Australia mulls review of temporary worker scheme
Updated
There are changes in store for Australia's temporary workers visa program, after cases of worker exploitation prompted a government review. The government have approached several countries with a view to halting unscrupulous practices, including China. The so-called 457-visa program enables workers to move to Australia for up to four years, to help resolve skill shortages, but the government is now considering a rethink.
Presenter: Canberra correspondent Linda Mottram
Speakers: 457 visa holders Mohammed, Miriam and Rajem; Senator Chris Evans, Australian Immigration minister; John Sutton, head of Australia's Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union
- Listen:
- Windows Media
LINDA MOTTRAM: The 457 visa category was set up nearly a decade ago under the previous conservative Australian Government of John Howard. It was to fill skills gaps in areas like information technology and nursing. But the scheme for temporary workers has been increasingly controversial. Even this week Australian trades unions brought forward visa holders with allegations of exploitation.
MAN: After we came here we used to work 50 hours a week and we were paid only 40 hours and we keep on asking for overtime money, I work for 8 months and finally when I asked for overtime money every time and they sacked me.
WOMAN: Just 10 minutes for me to sign the contract before proceeding to Melbourne where I was going and just two days before I left after I had been promised airfares for my family I was told that they were paying for me alone. So it left me devastated.
SECOND MAN: Once I was over here and I was led into the office and they just make my accommodation in the office and just make my bed and mattress in there. So we were living in the office and every week they took $100 from our wages.
LINDA MOTTRAM: Stories of workers being swindled by unscrupulous employers, the deaths of a small number of 457 workers in Australia and claims of workers being made to do unskilled heavy labour rather than the skilled work they were hired for have plagued the scheme. Australia's trade unions were also concerned that the scheme would undermine wage rates for Australian workers since foreign workers on 457 visas are paid a minimum wage rather than domestic market rates. Calls for reform of the scheme were largely rebuffed under the previous government. It did introduce an English language requirement two years ago. A comprehensive review of the visas was ordered soon after the Labor Government was elected late last year. That review has now reported to the Immigration Minister Senator Chris Evans.
SENATOR EVANS: We had no problem when it was highly skilled professional English-speaking persons, but as the global demand for labour's grown we've had to look at countries where the people coming in may not have English - they're more vulnerable and Ms Deegan's made a number of recommendations as to how we can build some safeguards to protect them - more information and access to advice and generally ensuring that employers meet their responsibilities.
LINDA MOTTRAM: The scheme has major implications not just to ensure enough workers in Australia. More than 110,000 457 visas were issued in the past year alone. The number has grown significantly each year. The source countries with the biggest increases in take-up of 457 visas are China, India and the Philippines. China is among several countries Minister Evans has had talks with on the issue of the integrity of the 457 visa system.
SENATOR EVANS: Some of the things we can fix, some of the things that are occurring overseas we can't. But I've already spoken to a couple of ambassadors about making sure the arrangements in the source countries can help with integrity. We don't want people borrowing money in order to come here because that ties them to those arrangements, makes them like indentured labour.
LINDA MOTTRAM: Australian unions are deeply opposed to the scheme seeing not just a threat to Australian workers and their conditions but also continuing potential for exploitation. John Sutton is head of Australia's main construction union.
JOHN SUTTON: We have a view that nothing short of a complete overhaul of the temporary visa system is required given the depth of the current problems that exist out there amongst temporary visa workers.
LINDA MOTTRAM: The Australian government will consider the report of the review into the scheme before announcing changes.
