Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

The Government encourages all Australian companies in all sectors to invest in the skills of their Australian workforce as an alternative to offshoring and outsourcing work to overseas companies. Investment in the skills development of Australians will better enable companies to handle the peaks and troughs of the business cycle.

The importance of better workforce planning and investment in skills development by companies is reflected in migration measures introduced by the Government to ensure employer-sponsored migration programs are responsive to economic conditions; consistent with other domestic law (including the Fair Work Act 2009); and support other initiatives to meet industry skill needs (including the Building Australia's Future Workforce and Skills for All Australians packages).

These migration measures include a requirement for Australian companies using the temporary business (subclass 457) program to demonstrate a commitment to training Australians and to attest to employing local labour and non-discriminatory work practices. These commitments and other obligations are monitored by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, with the option of referral to the Fair Work Ombudsman to ensure compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009.