Explosive revelations at the weekend that seven Chinese workers came to our shores under the China-Australia free trade agreement was a big slap in the face for the Turnbull government.
In 2015 anyone who dared criticise the agreement was labelled "xenophobic" or "racist". A report I wrote exposing the agreement was dismissed by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Trade Minister Andrew Robb, even though they admitted to not reading it.
But now we have the proof we need to expose the flaws in the agreement that the government tried so desperately to conceal. 
The agreement opened up more routes for Chinese workers to come to Australia, failed to ensure that jobs would first be offered to Australians and created a system whereby non-compliance with Australian minimum wages and conditions would become the norm. Each of these problems was exposed in this weekend's revelations.
To recap, the Turnbull government issued subclass 400 visas to seven Chinese workers to install machinery. These workers took Australian jobs, were underpaid and their lives were put in danger because of their lack of knowledge of Australian workplace safety law.
How were Australian jobs taken by these seven Chinese workers? These workers were performing welding and related tasks for which there are many Australian workers available.
The Turnbull government has prevented Australia from doing anything about it when jobs are taken in this way. The agreement prevents labour market testing, which is the best way of ensuring a job is first offered to local workers.
How were the Chinese workers underpaid? An Australian worker performing these tasks would have received an hourly rate of $42 but these Chinese workers were paid $75 a day. The pay was deposited directly into their bank accounts in China. No pay slips were given, they did not receive penalty rates or superannuation. The Turnbull government's response is that the agreement doesn't allow for Chinese workers to be paid less than their Australian counterparts. And yes, this is what the text of the agreement says.
But the truth is the agreement opened more migration pathways for Chinese workers who and created a reality that when they were exploited no-one would ever find out. This is especially true when wages are being deposited into Chinese bank accounts. We don't have the enforcement resources to police this. The Fair Work Ombudsman has 300 inspectors for 11 million workers, one tenth of which are visa holders. It's a drop in the ocean.
The third issue is that these Chinese workers repeatedly flouted Australian safety laws. Their lives were in danger, with one witness referring to the use of a thin piece of nylon as a harness. Yet these workers all had safety certificates given to them by an Australian company. The men were forced to return to China after allegedly being caught not complying with Australian workplace safety law.
Australia's temporary labour migration program was called "a national disgrace" by a recent Senate inquiry. The China-Australia free trade agreement heightens the problem because of the ease with which Australia's workplace law can be circumvented. It allows Chinese workers to come into Australia, with no mandatory skills testing, for short-term jobs as installers of machinery. All an employer has to do is attest to the fact there is no local worker who can do the job. There is no independent verification of this fact and no monitoring of the wages and conditions.
Australia depends on labour migration and there are areas in which labour shortages are acute. But when we invite overseas workers into our country we have an ethical responsibility to ensure they are treated fairly. We also need to guarantee that Australian jobs aren't being lost. Neither of these two fundamental principles is safeguarded at present.
Dr Joanna Howe is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Adelaide and a Rhodes Scholar.