On the behalf of the council, Latrobe mayor Peter Freshney and council general manager Gerald Monson provided a submission to the Senate Select Committee on Temporary Migration based on the council's experiences and observations of two recent cases of adequate accommodation for seasonal workers, including a case the where the council evicted 70 seasonal workers from a five-bedroom property at Shearwater in February.

The committee is investigating the impact of temporary migration on society and the economy, and issues facing migrants such as illegal work practices.

In their submission, Cr Freshney and Mr Monson said components of the state's Short Stay Accommodation Act may provide a guide to addressing problems experienced by the council with Seasonal Worker Program accommodation.

"Accommodation included in a SWP plan should be classified as short-stay accommodation, not as public rental housing stock, and therefore should be subject to state, territory or local government temporary accommodation legislation," the submission said.

The council also suggested a strengthening of accommodation documentation requirements and more proactive monitoring of accommodation included in SWP plans.

"To minimise the risk to public health and the environment, SWP plans could be required to include statutory-recognised documents, [for example] endorsing the adequacy and appropriateness of the accommodation's waste treatment system for the approved number of occupants," it said.

"Additionally, there is a need for increased proactive monitoring of properties included in accommodation plans to ensure early identification and prevention of problems and less reliance on public complaints and tip-offs.

"Based on the Latrobe Council's experience, concerns were raised only when issues with the accommodation's waste treatment system escalated to such an extent that odours were apparent beyond the property's boundary.

"There was no proactive monitoring by the Department to allow early identification and resolution of issues before they escalated to the need for an evacuation order."

In its submission to the inquiry, the Multicultural Council of Tasmania said limits on the employment of migrants should be removed to reduce their dependence on particular employers, in turn reducing their vulnerability to illegal work practices.

"Migration rules requiring migrants to be nominated by an employer, to be tied to a particular occupation, or to work only a limited number of hours should be abolished," it said.

"Occupational licensing rules should be amended so that the processes for recognising skills and qualifications obtained overseas are made less cumbersome."

The MCOT also recommended working holiday maker visas should only have age, nationality and work restrictions if a person was working in agriculture or mining and no person on this visa should be subject to study restrictions.

"Migrants working outside of the agriculture and mining industries do not depress wages or reduce the employment of incumbent Australians," it said.

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