Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Vanstone, the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Does the minister stand by her comments last week that the government is allowing skilled guest workers into the country in order to keep wages down? Has the minister finally been honest in admitting that the Howard government is allowing more skilled guest workers into the country in order to undermine the working conditions of Australians? Don’t the minister’s comments send a clear message to employers: do not train local staff; simply bring in skilled guest workers who can be employed on minimum wages under the government’s extreme industrial relations laws? Doesn’t the minister’s admission make it clear that the increasing use of guest workers is not about meeting a short-term skills shortage but is really about opening up a cheap source of labour for employers?