Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. The point was that I have been asked about the matters that I raised in this place on Thursday in relation to the unions. I recall making the point that my office had looked in the newspapers and could not find the advertisements for one of these jobs. And I now call upon the union movement in this place to tell us whether the other jobs were advertised. Were the other jobs advertised or does the union movement just think everyone else should employ Australians but not them?

If they were advertised, we would like to know where they were advertised and how frequently they were advertised. It reminds me of a point that I think I should have made in this place. I should have made this point on Thursday, because the point was made before—I think by Senator Wong—that caravan park workers were not on the skill list. Of course, she had changed the word from ‘manager’ to ‘worker’—just a sleight of hand that quite substantially changed the content of the document that I believe she had in her hand.

Nonetheless, an industrial relations officer was what was being sought. There is not a skill shortage in Australia of industrial relations officers, apparently. So it is apparently okay for the union movement, when there are plenty of Australians who could fill the job, to advertise overseas, to not advertise here in Australia, and nonetheless fill these with 457 visa holders. The next question I want answered is: what is the union movement putting into the training of union officers? If you want to bring union officers from overseas, it implies that you are not putting in enough training here. That is the complaint that is made. So I would be very interested to know a bit more. But my answer stands the same. When we are asked questions in estimates we answer them. If we answered a wholesale question—