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

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Lundy. Can the minister advise the Senate why the government is implementing changes to the 457 visa program?

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

Labor's policy on Australian jobs is to put workers in Australia first. This means protecting jobs for Australians regardless of where they were born. It was reinforced by the Prime Minister's announcement this morning to add a new modern awards objective in the Fair Work Act to protect penalty rates for Australian workers. Our changes to the 457 temporary skilled visa include employers being required to demonstrate there is a genuine skill shortage, the inability for employers to send temporary overseas workers to an area where local skilled workers are already available, and closing a loophole that allowed employers to bring in overseas temporary workers under false pretences and pay less than the position for which the visa was issued.

We have successfully settled over seven million people in Australia and our cultural diversity contributes to Australia being such a wonderful country. We relish our multicultural character and we know it brings us many benefits, economically, socially and culturally. One of the key factors that determines successful settlement in Australia is having a job, and the message that I am hearing from some permanent migrants and refugees is that they are finding it difficult to get a permanent job despite being ready, willing, able and skilled. That is why our government is unapologetic in implementing changes that not only stop the practices that I have outlined in relation to the 457 class visa, but offer support to workers seeking sustainable permanent work in Australia. Local workers who can do these jobs deserve the chance to do them. Our policy on jobs is to put workers in Australia first and that will remain our focus.

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

Mr President, I have a supplementary question. Can the minister give some examples of the way the 457 system has been used?

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

There are genuine skills shortages in some sectors and some regions, and overseas temporary workers are needed to fill those gaps. However, our skilled migration program—in particular the 457 temporary skilled worker visa program—was created for a specific purpose. We have identified problems with the current system and are acting to ensure the integrity of the 457 class visa system is upheld. For example, on a major construction site in Western Australia some 800 visas were issued to the employer without a single local worker being employed, and the work these temporary overseas workers were undertaking was not specialist work. Another example is a Perth manufacturing company who sponsored overseas workers at a salary of $92,000 to exempt them from the English language requirement, and then sent them to work for another company at a much lower wage. These examples demonstrate that some employers are exploiting— (Time expired)

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

I thank the minister for her answer and ask another supplementary question, Mr President. What are the alternative approaches to the changes the government has made to protect Australian workers?

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

(—) (): The Gillard Labor government has worked hard to create many jobs, improving working conditions and giving more people more skills, and to spread opportunity. We do not accept that the 457 visa should be used in a way that the coalition would like, referring to it as the mainstay of immigration. This approach will clearly displace the opportunities for local workers here in Australia; as I said people ready, willing and able to work, not to mention skilled in the right areas. Let us be clear on this point: if an Abbott government was managing the overseas temporary skilled worker program, it would be open slather. The coalition would argue that work should be more flexible. And, we know what 'flexible' means: it is nothing but code for John Howard's Work Choices. Work Choices meant ripping off pay and conditions from workers, it meant driving down wages and it meant reducing and denying penalty rates and other conditions for Australian workers. (Time expired)