Employers wishing to hire foreign workers under the 457 visa scheme would have to prove they had tried to recruit suitably qualified Australians under planned legal changes.
In the wake of Fairfax Media's revelations of visa rorting and exploitation, Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor introduced a bill to Parliament on Thursday that would require employers to explain their attempts to find locals.
Alternatively, they would have to justify their need to turn to foreign workers by supplying recent research on labour market trends.
The long-awaited legislation spelling out the Gillard government's intentions came as Opposition Leader Tony Abbott accused Labor of ''dog-whistling'' over the issue and declared people on 457 visas were making a ''valuable contribution''.
Mr Abbott called on authorities to investigate the cases reported by Fairfax Media on Thursday but said Mr O'Connor had failed to substantiate his past claim the foreign worker scheme may have been misused more than 10,000 times.
While business groups warned the government was developing damaging ''policy on the run'' in the lead-up to the September election, unions welcomed the crackdown as justified. Evidence that an employer had made genuine efforts to look for local workers could include job ads for the position and participation in career expos.
But there would be exemptions from this ''labour market testing'' rule - mainly for positions requiring the highest levels of skills.
发表于 7-6-2013 12:00:08
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