Questions raised over 457 immigration visa crackdown

Details

Created on Tuesday, 19 March 2013 15:40

Written by Editorial staff

Opposition leader Tony Abbott has explained that the prime minister's crackdown on 457s is odd timing.

Speaking to the ABC in Melbourne, Mr Abbott made the point that Julia Gillard's reforms could have come much sooner.

He said: "We're defending the system; the prime minister is attacking the system which she has been presiding over for the last five and a half years.

"Frankly, the whole thing is a smokescreen to cover up the government's border protection failures."

The IT sector has been labelled as a serial offender, but those on 457 visas for that industry account for just 7.2 per cent of the total number of immigration visa holders. The information technology category is not even the most popular, with marketing specialists, cooks and doctors comprising a greater proportion - according to Dr Nick Tate, writing for The Australian.

In an address to the Australian Council of Trade Unions summit last week (March 14), Ms Gillard labelled the software industry as a target in the crackdown on rorts.

She elaborated: "Outside the resource states of Queensland and Western Australia, the single largest sector for temporary overseas work isn’t mining - or even construction - it is information technology.

"One in 20 temporary overseas workers in Australia is doing IT work in New South Wales alone."

But Dr Tate highlighted the fact that 457 visas for the culinary industry rose 283.9 per cent, while IT experienced an 18.6 per cent decline.

The information communications technology (ICT) sector accounts for eight per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) - the mining industry is worth 9.6 per cent of GDP.

With only 4,500 students graduating in ICT roles from all domestic universities each year, there is not enough workers to fill the various positions.

While there are up to 9,000 international students who graduate, it is not always a given that they would remain in Australia to fill roles.

The simple fact of the matter is, Dr Tate explained, either companies need to supplement the lack of ICT workers with foreign labour, or reduce their operational growth in Australia.

As a result, should the government wish to see more local workers, the computing expert said, Labor needs to address the shortage of ICT workers and rectify the situation through appropriate policy making.