The ACTU argues that the current rules deny locals jobs and training opportunities, depress wages and allow businesses to exploit temporary visa holders.  

A new report by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee has recommended a significant tightening of the current temporary visa scheme. It proposes:

• Banning the use of ABNs to employ temporary visa holders
• Raising the income threshold for skilled migrants to $62,000 a year and indexing it annually
• Requiring the government to provide evidence for occupations they want to open up to temporary visa holders
• Increasing TAFE funding for local workers
• Requiring more evidence for labour market testing to ensure locals are not being passed over for work.

The ACTU wants the earning threshold be raised because the $26,000 salary gap between hiring temporary visa holders and hiring and training a local person can be exploited by employers to drive wages down.

ACTU president Michelle O’Neil said businesses who want to hire locally and pay fairly should not have to compete with dodgy operators who bend and break the rules.

“Our current rules are short-changing locals and allowing business to game the system to its own advantage, depressing wages and exploiting visitors to our country,” she said.