New Australian Visa Discussion Paper

After the discussion paper was released that proposed a new type of Australian visa which would lead specialised foreign workers enter the country with out having to obtain a 457 Visa.

Speaking about the proposal, Michael O’Connor from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) voiced some concerns. ““It is absolute madness in the current environment, with unemployment at a 10-year high, to be removing even more opportunities for people to gain access to the workforce.”

The Unions in Australia have a collective opinion that the introduction of this new visa will damage the chances for natives to land a job.

Making the case for the new visa was the National President of the Migration Institute of Australia, Angela Chan. She suggested that there will only be a small number of people who would be eligible for it such as company directors and high-level executives introduced to companies to set up divisions. Also included in this small number of special skilled foreign workers are software developers creating specialised programs for Australian companies.

“Unions are always diametrically opposed to any type of temporary visas, and that is unfortunate.”

Although, Chan is on the side of the new visa she does admit that the best possible action for employment in Asutralia would be to fill the vacant roles with Australian applicants. What needs to be done to boost the number of unemployed natives is to improve the steps in training and improving the skills.

Do you agree with the words of National President of the Migration Institute of Australia or are you on the side of the Unions?