NEW 457 VISA LAWS TO PROTECT LOCAL JOBS New laws to protect local jobs were introduced into Parliament by the Federal Labor Government this week. Federal Member for Blair, Shayne Neumann said the new laws would strengthen the 457 visa system and enable the government to take stronger action where employers were misusing the program. “When used legitimately, the 457 visa system is an effective way to support temporary regional skill shortages and Australian businesses, where suitable local skills aren’t available,” Mr Neumann said. “However in recent years the system has not been used appropriately which is why Federal Labor has introduced these new laws to protect Australian jobs and to ensure overseas workers are not exploited.” There had been significant growth of the 457 system with more than 21,000 extra visa holders in Australia – more than 20 per cent than over the past year. There were 9,820 457 visas granted to Queensland applicants in the past 12 months, making up 16 per cent of the national total. “At the same time we have a national unemployment rate of 5.5 per cent, with youth unemployment currently sitting at 25 per cent. “Where Liberal governments across the country are cutting funding to TAFE and training, Labor is looking to protect jobs for the next generation of the Australian workforce. “I am pleased that most of our local companies are using the 457 visas responsibly and endeavouring to employ locals first.” Changes to the 457 visas that will come into effect include: • The introduction of a new Local Jobs Check which will force employers to prove they have tried to fund local labour before employing workers form overseas on 457 visas. This could be advertising an ad locally of on the website; • Compelling employers to commit funding towards training their workforce for the duration of the 457 sponsorship; • Empowering an additional 300 inspectors of the Fair Work Ombudsman to investigate breaches by employers; • Stronger enforcement of existing fines of more than $50,000; • Enshrining the obligations of sponsor employers in legislation; • Establishing a new 457 hotline to report employers using overseas labour unlawfully and to report instances of employee exploitation; • Strengthens the ability of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to prosecute employers who do the wrong thing; • Extending the period that a 457 worker can remain in Australia after ceasing employment with a sponsor from 28 days to 90 days and; • Introduction of enforceable undertakings for employers who have breached their obligations, further strengthening the compliance capacity of the Department. Mr Neumann said that while the government knew of breaches in the existing program, few official sanctions were currently given due to the limited power to enforce or monitor compliance of the scheme. “For those not complying, these new laws will make a real difference, and the majority of employers already doing the right thing have nothing to be concerned about. “The Federal Labor Government is serious about making sure employers do the right thing, so Australian workers don’t miss out on jobs where they have the appropriate skills.”
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:03:44 +0000
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