Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware of yet more official complaints which have been lodged regarding the alleged misuse of the government’s 457 guest worker visas, this time in relation to the Kilcoy meatworks in Queensland? Can the Prime Minister confirm that the department of immigration has been requested to investigate whether at least 25 of the 40 Filipino workers on 457 visas at this plant—

Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Tuckey interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for O’Connor!

Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Tuckey interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for O’Connor is warned.

Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the Prime Minister confirm that the department of immigration has been requested to investigate whether at least 25 of the 40 Filipino workers on 457 visas at this plant are actually employed in unskilled labouring jobs? Didn’t Kilcoy apply for visas for these workers, stating that they would be employed as slaughtermen?

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

Mr Speaker, in reply to the member for Oxley, I do not have direct knowledge of that. I will find out and I will write to him with what information I can get.