If the appointment is exceptional, it requires a person over 45 years of age, or a person with less than vocational level of English, these requirements can be waived. The applicant and the applicant's spouse and children must meet migration requirements regarding health and character. Labour Agreements are designed to ensure that overseas recruitment is not contrary to the improvement of employment and training opportunities for Australians. To this end, Labour Agreements normally require employers or industry bodies to make commitments to the employment, education, training and career path progression of Australians prior to entering into an agreement. Labour Agreements play a useful role in meeting identifiable skill shortages, which in turn has considerable economic benefit for both individual businesses and the Australian economy overall.
Illegal workers take jobs away from people who are legally entitled to work.
The plight of the Indian workers has exposed DIMA and the Federal Government's failure to ensure that the rights of Temporary Business Visa workers are protected by systems that monitor and identify unscrupulous employers. And the Minister's response to questions of ensuring employers adhere to their side of the bargain - its up to the state industrial authorities. As with all issues to do with immigration Minister Ruddock's standard response is that of a four year old - if I put my hands over my eyes and can see it then it isn't happening. Over the past five years, John Faulkner has turned the Senates Estimates structure into his own House of Pain. He explains the art of Opposition.