Judith Adams (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of questions asked of the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator Vanstone. The issue of the 457 visas arises every question time, and I think it is important to say how the government is investigating the so-called misuse of 457 visas.

The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, DIMA, is currently investigating around 160 allegations of the misuse of 457 visas. Generally the DIMA investigators have found that many of the allegations were baseless and resulted in the reputation of employers being wrongly tarnished and that a minority of employers have underpaid workers and, unfortunately, have not kept proper records or have used workers in less skilled positions. It is important to note that state and territory governments are the biggest users of this visa class.

It has also been said that the 457 visa arrangements are driving down Australians’ wages. I do not agree with this. The average salary of 457 visa holders is $66,200. The 457 visa is not a cheap option for employers, given the costs of recruiting from overseas. In order to bargain for higher salaries, 457 visa holders regularly move from one employer to another.

We have also had criticism that the training of Australians is at risk because of the people who have 457 visas. This is not correct. Employers seeking to sponsor workers on the 457 visa must demonstrate a commitment to training Australians or that their operations will result in the introduction of new or improved technology or business skills. This is something that is very close to me because the town next door to where I live has a large meatworks and the question has been asked: why suspend the processing of meatworker visas? DIMA is undertaking integrity checking to ensure that sponsored workers have the correct skills.

I would like to tell those opposite about the progress that has been made on the meat industry labour agreement. There is a draft labour agreement for the meat industry, and it is ready for signature. The agreement addresses industry-specific needs whilst safeguarding employment opportunities for Australians, including protecting conditions, wages and training. It is very difficult to get anyone to come and work in the meatworks in my area, even though it is a very high-class establishment, because there is so much other work. The nickel mine just recently opened at Ravensthorpe is taking away an enormous number of our labour sources. As farmers, we have found it very hard to get anyone to come and work on the properties. As far as the meatworkers go, the town of Katanning has meatworkers from very many different countries. Christmas Islanders are the basis of the workforce, and we have a number of Afghan, Chinese and Filipino meatworkers, and now we also have some African meatworkers. We have a very multicultural community in Katanning.

To continue on this industry labour agreement: the state governments, the Australian Meat Industry Council and the Australian Meat Industry Employees Union have all been consulted regarding the new labour agreement that is waiting to be signed. We are also told that the possible introduction of minimum English language requirements is being discussed currently with state and territory governments and industry groups. Also, traditional labour market testing for 457 visas was progressively abolished in 1994. Labour market testing was found to create lengthy delays and costs for employers without adding any value, as employers rarely failed labour market testing. (Time expired)