Rod Sawford (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to an answer he gave in question time yesterday when he said:

... there is overwhelmingly a need to have a policy that allows skilled tradesmen to come into this country on appropriate terms and conditions.

Prime Minister, isn’t it a fact that the latest full-year figures from the immigration department show that 30 per cent of visas approved under the temporary 457 visa scheme were below the minimum salary level? Is this what the Prime Minister meant by ‘appropriate terms and conditions’? Prime Minister, if this visa scheme is able to undercut its own minimum salary levels, what is it doing to the wages of local workers?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have not seen the figures quoted by the member for Port Adelaide. I am not saying they are wrong but I would like the opportunity myself to check them. What I had in mind, in reply to the member, when I talked about appropriate ‘conditions’ or ‘circumstances’—I forget which word I used—was a situation where it is appropriate to bring in skilled tradesmen when there is a demonstrable shortage of them in this country. I think most Australians agree with that. I think most Australians bring a commonsense attitude that, if there are adequate numbers of Australians available to fill skilled trades positions, then they should get the jobs and you do not bring in the foreigners but, if there is a shortage of skilled tradesmen, you bring in the foreigners to fill the gap, to keep the industry going—and you keep our prosperity intact.