George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Once again, I have to dispute the premise of the honourable senator's question. The 457 program is an efficient and effective contributor to the nation's productivity and is essential in supporting Australian employers where they cannot find a suitably skilled Australian worker to do the job. Far from being a dog's breakfast, it is simply not appropriate to claim that, because of the actions of a very small proportion of employers who are doing the wrong thing, the entire program is broken. What this government has done, rather than simply pluck numbers from the air and demonise foreign workers like previous Labor immigration ministers did, is commission an independent review of the 457 visa program to ensure that it is well positioned to support employers and industry and to optimise productivity growth in the Australian economy.