Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party, Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

We won't be supporting these amendments. We understand their intent. The government is, as part of its reform package, putting forward a stronger regime of ensuring that there is good advertising to ensure that Australians get that opportunity to get that job. The amendment bill that was put forward provides the framework for an instrument to be tabled in the parliament and to detail exactly what is going to be required for the market testing.

It's interesting that those opposite, and particularly the shadow minister in his initial contribution, made as one of their critiques of the government in relation to our significant changes to the 457s that there was supposedly a lack of consultation, and yet that is exactly what we are doing right now in relation to the labour market testing. We are putting up the framework today, and then we've got an opportunity to consult in relation to the labour market testing. So, I would have thought that those opposite would actually want to support that particular proposal to do proper consultation in relation to this.

I'll finish, because I don't want to delay the passage of this bill, but let me remind those opposite—and the member for Kennedy pointed this out in his eloquent manner—that in fact the world record holders for the number of 457s coming into this country is the Labor Party opposite. It was back in 2012, and guess who the minister in charge of that was at the time when that world record—130,000—was achieved in terms of the number of 457s coming in? It was none other than the now Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten. It was the Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, who was in charge of that program, taking in 130,000 people, and now we're down to about 70,000 people who are coming into this country.

As I said previously, we're only taking 70,000 people into this country on the 457s, at the same time that we have record jobs' growth in the country and at the same time that we have the lowest proportion of people on welfare payments in 25 years. That is a great trifecta. It means that we are prioritising Australians for Australian jobs, and we are growing the number of jobs so they can have the wealth and prosperity which they expect and deserve.

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