Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is directed to Senator Vanstone, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. I refer the minister to her contribution in the Senate on Thursday, where she identified individual employers using 457 visas, the job classifications sought and the individual visa holder’s country of origin. Will the minister now make public that same information for all current 457 visas?

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

I thank the senator for the question and I thank the senator for reminding me that the union movement, which has taken every opportunity to criticise the use of 457 visas, is using 457 visas. The senator asks whether we will make available information on the employers who are using 457 visas and the job classifications of the people using them. We, of course, always answer the questions that are put on notice at estimates, and I think Senator Carr has an interest in this, because he has asked—

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Urban Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I’m still waiting.

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

You will get it, Senator. Senator Carr, just as a matter of interest, has asked questions and has nominated an interest in employers, including Qantas, Austral Ships, the United Group, Teys Bros, World Workers, Austlinx International, MaxiTRANS, Pangaea, Harrington Corporation and Hanssen—if not Senator Carr, other senators have asked about that. I have indicated that those answers will be forthcoming. That is another matter that—

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Urban Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When? Will we get them by Christmas?

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr!

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

Thank you, Mr President. That is another matter entirely from opening the books on everyone who is using the visa, but if there are particular concerns then of course those questions have to be answered. But the senator, in raising the question that was answered in this place on Thursday, reminds me not only that the union movement are using 457 visas but of the proposition put by some—

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. While I am happy for the minister to be reminded of things that occurred last week, the minister has made no attempt to answer the very simple question which went to the fact: will she release the information for all the other 457 visas that she made available in addition to the ones she selected in the chamber last week? It is a very simple question that she has not yet sought to address.

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think your point of order was on relevance, not a supplementary question. Senator Vanstone, I remind you of the question.

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to 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—

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is an absolute lie.

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sterle, would you withdraw that remark. Senator Vanstone, he has withdrawn, so you can continue your answer.

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

If we were asked the wholesale question to release all the information on everybody who had a 457 visa, that would plainly be a ridiculous estimates question but, where questions have been asked and we can answer them within the rules, we do. (Time expired)

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I remind the minister that it is her scheme, so whether or not people have advertised is her responsibility. I ask the minister why she wants to be so selective in choosing which employers’ information will be made available to the Senate and why she refuses to make the more general information available. Will the minister now make public that same information that she supplied on Thursday for all other current 457 visas? Will she make available the principal applicants under 457 visas, as she said she would, if asked, earlier this year?

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

To the first part of the question I refer the senator to the answer that I gave him just a moment ago. I will leave it at that.

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.