Aust politican says guest worker concept now accepted

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Updated February 17, 2009 17:10:23

A politican who pushed for the adoption of a Pacific guest workers program in Australia says he believes the political argument over the scheme is over. The Australian Labor Party's former spokesman on Pacific Affairs Bob Sercombe says he backed the scheme within the Labor Party caucus, despite opposition from trade unions who feared it could cost Australian workers jobs. But Mr Sercombe says with the first workers from Tonga now having arrived, MPs from all main parties in Australia seem to have come around and accepted the concept.

presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: Former Australian Labor Party spokesman on Pacific Affairs, Bob Sercombe

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