Alan Ferguson (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

One of the problems that we did not have when Labor was in power was the problem of 457 visas. One of the reasons that we did not have that problem was that, when the previous Labor government was in power, the economy was so shot to pieces that 11 per cent of Australians could not get a job at all. Under this government, because we have provided such a buoyant economy and we have reached the stage now where the unemployment levels in Australia are as low as they have been for 30 years, we have the problem that we have a lack of skills in some areas.

That was a never a problem for the Labor Party. They always made sure that there was plenty of unemployment. There were always plenty of skilled workers to fill the jobs that were available, because they ran the economy so poorly that there were always job vacancies and there were more skilled workers looking for jobs than there were jobs available. With the about-face, with the change that we have under the current government with the economy as it is, we have now had to introduce visas such as the 457 visa to try and fill some of the skills shortages that appear in certain industries—and they only appear in certain industries and there are specified skills.

I note that Senator Wong made a great deal of play about the meat industry and the workers under 457 visas who have come to South Australia, in particular. It is my home state—as it is for my colleagues Senators Bernardi, Chapman and Ferris, who are all in the chamber. There were tremendous skills shortages in the meatworker industry, and the 457 visas that have been introduced have helped us to fill those shortages. There have been complaints over a period of time about the wages and conditions and about the definitions of skills in that industry. There has been a problem in how skills in the meat industry are classified. Those problems have been brought about because the ABS and the department classify boners and slicers as unskilled, whereas the meat industry training authority classifies them as skilled.

Who is right and who is wrong? That is yet to be determined. But the confusion that existed because of the classification meant that these workers came in to fill those positions that could not be filled in Australia. The people who owned the meat companies and the abattoirs that were desperately short of employees got these people in to fill those places. The debate then started about which skill satisfied which criteria—do we take the ABS and the department’s view or classification, or do we take the meat industry training authority’s classification? If people working under 457 visas were shifted out of their boner and slicer positions it would have serious implications for the jobs of many Australians, including those who are employed by this particular company throughout Australia. So the department has worked closely with the South Australian government to identify a resolution to this issue.

This would not be a problem except for the fact that this government has run such a successful economy. That is a point that should be driven home at every opportunity. Those on the other side of this chamber complain because, as a government, we have decided to introduce a class of visa that provides for people from another country to come and work to meet the shortages that cannot be met within Australia. On the other side of this chamber they complain bitterly because we are providing jobs for those people. It has filled a need within the industry that could not be filled anywhere else.

As the minister, Senator Vanstone, said in her answers today, 457 visas have been a tremendous success. Yet there is criticism from the other side of the chamber about the use of 457 visas to fill a need that has been created because of the buoyant economy. In the past, under Labor, people with other skills would have taken those jobs, because with 11 per cent unemployment they would do anything to get a job. They are now being employed elsewhere because of this government’s successes. Rather than making the noises that we hear coming from the other side, the opposition ought to reflect on the work that is being provided under 457 visas. (Time expired)