Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Will the minister update the House on the importance of the 457 visa program for the provision of skilled workers for Australian businesses? How does this program provide more jobs and more growth for all Australians?

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

I thank the member for Herbert very much for his question. He is a great local champion for Adani and for mining jobs in North Queensland. He stands up for people in his electorate. I was up in Herbert just the other day. People up there are saying: 'Why is Bill Shorten two-faced? Why does Bill Shorten say one thing on AM and another thing on PM?'

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will refer to the Leader of the Opposition by his correct title.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to 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—

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: I refer to page 516 of Practice, which says it is disorderly for somebody to 'put words into someone else's mouth'. There have been two occasions during this answer where the minister has done exactly that. He is a repeat offender.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister responded to an interjection. The minister has 40 seconds to go, and he will confine himself to the topic.

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

I quoted the member for Kingsford Smith directly. He should withdraw because it was a disgraceful interjection; it was beneath even him. All I would say of this racist attack by the Labor Party is that they are speaking out of both sides of their mouths. Forty one 457 migrants have been employed by unions across this country, and yet, at the same time, these hypocrites, these former union bosses, come in here and try and convince the Australian people of something different. They do not stand for anything, and the Australian public is seeing through this phoney bleat of the opposition. (Time expired)