14 October 2015: Entrenching in law the rules that already exist would restore public confidence that Australian jobs must be first offered to Australian workers. I have called on the Federal Government to put existing regulations and policies into law to secure cross-party support for passing the China Free Trade Agreement. We should also provide more funding to police the regulations and to prosecute employers who breach the rules.It’s a bit like putting on a second raincoat because the current system already demands that Australians must have first choice for Australian jobs but the union fear campaign has helped a lie take root. I know that protections for Aussie jobs are in place, the government knows the protections are in place, most past and present Labor leaders around the country know the protections are in place and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s Project Labour Agreements Guidelines for Employers even spells it out in black and white. But if we need to duplicate the process so Bill Shorten can feel relevant and get out of the corner he’s painted himself into, then let’s humour him so we can move on and open the door for greater trade and job opportunities.Under the existing rules, any employers wanting to employ foreign workers need to satisfy the department that no Australian workers are willing and able to perform the job. The department follows regulations and guidelines set by government and the unions either haven’t read the guidelines or are worried that a future government would change them. It’s going to be a bit like drafting a law to say the sky is blue but if that’s what it takes to restore the general public’s confidence, then I think we should do it. Laws can also be changed but there is no stronger statement the government can make to express support for Australian workers.”The Labor Party should be more concerned about enforcement. It’s one thing to have a law in place but a law is only as good as the people who are supposed to follow it. I do believe there may be employers bending the rules or even breaching them and I would like to see more effort employed in monitoring the employment of foreign labour to ensure real world outcomes match the good intentions.