Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

I cannot help contributing now either, although I do not really want to prolong the debate—it probably would be helpful to get it dealt it with before 10 to seven. Once we start having issues like temporary protection visas and overseas migration brought up, it is a bit hard to leave those points uncontested. I am not sure if the minister has noticed, but I have occasionally agreed with her on her concerns about some of the rhetoric being used in regard to the skilled migration visa debate. I do not apply that to all members of the ALP or the union movement, but I can only assume that some of them are consciously playing on some of those old-style fears about migrant workers taking Aussie jobs, ruining our conditions and all those sorts of things. That is not to say that there are not problems that need to be addressed in the 457 visa category, but I do think we need to be very careful—perhaps even careful to a fault—in trying to ensure that we express those concerns in a way that does not play on racial prejudices.