Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

These are the people who are coming—doctors and nurses to support the health system in regional Australia. Apparently they are the ones we have to stop. Health care and social services accounted for 10 per cent of 457 visas granted so far in 2012-13 across the country. By contrast, mining accounted for just 6.6 per cent and has actually declined by 24½ per cent compared to last year. The great majority of 457 visas issued today are for people in higher skills occupations, such as accountants, managers, engineers, ICT professionals, doctors and nurses, where there is—as far as I am aware, and certainly the minister cannot put anything forward to substantiate anything different—little, if any, evidence of any abuse in the program.

The top five citizenship countries for applications granted to May 2012-13 were: India, with 22,170 grants; the United Kingdom, with 20,520; Ireland, with 8,680; the Philippines, with 6,690; the United States, with 5,830; and China, sixth, with 5,350. This is a program that is working well. According to Access Economics estimates, the 90,120 entrants on 457 visas in 2010-11 will generate $2.2 billion over three years or more and $27,000 each.

The members for, say, Parramatta, Reid and Greenway may want to explain to the large segments of their electorates where there is a substantial Indian community why this government is saying that 457 holders are visa rorters and abusers, given that one in five 457 visas are held by people of Indian citizenship and the highest rate of growth in 457s is for people of Indian citizenship. The minister's claim has been: 'We know they're rorting because the number of claims and applications is growing and they're growing faster than the rate of employment.' The community of people who are applying for 457s, who have one in five of the 457s given and have the highest rate of growth of 457s are people of Indian citizenship. So who are you claiming are rorting the system? Sorry, through you, Madam Deputy Speaker, I ask: who is the government claiming these 10,000 rorters are? Given that one in five are people of Indian citizenship, is that what they are suggesting? If they are, they should come clean about it, be honest and explain that to the people of their electorates, who know.

See this speech in context