Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

These changes go some way, and that's what the member for Dawson is putting forward in this motion. These changes prove just how much the Prime Minister is out of touch. When it comes to the government's changes on temporary skilled migration, it's a con of a crackdown, to be honest. We on this side are fighting for what really matters to Australia, and that's getting Australians to have the first crack at local jobs.

In April this year, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection rushed their announcement about changes to the skilled migration program, including 457 visas. This announcement was really a con job. Eighteen occupations were removed from the government's list of occupations which hadn't been used for 10 years. We know the government's really tough on deer farmers, detectives and antique dealers. The Turnbull government's made changes that would barely make a difference to anyone who is struggling to get a local job. In one report, a Department of Immigration and Border Protection official described the government's changes as a 'dog's breakfast'.

The motion before the House seeks to move that the government's abolition of the 457 visa program is recognised as a game changer. Well, the apparent game changer from the immigration minister sent shock waves of uncertainty through business innovation, the education and medical sectors, and the economy. The government even failed to consult with the Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration, or MACSM, leading to Ged Kearney resigning from the Council, stating:

The Government's replacement of the 457 visa system was not discussed with MACSM.

It was a rushed announcement due to the lack of consultation. On 1 July this year, after they rushed this through, they had to reinstate jobs on their skilled occupations list, including biochemists, life scientists, microbiologists, music professionals and even horse trainers—all because they stuffed it up the first time. CEOs, chief information officers and university lecturers were all reinstated by the government to the government's medium- and long-term strategic skills list, following an outcry from the business and education sectors.

We need an Australian skills authority—an independent labour market testing authority—to determine genuine needs, genuine shortfalls, and with a proper one, not two, skills shortage occupation list. There needs to be consultation with industry, unions, higher education, TAFE sectors and state and local government so we can get our new SkillUP training fund instead of this dodgy fund those opposite created when they got rid of the national skills partnership and then shortfalled the states and territories. We know they have done that—and this is on top of the $2.5 billion they cut from skills and training, leaving 148,000 fewer apprentices in the country.

Nine days ago, Labor issued a press release expressing our concerns over reports in The Age that employers were now using loopholes and other visa subclasses to bypass the Turnbull government's revised skills shortage list. Not only is this allowing employers to undercut local wages; it's allowing vulnerable overseas workers to be exploited by unscrupulous employers. This subclass 400 visa is the Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa. There has been an enormous increase in the number of these visas, going from about 6,000 a few years ago to 55,008 being issued in the 2015-16 financial year. According to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, it's designed for 'short-term, highly specialised, non-ongoing work' and the person must have 'specialist skills, knowledge or experience that is needed but cannot be found in Australia.' The Age reported instances of overseas workers being exploited and paid as little as $1.90 an hour. They also reported an adverse impact on the maritime industry, with a subclass 400 visa being used as a loophole. The Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers described the loophole aptly in a recent letter to the immigration minister, saying:

Some employers in the maritime industry have identified a gap in the system that is as wide as the Sydney Heads.

When the immigration minister removed ship's engineer, ship's master and ship's officer from the skilled occupation list in July, he conceded these jobs were not in a skills shortage and there are plenty of Australians able and willing to do that job. I recently met with officials from the Maritime Union of Australia, in both Launceston and Canberra, who stressed there were local workers who could fill these jobs. The minister is allowing employers to bypass their own rules. We guarantee that we will fix this issue—the government should not be undertaking these changes. The minister should act on this. They should not be undercutting local jobs, bypassing labour market testing and exploiting vulnerable workers. I commend the unions for what they are doing in the sector.

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