John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Responding to normal seasonal variations in its business, Teys was required to stand down all workers from a five-day shift to a four-day shift in recent weeks. Again, contrary to the suggestion from the member for Jagajaga, both foreign and Australian workers were affected.

The member for Jagajaga also suggested that foreign workers had been offered extra work to keep them in full-time employment to comply with their visa conditions. Again, I am told this is simply not the case. I am told that at times Teys Bros have offered their employees, both locally and foreign sourced, the opportunity to do unskilled labour on the days they were stood down from normal duties. Contrary again to the suggestion from the member for Jagajaga, it appears that a small group of both foreign and Australian workers took up these opportunities—five foreigners and five Australian workers—again, no discrimination between the two groups. Again, contrary to the suggestion of the member for Jagajaga that this was due to a visa requirement which placed foreign workers in a more privileged position than local workers, this offer appears to have been made to both types of workers in an attempt by the company to treat all their workers fairly—and for this the government does not seek in any way to condemn the company. In fact, I am advised that this fair treatment may amount to a technical breach of the visa requirements because the foreign workers are required to be employed only in the skilled positions that they are sponsored to undertake. DIMA officials are talking to the company about that.

The opposition has been prepared to have a go at Teys Bros without getting its facts right. That is typical of the dishonest fear campaign being run on matters of industrial relations by not only the Leader of the Opposition but now the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. It is worth telling the House a few facts about this wonderful Australian employer and wonderful Australian company. Teys Bros is the largest Australian owned beef processor and it is the largest privately owned company in Queensland. It owns six plants across Australia, in Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory, and it employs about 2,100 workers. Nationally the company employs 11 apprentices and 218 trainees, all of whom are Australian. Teys Bros is the largest single employer in Naracoorte, providing direct employment for 269 people, of whom less than 10 per cent are foreign workers, and generating $11 million in wages that flow directly into the local community.

See this speech in context