Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

You need only look at the issue of 457 visas to understand the duplicity when it comes to this Leader of the Opposition and his frontbench. The importance of the 457 visa program cannot be overstated, and it has been responsible in part for helping us to build this great country. Australians understand that, where you cannot fill a position with an Australian, we need to provide support to somebody to come in and do that job. It was supported by Labor when they were last in government.

I noticed earlier that the former Treasurer, the member for Lilley, was getting a little teary when the talk was of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years. I could not hear what he was saying, but I thought he was mouthing to me, 'Rudd, Rudd, Rudd.' It made me think of John McTernan. Of course, he is the most famous 457 visa migrant to our country. He was employed by one of the mentors of the member for Lilley, the former Prime Minister Gillard. He was of course a great success as a 457 visa holder. He was not the greatest success that our country has ever had, but he has provided some support to Labor and he has also provided some analysis on Labor. I think John McTernan is critical—not that I want to quote him directly—of the hypocrisy of the Labor Party. I notice that the Leader of the Opposition is laughing—and so he should. Because people would say: 'Why would the Labor Party oppose the free trade agreement with China when China is a great trading partner with our country—

Mr Thistlethwaite interjecting—

'They sell out Aussie workers,' you say. What, the Chinese do? What a disgraceful position you adopt! And you have been found out yet again because in this place you say one thing in the morning and something else in the afternoon—

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