Submission to Senate Standing Committee on temporary skilled visa system
In December 2018 we made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on the effectiveness of the current temporary skilled visa system in targeting genuine skills shortages.
The inquiry requested submissions focused on;
the interaction between the temporary skilled visa system and the system in place for training Australian workers, including how a skills shortage is determined;
the current skills assessment regime, including but not limited to, the correct application of ANZSCO codes and skills testing requirements;
the relationship between workers on skilled visas and other types of visas with work rights, including the rationale and impact of the 400 visa;
the effectiveness of the current labour market testing arrangements;
the adequacy of current skilled visa enforcement arrangements, with particular regard to wages and conditions and access to information about rights and protections;
the use and effectiveness of labour agreements; and
related matters
We highlighted oversights in the system that have allowed the exploitation and underpayment of migrant workers and a need to address skill and training shortages in the domestic workforce as a priority.
Our submission, written by ETU National Policy Officer Trevor Gauld, can be found here -
https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=94cb20ab-6a67-4f11-a517-31a15c00a5d1&subId=663721