A new visa for overseas workers on short-term projects would help to alleviate some of the problems with the 457 business visa, according to oil and gas company Baker Hughes Australia Pty Ltd.
A new visa for overseas workers on short-term projects would help to alleviate some of the problems with the 457 business visa, according to oil and gas company Baker Hughes Australia Pty Ltd.
The proposal, which was presented to a sitting of the federal government committee on migration in Perth earlier this week, would allow mining companies to bypass the red tape surrounding 457 visas and recruit overseas workers for projects of less than three months’ duration.
According to Baker Hughes visa co-ordinator Amy Billing, the current system does not cater for emergency projects, such as repair work of mining equipment.
“When you require specialised, technically-skilled people for one-off jobs, you can’t have them based everywhere,” she said.
Ms Billing said it was unclear whether the existing 456 short-stay business visa covered emergency project work, while the 457 visa did not cover projects shorter than three months.
Australian Mines and Metals Association legal consultant Geoff Bull said the organisation would support a new visa category because the process to secure a 457 visa was often longer than the required period of work.
“Strictly speaking, you can’t come into Australia and do hands-on work without having a 457 visa,” he said.
“There needs to be a fast track system, where people working for up to three months do not need to go through the 457 visa process.”
Other proposals to the committee included broadening the scope of the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO) list, which regulates recruitment of 457 visa workers according to skill level.
Department of Agriculture and Food farm business development unit director Bruce Thorpe said the list needed to be reviewed.
“The current system frustrates the agricultural sector because of the way agricultural skills are not recognised,” Mr Thorpe said.
He said the ASCO failed to recognise informal education or semi-skilled workers along with most agricultural skills, which compounded the estimated 24,000 worker shortfall in the agricultural industry.
Henderson-based shipbuilder Austal Ltd, which employs 235 workers on 457 visas, agreed the ASCO list needed reviewing, as some occupations in high demand, such as scaffolders, were not included despite the construction boom in WA.
Austal executive manager human resources Linda Devereux said the government needed to assess where the real skills shortages lay.
“We’re in a boom here, as far as construction is concerned, and we’re not getting people in,” she said.
Ms Devereux said there should be some flexibility around the minimum salary requirement, which stipulates that workers on 457 visas must be paid at least $41,850 per year.
She said Austal employees on 457 visas were, in some cases, paid more than their local counterparts because Australian award rates were lower than the 457 minimum salary.
The federal government announced changes to the skilled temporary visa laws last week, including increased penalties for employers who breach regulations and greater investigative powers for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
One of the changes welcomed by industry was the proposal to fast-track applications from employers with strong compliance records, allowing priority processing for their applicants.
Mr Bull said employers who adhered to the system should not be penalised.
“We acknowledge there has been some exploitation and abuse of the system, but having a one-size-fits-all approach makes it harder for everyone,” he said.
