Bill Shorten introduced a private bill in Parliament on Monday and has proposed a raft of changes to 457 visa program.
Labor has proposed a raft of changes aimed at tightening Australia’s temporary skilled migration program.
The private bill, introduced to parliament by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on Monday, includes a requirement employers prove they have contributed to local employment when applying to sponsor workers on 457 visas.
“We recognise that guest workers are part of the Australian economy but we also recognise that the parliament should focus on making sure that we give our own unemployed, our own underemployed, the best possible chance and the best start in life,” Mr Shorten told the lower house.
A big part of the system was being used and abused by dodgy labour hire firms and unscrupulous employers, he said.
More than one million visa holders in Australia hold some form of work rights, while around 700,000 Australians cannot find a job.
Barnaby Joyce has defended the 457 visa program and its importance to regional Australia, by saying that temporary workers are essential to fill demand for jobs such as doctors.
In an article he wrote for Guardian Australia, he said foreign workers were a benefit not a threat.
“The first thing that all Australians would love in their town is an Australian doctor. And if they can’t get an Australian doctor, the next best thing is a foreign doctor. It’s a real worry for people in regional Australia that if you or your child gets sick, there simply is no doctor there.
“Now the Australian Medical Association might say that there are too many doctors coming on line, but maybe they all live in Double Bay.”
