Kate Lundy (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for this question. This government is one that governs on the Labor values of protecting all workers. We need to be persistent as we face an opposition that chooses to campaign on fear rather than on fact. The minister for immigration was presented with clear facts that showed the 457 visa system was being rorted and, as a government, we acted on that evidence. Yesterday we put in place further protections for those on 457 visas to ensure those employers who wish to rort the system are caught. The opposition see the 457 visa system as they have described it: as a mainstay of immigration. This is not what subclass 457 visas were created for. They are not a mainstay of immigration; they are there to fill specific skill shortages for a specific period of time. (Time expired)