Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I am surprised the minister does not understand a bit more about how the scheme is operating. The information does come from both her website and the Parliamentary Library. Can the minister confirm that thousands more visas are issued for work in occupations which are not and never have been regarded as having a skills shortage than in jobs where there are known to be critical shortages, such as the health sector, to which she referred? How can it be that the government granted a mere nine 457 visas to panelbeaters but 25 to caravan and camping ground workers? Since when has there been a shortage of Australians able to work at caravan parks? Doesn’t this expose the minister’s assertions about the 457 visas being used to plug skills shortages as actually false? They are not about skills that are in short supply.