The AMWU welcomes the government’s attention to the problems associated with to the current permanent skilled migration program, particularly the rorts associated with training colleges promising to deliver permanent residency. However without a whole-of program approach the changes will do little to improve the make-up of the overall of skilled migration program. In fact any tightening of permanent skilled migration requirements may push employers towards temporary visa options.

The abolition of the outdated MODL and the review of the General Skilled Migration points test are welcome. The AMWU is hopeful that the introduction of a more targeted occupation list developed independently by Skills Australia will contribute to ensuring a more responsive and dynamic targeting for permanent skilled migration.

However the maintenance of the uncapped and non-labour market tested 457 visa program, allows employers unfettered access to labour without providing migrants and the community the benefits of permanent migration. Australia’s long history of successful migration was based on permanent settlement not tenuous residency.

The past decade has seen a massive shift in the make up of Australia’s migration program. In 2008-09 working holiday makers (194, 100), 457 visa workers (77,000), and students with work rights (304,500) constituted a total of 575, 600 visa grants. The permanent migration program in the same year was 131, 500.

“You can fiddle with permanent skilled migration program as much as you like, but while employers have the easy option of accessing 457 visa workers without having to do any local labour market testing, little will change in terms of overall skilled migration.  Changes to tighten access to permanent migration could direct more employers towards 457 visas," said AMWU National President, Paul Bastian.

“There are still employers out there who choose 457 workers over recruiting locally because they know that those workers are far less likely to bargain or change employers for better conditions because of the visa status.

“While new  457 applications have dropped away since the economic crisis we can anticipate an large expansion as the economy recovered.”

The AMWU believes the shift to temporary migration should be reversed to emphasise permanent migration. This should include an employer sponsored component of the permanent migration program to help deliver skills where they are needed.  The government should reintroduce the labour market testing requirement removed under the Howard government in 2001 that resulted in the huge expansion of the program.