457 in the press

The 457 (temporary 4 year working) visa has been controversial since its introduction by the former Howard government. On one hand employer groups complain of labour shortages and the inability to fill skilled vacancies, on the other hand, the unions and employee groups say it should be jobs for Australians as a priority. In the middle are the (sometimes exploited) foreign workers.


In this post, I have collected some of the recent media stories:

1. On 23 February the Minister announced some further changes to the program -  Reforms to the temporary work (skilled) (subclass 457) program
2. One of the predicted responses -  Opposition slams immigration visa reform
3. More reports of rorts
4. Then there are issues about compliance and monitoring
5. Some self interest from the IT sector
6. Then there followed the revelation that senior members of the Prime Minister's own staff were holders of 457 visas - link here;
7. The Premier of Western Australia defended the 457 visa scheme
8. The Australian Industry Group has its view as well
9. More rhetoric from the PM
10. Crikey's view is that the debate is xenophobic 
11. Are the PM and her department talking about the same thing - DIAC report on the 457 visa

I will restrain myself from going on, but the heated debate continues on....

Creative commons acknowledgment for the photograph.