Susan Lamb (Longman, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would have thought skilled workers and training Australians to be those skilled workers is entirely relevant to legislation that ensures that we have the workers we need for the future. It has direct relevance to 457s. But I will continue talking about labour market testing. We need to talk about labour market testing if we're going to talk about 457 visas and fixing that gap while we are reskilling the Australians that have had their skills cut under this government.

I will go back very quickly to the TPP. I'm sure the email inboxes of the members that sit across from us would be full of people talking about the TPP and skilled workers in this country as well. I'm sure I'm not the only one receiving those emails calling for skilling Australian workers. Going back to the TPP, what we need to make sure is there is true genuine labour market testing when it comes to the TPP. We don't know for sure that that's going to exist in the current TPP. Under Labor we will ensure that true labour market testing exists. We will ensure that employers advertise any jobs for Australia for at least four weeks before looking overseas at 457 visa holders to give local workers the first opportunity to apply. We will make sure the ads don't set any sort of unrealistic expectations or skill requirements to make sure that local workers have first crack at getting these jobs. Labor will make sure that businesses will utilise a significant number of temporary workers and have a plan to train local workers. These are very simple fixes that will see more jobseekers in local positions.

As the assistant minister asked me to come back and be relevant—and I'm not sure where I deviated—I welcome her government finally bringing to the table a piece of legislation that will go some way towards enabling the recording, storing and usage of tax file numbers of applicants and holders of specified visas. I welcome the government finally bringing that to the table. It has taken far too long of course, but we've got here.

I'm happy to support the bill—I'm happy to support any bill that protects vulnerable overseas workers from exploitation at the hands of unscrupulous bosses—but really what we need is more reforms. We need to put an end to the exploitation of skilled workers, to provide them with proper and robust protections and to ensure that they get a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. It shouldn't matter where they're from. When they're working in Australia they should be entitled to the protections that our Australian unions have fought for.

In closing, it's clear that, in an environment where we have skill shortages, the best way forward is to ensure that we encourage skills training. It doesn't make sense that a job like bricklaying can languish on the list of jobs eligible for 457 visas longer than it takes to actually train someone to be a brickie. The government have been championing their $65 billion handout to big business. If they're serious about skilling up Australia and getting locals into work then they are more than welcome to follow Labor's lead on skilling up Australians. We need to ensure that the true integrity of this bill is upheld. We need to ensure that in this country no worker providing labour—labour that builds this country and contributes to company profits—is exploited. (Time expired)

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