Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Isn’t it the case that, following complaints to the department of immigration, an investigation of the South Australian situation confirmed that the workers are not engaged in skilled work and are being paid less than they should be paid? Doesn’t it show that the Howard government is unwilling and unable to properly police the use of this visa? Isn’t it the case that the department does not conduct any proper investigation to ensure companies applying for these visas have made reasonable attempts to employ Australian workers? Won’t this get worse as the Howard government’s extreme industrial relations changes permit employers to unfairly sack Australian workers without sanction, allowing them to replace Australians with foreign workers on low wages?