Kate Lundy (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 21 September 2012 I took a question on notice from Senator Xenophon regarding migration. I now seek leave to have the answer incorporated into Hansard.

Leave granted.

The answer read as follows—

QUESTION TAKEN ON NOTICE

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION TO SENATOR KATE LUNDY —FRIDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2012

IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP PORTFOLIO

On Friday 21 September Senator Xenophon asked:

Does the government consider it acceptable that an overseas based flight crew works on a domestic flight which is tagged as an international flight but where the overwhelming majority of passengers are; indeed; domestic passengers—that that could be seen as an abuse of either the 457 or the special purpose visa arrangements?

Answer:

If a valid subclass 457 Temporary Long Stay Business visa with appropriate sponsorship was held, international aircrew working on flights tagged international, but carrying domestic passengers, would not be considered an abuse of subclass 457 visa arrangements.

Special purpose visa provisions relating to airline crew were not designed for foreign airline crew to perform identifiably separate tasks from their international airline crew work in Australia.

Special purpose visas are not appropriate for use by international airline crew on domestic sectors that do not have a reasonable connection to an international service. Any work performed in relation to a domestic leg of an international flight should be incidental and in no way separate from the international sector.

A separate issue is the economic regulation of these flights. For example, to whom airlines may sell tickets, specifically in terms of whether they may be allowed to sell passengers domestic tickets. These are questions for the Infrastructure and Transport portfolios.