The Guardian 7 June, 2006
Call for guest worker inquiry
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has called on the Howard Government to launch an inquiry into immigration agents bringing guest workers into Australia. CFMEU Construction Secretary John Sutton said the explosion in workers entering Australia on short term visas — up from 100,000 in 1996 to more than 700,000 today — had created a growing and largely unregulated industry.
Sutton said the inquiry needed to look at the following issues:
reports that agents were charging fees of up to $15,000 to recruit foreign workers, with these fees being passed directly onto the workers. This is a form of indentured labour not seen in this country for more than 100 years.
the prevalence of former Department of Immigration officials working as immigration agents. While former public servants should be entitled to earn a living, there should be clear and transparent processes in place to ensure they do not abuse information gained in their public employment.
whether legal requirements that Australian workers are not available for a job are actually being met before workers are bought in from overseas.
the responsibility of immigration agents to ensure that workers brought into the country are employed on legal wages and conditions and not on some of the exploitative arrangements that have come to public attention in recent months.
Mr Sutton says that the Federal Government, having opened the floodgates to guest workers, had a responsibility to see that the system is not corrupted.
"Where there is a legitimate skills shortage in some sections of the economy we need to have a fair and transparent system in place."
Proper controls would make it harder for employers to set up sham shortages merely to bring in temporary foreign workers which is having the effect of undercutting local wages and conditions, Mr Sutton said.