WA premier supports 457 immigration visa scheme

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Created on Thursday, 07 March 2013 16:04

Written by Editorial staff

Western Australian premier Colin Barnett has thrown his weight behind 457 immigration visa holders, saying that they are "modern-day heroes".

With many 457 visa holders in the mining industry - a sector which has brought great wealth to the state - Mr Barnett described fly-in fly-out workers as hugely beneficial to the state - the premier likened those workers to the migrants that worked on the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme.

He explained that foreign labour is crucial to the state's finances, telling the Australian Associated Press that the $237 billion economy is better off with such labour.

Complaints about temporary visa holders taking Australia jobs have been undermined by facts that show during a downturn they provide an appropriate buffer, proponents have argued.

During the last few months of 2012, when the mining sector was going through a period of decline, it was temporary employees that were the first to be let go, according to an opinion piece in The Australian by economics editor David Uren.

He explained that about five per cent of the labour force is made up of temporary foreign workers, who when the tough times come and they are out of a job, decide to go home rather than apply for payments from Centrelink.

Shadow minister for immigration and citizenship Scott Morrison said that prime minister Julia Gillard's priorities are backwards.

He explained: "The prime minister is saying, through her attacks on 457s, that skilled migrants who come the right way, who have something to bring to Australia, who get jobs and pay taxes are not the migrants she is looking for."

Mr Morrison cited the string of illegal boat arrivals as an example of the types of migrants she is inviting in.

"Through her government's continued failures on our borders, she prefers those who arrive illegally on boats and go on to welfare. The budget blowout on Labor's border failures on immigration alone since the last election is more than $5 billion," he said.

The Coalition frontbencher said temporary migration provides opportunities to fill gaps in workforces that are understaffed. He explained that the conditions of entry should ensure that they are placed in locations, occupations and industries that are desperately in need of workers.

He elaborated by saying that it protects against labour "gravitating" to different areas and sectors which would provide a threat to Australian jobs.