Meat industry should source local labour first
Thursday, 12 March 2009
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said today that the Queensland meat industry should employ locals ahead of overseas workers as the economic downturn increases pressure on unemployment.
Senator Evans said the Rudd Government has advised employers in the Queensland meat industry to reduce their reliance on temporary skilled overseas workers as more Australian-based labour became available.
The Minister said the Government does not see the need for employers to access more foreign workers on temporary skilled migration (Subclass 457) visas if local workers are available.
‘The Rudd Government does not support any employer who seeks to use the 457 visa program as a substitute for local labour,' Senator Evans said. ‘Temporary overseas workers are only to be employed if labour cannot be sourced locally.'
Senator Evans said he had spelt out the Government's position on the use of overseas workers in the meat industry during a meeting with employers and union officials in February after concerns were raised by the Labor Member for Blair, Shayne Neumann.
‘Employers were given a very clear message that the temporary skilled migration scheme is not to be used to employ foreign workers over local people,' Mr Neumann said.
‘The Subclass 457 visa program is designed to provide employers with top-up labour when they cannot access the skills they need locally during times of low unemployment.
‘If meatworks in Queensland are now able to employ local people or offer existing employees extra shifts, then clearly there is not a shortage of skilled labour and there is no need to employ more overseas workers on 457 visas.'
Senator Evans said the Department of Immigration and Citizenship advised that the visas for 12 overseas workers referred to in media reports recently were approved in May 2008 and that no Subclass 457 visas have been issued for meatworkers in Dinmore in 2009.
The Government will be monitoring all meat industry labour agreements to ensure that all conditions are complied with, particularly the requirement that employers recruit and train local workers.
The Minister said demand for new overseas workers has declined sharply since the global downturn, with a 33 per cent drop in applications for subclass 457 visas between September 2008 and February 2009 Australia-wide.
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/media/media-releases/2009/ce09028.htm
Last update: 16 March 2009 at 10:50 AEST