Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I must refute an inaccuracy there from Senator Steele-John. Working holiday-makers are not contractual service suppliers; they are a very different visa category. The working holiday-maker system has operated in Australia since 1975. Working holiday-makers must be under 30. They must, like anybody who works in Australia, meet any criteria in relation to licensing or otherwise to be able to undertake work. However, working holiday-makers have very fixed arrangements in terms of how long they can be here and how much they can work. I would also note that, of course, many young Australians take advantage of similar working holiday-maker schemes to work elsewhere in the world. This is simply creating rights for young working holiday-makers to have the same opportunities in Australia.