Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When my parents came to Australia in the late 1960s they were part of an enormous wave of arrivals who would go on to contribute greatly to the foundations of our nation's economic prosperity. In these times, people knew they could come to Australia in search of a better life. They could put down roots, raise a family, seek new opportunities and make their new home a better place. At the centre of all this was the certainty that permanency provided.

As a result, Australia has become one of the world's most—if not the most—successful migrant nations. Around one-third of all Australians were born overseas and around half of our population are the children and grandchildren of migrants. The majority of Australians know that this is a good thing and that our multicultural society makes us better and stronger. But owing to policy changes initiated in the early 2000s by the then Howard government, and later entrenched over the last seven years by this government, our migration program, unfortunately, has started to shift from being predominantly based on permanency to being based on a more temporary form of migration. I guess that's the heart of the debate on which I and a number of colleagues in this place have made commentary in recent times.

There are many hundreds of thousands of temporary visa holders here in Australia, and we are host to the second largest temporary migrant workforce in the developed world. Temporary migration will always have a place in any modern economy, but it is important that we are carefully examining what that place ought to look like here in Australia. As the chair of the Senate Select Committee on Temporary Migration, that's exactly what I and my Senate colleagues on that committee will be looking at. The terms of reference for our inquiry have tasked that we investigate temporary migration in Australia and the effect that it has on the Australian economy, wages and jobs, social cohesion, and workplace rights and conditions of Australian workers. There is also specific reference to whether permanent residency and permanent migration offer better outcomes to the Australian economy and our community.

I am pleased to say that, so far, we've received over 70 submissions from members of the public, policy experts, industry groups and unions, and that they have all made for interesting reading. I do encourage people to continue providing the committee with submissions. We've heard how the current system can leave temporary visa workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, that it can erode wages for workers and allow anticompetitive business behaviours to go unchecked. I've experienced this firsthand. As an official with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association before entering this place, I represented hundreds of 7-Eleven workers, many of them being temporary visa workers, as they sought compensation for the wage theft and blackmail many had been subjected to. In some instances, workers were paid between $7 and $10 an hour. I met a young foreign student who was making as little as $5. In some cases their employers used their temporary visa status to keep them silent and prevent them from reporting the exploitation that they endured. These are matters, among many others, that the Senate select committee is seeking to inquire into and will report to the Senate on.

Temporary migration impacts a wide range of industries. As my colleague on the other side Senator Chandler had pointed out, hospitality, farming and agriculture are just some areas that we'll no doubt be looking into. Temporary visa workers don't just pick fruit. One in five are chefs, one in four are cooks, one in six are hospitality workers and one in 10 provide nursing support and personal care, and they all hold a temporary visa.

The inquiry will put the focus on important questions. We will ask our fellow Australians if we want to create and profit from an economic underclass, whether we want to stop people who are working in Australia putting down roots and raising a family, as my parents did. When they came here, they were temporary migrants, but now they are very proud Australians. From starting a business and creating ties with neighbours and the community through sport, schools, churches and local groups—the list keeps on going—migrants, whether they are permanent or temporary, do make an enormous contribution to our society here in Australia. Labor understands the benefits of a well-regulated migration program, particularly for skilled workers. But do we as Australians, as the people of a fair society in which a growing proportion are permanently locked out of getting a go? I know firsthand the opportunities Australia can offer many people looking for a better life. I've lived that experience. I know what my parents, their family, friends and the community gave back to this great country.

One of the greatest pleasures each of us has as representatives of our community is welcoming new Australian citizens when they take their pledge of citizenship, and I might say that has been one of the best highlights of my job in the last 18 months. It's a moment of joy and one I want to continue to be available to those who choose to make Australia their home.