The Australian building and construction industry has added its voice to the debate surrounding the 457 visa reform bill passed by the House of Representatives.
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) believe the new reforms are a win for both Australian workers and 457 visa workers.
“The passage of this piece of legislation will help stop abuses of the system, give Australian workers a fairer chance of getting Australian jobs, and provide much-needed protection for workers on temporary visas,” said CFMEU National Assistant Secretary Dave Noonan.
“This new system puts in place a simple requirement that employers advertise many of the jobs before 457 visas can be approved. Australians overwhelmingly see this as a sensible and overdue reform, as our polling consistently shows, and the Government should be commended for listening.”
However Australian building and construction industry association, Master Builders, has expressed their disappointment over the decision to pass the Migration Amendment (Temporary Sponsored Visas) 2013 Bill, believing the action will allow the continued attack on 457 Visa workers and employers.
Wilhelm Harnisch, Chief Executive Officer of Master Builders Australia said skilled overseas workers play a vital role addressing skills shortages and boosting the nation's productivity.
"Rather than hearing the genuine concerns of the business community, Prime Minister Rudd allowed the expedited passage of the bill despite no proven evidence of a breakdown in the 457 Visa system or any consultation beyond receiving anecdotal evidence from the trade union movement,” said Mr Harnisch.
The industry association representing Australia’s engineering firms, Consult Australia also slammed the reforms in a submission handed into the Senate Inquiry.
Consult Australia’s CEO, Megan Motto said that the reforms are a kick in the teeth for the industry and have already put Mr Rudd on the wrong foot with the business community.
“We have shown both sides of government hard evidence that our industry employs 457 workers only to offset local skills shortages and not in order to bypass domestic professionals.”
“For an industry that uses the program effectively, the reforms will add an unnecessary burden; result in infrastructure project delays as firms struggle to procure skills, and will disrupt the flow of work for Australian engineers.
“To win back the confidence of business, the Government must pull this bill until a proper consultation process has taken place,” concluded Mrs Motto.
