George Campbell (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to Senator Vanstone, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Can the minister confirm reports today that a Chinese temporary worker paid at below award wages was forced to pay $10,000 to his employer for ‘legal fees’? How did this worker get in under the 457 visa scheme when the employer has confirmed that he was given an unskilled position? Can the minister confirm that printing trades are not even on her department’s list of occupations in demand? Did the employer also use the 457 visa scheme to undercut award wages by $480 a week? What is the total number of workers on 457 visas that have been sponsored by this company, Aprint, and how many are they currently employing? When did the department first become aware of this clear case of exploitation and flagrant breaches of the Migration Act, and what action has the minister taken to protect the rights of the Chinese workers and enforce the act?