The government’s response to the 7-Eleven pay scandal has been slammed as appalling by both Lawyers and the independent panel head reviewing the matter, Professor Allan Fells. The department of immigration simply expects students forced to breach visa conditions and suffer underpayment of wages to come forward and trust that the department will do the right thing.

Immigration minister Peter Dutton has worked out that the despite evidence of systematic abuse of foreign workers who now fear speaking out against underpayment and being trapped in what has been described as an ‘indentured labour scheme’ for years, that there is no need for a blanket reprieve.

The minister announced that leniency could be granted on a case-by-case basis.

This move effectively lets 7-Eleven profit from the abuse as victims of the abuse are unlikely to come forward to claim full payment.

The government's partial reprieve comes after law firm Maurice Blackburn and Labor leader Bill Shorten wrote to Malcolm Turnbull urging him to grant a widespread amnesty to workers exploited by 7-Eleven franchisees, as one of his first acts as Prime Minister, according to report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

As the housing boom in most Australian states continue, the demand for tradesmen is at a ‘crisis’ level – particularly the demand for bricklayers. This has had builders calling for easier and quicker access to tradesmen under the sc457 program - according to a report in the Australian Financial Review.

Three years ago, bricklaying cost was about $900 per 1000 bricks. Now it has topped $1500 and heading towards $2000, due to a severe shortage of bricklayers, particularly in Sydney.

Some 80 representatives of the housing and building industries gathered at Rooty Hill RSL in Sydney's west last week to discuss the issue shortage of bricklayers and called for easier access to sc457 workers.

"It's great to have the building boom, but you need to build the houses", Nathan Thurston, the marketing manager of leading NSW home builder, McDonald Jones Homes told the AFR. "You need the arms and the legs to get people into their homes sooner."

Brickworks managing director, Lindsay Partridge, said that the Austral Bricks order book was "extremely strong."

Australia’s best chance of avoiding a recession is to encourage strong migration growth. However, Australia’s population growth is quickly fading in part caused by falling migration numbers, thus threatening to rob the country of one of its strongest pillars of growth at a time of rising risk of recession, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Australia's population growth rate has slowed to a rate last seen nearly 10 years ago, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) latest statistical survey revealed.

"In the year to March 2015, Australia's population growth rate continued to slow from its peak in 2008-09 and is now just below the 20-year average growth rate," said Denise Carlton from the ABS.

"The Northern Territory recorded its lowest growth rate in 11 years, at 0.2 per cent for the year ending March 2015. This is 80 per cent lower than that of March 2014. Net interstate migration losses were the greatest contributor to this slower growth, with the territory recording its largest ever interstate migration loss in the year to March 2015," said Ms. Carlton.

"Western Australia also recorded slower growth. In the past two years, net overseas migration to the state has dropped by 71 per cent, while net interstate migration has dropped to the point where the state has seen a net interstate loss. This has not been seen in over 10 years in this state."

What started off as the biggest wage scandal in Australian history, is now turning out to be much more than that with accusations of  an ‘indentured labour scheme’ being run by some 7-Eleven franchisees who operated ‘visa factories’ to supplement their income and run their businesses well under award wage rates by forcing students to breach visa laws.

Foreigners have been paying between $25,000 and $70,000 to certain 7-Eleven franchises to sponsor them on a visa, alleges a recent Fairfax report.

The report said that it has uncovered evidence that, “some franchisees are running as one-stop recruitment shops providing a steady stream of heavily indentured students and other workers into 7-Eleven stores.

“Foreign students as well as workers on 457 visas are understood to be part of the "visa factory" scam operated by some 7-Eleven franchisees. The model has franchisees charging workers $25,000 to $70,000 to sponsor them on a visa,” the report alleges.

The scandal has now become a matter set for a senate hearing in Melbourne today, where senior executives from the company as well as 7-Eleven workers who have been victims of wage fraud will appear.

The long awaited work and holiday visa program with China has started and applications for the first tranche of the subclass 462 visas were filled within minutes of being made available, according to a news release from the office of the immigration minister, Peter Dutton.

An initial 1500 visas will be available under a new arrangement with China which came into effect this week. The arrangement will eventually allow 5000 young Chinese people to enjoy an extended holiday in Australia with the opportunity to engage in short term work or study.

The Work and Holiday visa agreement with China Subclass 462 is for young, educated, Chinese nationals aged between 18 and 30 years. It will be capped at the 5000 visa places each year.

"These 5000 young Chinese people will join the ranks of around 240,000 young people from around the world each year who enjoy a working holiday in Australia," Mr Dutton said.

"China will be joining a host of other countries given access to the Work and Holiday programme."