Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Blair for his question because I know that the member for Blair, like many members of this House, appreciates particularly the importance of temporary workers entering Australia as a source of labour, particularly in regional areas, where there are skills shortages that cannot be met in the local labour markets. Many leaders of state and territory governments around Australia have forcibly put those views over time. It is very obvious that skills shortages which are left unmet often deny other Australians work opportunities. In these cases, companies can turn to temporary workers from overseas and use particularly the form of visa known as a 457.

Employers are particularly supportive of these measures. Without them many of those companies would have trouble in continuing to expand their operations or maintain them. Often that would put at risk the jobs of Australians. It is for this reason that the government has been responding positively to community and business needs.

But that support is not universal. The Labor Party have made no secret of their dislike for the temporary entry visa system. They are dressing these arguments up in ways which I think bring them no merit. The Leader of the Opposition has made it clear that he does not want companies bringing in qualified workers and welders. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition has been critical of workers entering under the 457 system and so has the member for Watson.

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