Scrapping 457 visas puts Aussie workers first

19 APRIL 2017: The Liberal National Government’s scrapping of the 457 visa program is a massive win for Australian workers. In November last year, I called for a complete ban of 457 visas in North Queensland because Australian workers here could not find jobs. The Australian public lost confidence in the program and there was a clear view that Australian workers were being displaced in favour of foreign workers. Now that the entire program has been scrapped nationwide, that’s even better.A replacement program will have much tougher requirements and 200 fewer occupations that foreigners are able to fill. There will be a requirement for proven market testing and a doubling of the cost to businesses employing foreign workers. The added cost will make it uneconomical to employ a foreign worker in place of an Australian worker. What will effectively be a foreign worker tax (not applicable to backpackers) will fund training of Australian workers to fill skills shortages. I hope to see a foreign workers tax in the budget as it is another method of discouraging foreign workers.While some businesses have supported the scrapping of the 457 visa program, some critics believe Australians are not hard workers and are more often clock-watchers. While I am always supportive of small business in this country, they don’t have a right to pick and choose. They should employ an Aussie when they can, regardless of the work ethic. That’s what good training is about. If businesses want to employ foreign labour, they can move to a foreign country and see what it does to their profit line.