers was cheaper than outsourcing production to Asia. (Melbourne Herald Sun)