The Federal Government has announced tighter rules over its 457 temporary visa scheme for overseas workers.
Immigration Minister Brendan O’Connor announced the changes, saying that the country had seen “too many examples of abuse across the nation”.
The Minister said that too many people were being brought to Australia on 457 visas who are friends or relatives of those sponsoring them, and that visas were being used to discriminate against locals.
“The Government wants to crack down on rorts in the 457 program. My view is that this will be welcomed by employers and unions and Australian workers across the country,” said Mr O’Connor.
The 457 visa scheme allows employers to hire skilled people from overseas to fill jobs in Australia – supposedly positions that cannot be filled by local people.
The strict rules around the program were significantly tightened before in 2009 and the latest tweak to the scheme has been praised by Australian unions.
The ACTU described the changes as “long-overdue reform of a system that is being abused by some employers to drive down pay and conditions.”
ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said unions had long-standing concerns that the 457 visa system, used to import temporary workers was being over-used by unscrupulous employers at the expense of local workers.
“We do not support 457 visas, and have serious questions about the number being granted in recent years, given the slowdown in the Australian economy, particularly in the construction sector,” Mr Oliver said.
“Today’s changes are a great start, and will go some way to ensuring that the 457 visa system is only used for situations where no Australian worker can do the job.
“There is a place for skilled migration to address temporary skills shortages.
“However we should not be relying on guest workers when local workers are willing and able to do the job, or using temporary workers as a substitute for training Australians.
457 visa-holders rely on their employer for their visa, and usually for any future move to permanent residency.
For this reason such visa-holders often do not speak up about being underpaid or working in unsafe conditions.
The ACTU maintains the 457 visa system leads to the exploitation of foreign workers and the loss of opportunities for Australian workers.
Meanwhile, the government’s critics say the crackdown will make it harder for companies to bring in skilled labour.
Speaking to ABC News, Senator Arthur Sinodinos said the Coalition would consider the plan in full before deciding whether to support it. He said it was possible to make conditions for a 457 visa too tough.