Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to second the motion by the member for Dawson today. He's a member of parliament who understands the critical importance of putting Australians into jobs. When the Howard government established the 457 visa program in 1996, the Australian labour market was totally different. The visa system was complex and time consuming, and government policy was still focused on integrating Australia into a global economy. Times have changed greatly since the 1990s. We face new challenges with rising travel volumes and border security issues. The government are adjusting to these new economic and security conditions with our game-changing reforms to the visa system.

The 457 system was always intended as a last resort to fill temporary skills shortages when it was first introduced in 1996. It succeeded a system that granted approximately 13,000 visas per year. By 2013, well over 100,000 457 visas were issued per year, by far the largest scheme of its kind in the developed world. It grew exponentially in the six years of the Labor government. They were more happy to let jobs go to foreigners when locals at home were perfectly capable of doing the jobs.

In 2013, employment minister Bill Shorten and immigration minister Chris Bowen issued a record 110,000 457 visas to foreign workers. Among other things, this led to fast-food outlets flying in foreign workers to fill jobs rather than employing young Australians in need of a job. Julia Gillard even imported a Scottish spin doctor into her office on a 457 visa. Under Labor, the 457 system went from being a good initiative in the Howard government to a backdoor pathway to residency. From 2010, half of the 457s eventually obtained permanent residence visas. This was criticised by businesses, trade unions and the like, but Bill Shorten didn't have the courage to do anything about it.

The coalition government has acted on this mess created by Labor, implementing a series of new measures to ensure that Australian workers always come first. When the Prime Minister announced earlier this year that the government would scrap the 457 program, the Labor Party and the media were cynical. But it's clear from the latest figures that the result has turned the tide back in favour of Australian workers. The latest migration statistics reveal that employer-sponsored numbers have now halved since the record years under Labor—down to 48,000, the lowest level since the 1990s. Over time the government's actions are projected to reduce skilled migration numbers by more than 50,000—a quarter of the total program.

The government's plan to protect Australian jobs is underway. In April it halted the eligibility for foreign work visas in a number of job categories, which Labor had granted 21,000 visas to over six years. In July it introduced much tougher English language standard requirements for all permanent entry sponsorship visas. By March 2018 the 457 will be gone and replaced with a new temporary skills shortage visa. Most significantly, the TSS visa application will require labour market testing. Unemployment has long been the scourge of Wide Bay. If a business in Wide Bay is looking for workers, I want Australians who are out of work or have been made redundant to be given the first chance at a job, not foreign workers.

The government is being recognised for this bold new approach to protect Australian jobs. In August an independent review by Bob Birrell of the Australian Population Research Institute came out, supporting the government for these measures. He said:

The reset puts an axe to the … policy of encouraging employers to recruit as many skilled temporary foreign workers as they want and then facilitating their transition to permanent residence …

Reforms to the visa system are long overdue. Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen should've acted when the numbers got out of control, but they failed to and they let down Australian workers. I commend the government for pursuing this positive new change. I will continue to work hard to provide jobs for Australian workers before foreign workers every time.

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