Businesses see migrants as an opportunity, but the locals, feeling a bit disenfranchised, see migrants as a threat. Perhaps migrants give it all they’ve got because they’ve got everything to lose, if they don’t. And migrant children are trained to do the same thereby fostering a new breed of challengers and challenges. Is the competition the real issue? Is it a threat to the way of life here and the sense of ‘entitlement’? What exactly is the challenge migrants pose? Do migrants work harder? What do you think?

Indians in IT, Lebanese concreters, Korean and Chinese electricians, Filipino chefs, the list goes on in SMH columnist Sam de Brito’s article which suggests that the poor form of locally bred labour is the reason why employers prefer migrant workers.

Business basics tell you money flows to its best use or returns. The fighting words of one of Sam de Brito’s interviewees, makes that quite plain: "I'm just not gonna hire Aussies anymore.” de Brito states that the unnamed proprietor of a successful cafe/restaurant has been “worn down by the unreliability of his Australian-born staff.”

de Brito writes, “[The proprietor’s] establishment, once manned by sun-kissed locals, is now powered exclusively by Asian, Middle Eastern and Afghan immigrants as well as visiting backpackers, all of whom are booking valuable experience and guidance from their talented and accomplished restaurateur employer.”

The proprietor’s says, "Aussies don't want to work. Or they won't work weekends or public holidays. Or they can only work these days and not those days. Or they ring up and say they're sick and they were drinking with me the night before. Or they have to take a week off to go to Splendour," he says.

Professionals Australia has made submissions to the 457 panel to take Engineers off the skills list. Its chief executive Chris Walton has told the ABC that too many locals are without jobs and the flow of migrant workers needs to stop.  Mr Walton did not address the problem employers are having in getting Australian specialists to relocate to regional areas to do the work employers need to get done.

The peak body representing engineers, scientists and managers is urging the Abbott government to tighten controls over skilled migration visas.

“In the last year there's about 7,000 job losses of engineers alone due to the hiatus in the resources sector and now we face hundreds more engineers being on the unemployment list as a result of the collapse of the vehicle industry. And there are many other professionals who are also facing a struggle to get a job,” Chris Walton told the ABC.

“During the boom period of the resource we did support the need for some migrant labour but the labour market has changed. Once the big mining companies put a halt to a range of projects and once the end of the stimulus package with the school hall program and that finished and now with the collapse in the manufacturing industry, you've had a perfect storm and the Government needs to adjust.

He says that temporary labour should be that and the labour market should be constantly tested and adjustments made: “The Federal Government needs to take, temporarily take engineers off the skilled occupation list until there is a change in the labour market,” said Mr Walton.

But the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry says it doesn't believe there are too many foreign workers. ACC’s CEO, Kate Carnell says that the problem is that employers still cannot get Australians with the right level of skill to relocate to areas where the work needs to be done.

Travellers entering Australia will soon be checked to see if they have undeclared criminal convictions against a biometrics database before being allowed into Australia, Federal Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison announced this at the Biometrics Institute Asia Pacific conference in Sydney yesterday. Morrison told delegates that the government is investing $700 million over the next six years to modernise Australia’s border management system with specific vigilance on weeding out ex-convicts and people with links to terrorist groups.

It is expected that most travellers will sail through the immigration gates as the system aims at making processing quicker and easier for legitimate travellers. The aim is to have such travellers move through the automated immigration system in ‘less than a minute”.

The future traveller, Morrison said, would provide "border clearance information" as part of the check in process, before commencing their journey.

"The data will then be passed on to Australian agencies for assessment prior to arrival, and this data will be evaluated against security criteria and existing intelligence holdings, so that any risk to Australia's security is identified before arrival,” he said. This means the data will be evaluated against risk criteria such as criminal convictions and links to terrorist groups. A decision is thus made before the traveller arrives.

"The future traveller will then pass through streamlined, automated passport control systems that examine retained biometric data that is contained in the traveller's passport against the traveller upon physical presentation on the border,” said the Minister.

Australia and China have been negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) for over nine years and are looking close to an agreement by the year’s end. However, the countries need to face-up to resolving the sensitive issues of visas and land purchase rights in order to realise the hope of having a deal in place by the end of the year.

China is particularly keen on Australia’s agricultural sector but remains concerned that labour entry requirements and land purchase rights are too rigid, according to a report by the ABC.

“I think the Australian side can actively examine the existing labour admission system and visa approval procedures and take some necessary reforms. There is no doubt that appropriate adjustment of the admission policy of foreign labour, necessary reform of overseas workers visa approval system, and allowing foreign investors to have more autonomy and to bring some overseas workers will help to introduce more investment especially from China,” Mr Li Mr Li told a conference on food and agriculture organised by the Australia China Business Council.

According to the ABC report, many Australian farmers and the government want foreign investment in agriculture. It says a report commissioned by ANZ Bank last year estimates the sector needs an extra 600 billion dollars by 2050 to bring it up to speed to take advantage of the opportunities

Chinese investors are thought to hold 1 per cent or less of Australian farmland. It's the area that might prove the most difficult for Australians to feel comfortable with.

Streamlined visa processing arrangements will be extended to students enrolled in advanced diploma level courses at low immigration risk providers, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon Scott Morrison and Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne said yesterday in a media release. Prior to this SVP arrangements, similar to those in place for universities, have been available to prospective students of selected low immigration risk education providers who offer bachelor, masters or doctoral degree level courses.

Minister Morrison said the streamlining of the visa application process for advanced diploma courses will benefit eligible students through simpler and faster visa processing, and is in addition to existing arrangements for eligible higher education sector students.

'This will enable eligible education providers in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector and higher education sector to directly access SVP. This will make study in Australia even more attractive to overseas students, while at the same time ensuring that immigration risk is appropriately managed,' Minister Morrison said.

Minister Pyne said that these changes will substantially benefit Australia's high-quality VET and higher education sectors, supporting the sustainable growth of Australia's international education industry while providing a vital boost to the economy.

'The number of international students seeking to study in Australia continues to rebound positively, with an increase of over 27 per cent in the number of visas granted to offshore applicants in the 2013-14 programme year,' Minister Pyne said.