Steve Hutchins (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Does the minister recall claiming that the use of skilled guest workers will avert a wages spiral and therefore keep interest rates down? Doesn’t this admission make it plain that the use of skilled guest workers is all about keeping the wages of Australians down? Doesn’t this current crisis, particularly in the trades, simply reflect the fact that for the last 10 years the government has not done enough to ensure we have the skilled local workforce we need?