Temporary visa workers exploited, says IR report
Sarah Smiles; 12/9/08
Unscrupulous foreign migration agents are exploiting Australia’s 457 visa system by extorting money from foreign workers and encouraging employers to overwork them. The concern has been raised in a paper by Industrial Relations Commissioner Barbara Deegan, who has been appointed by the Federal Government to examine the integrity of the 457 temporary visa scheme. In her paper Ms Deegan describes how foreign middlemen often demand excessive fees to secure jobs for foreign workers in Australia, or deceitfully demand up to $10,000 a year to renew workers’ visas when they have already been granted for up to four years. The agents, in turn, encourage Australian employers to exploit the workers, telling them they will work “unlimited hours” for the minimum wage.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/national/temporary-visa-workers-exploited-says-ir-report-20080911-4ert.html
Island pickers plan labelled a quick fix
Yuko Narushima; 12/9/08
Australia’s plan to plug labour shortfalls in the farming sector with fruit pickers from the Pacific islands may leave sectors in need of year-round workers scrambling, says a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. While temporary migration schemes can work well, the International Migration Outlook 2008 says those that target seasonal workers ignore industries requiring low-skilled workers all-year round. Australia’s program, which is limited to 2500 workers, invites people from Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea to work for up to seven months a year over three years.
See: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/island-pickers-plan-labelled-a-quick-fix/2008/09/11/1220857740034.html