Letters to Editors

Foreign Influx Erodes Wages

Letter to the Editor - Courier Mail
24 May 2006

Dear Sir/Madam

Regarding your opinion article Foreign Influx Erodes Wages (24/3/06), it may interest your readers to know the average salary paid to overseas workers under the 457 program is in excess of $65 000 – far from “cheap labour” as your correspondent suggested.

Employing foreign workers is not a cheap option as the CFMEU says. Nor is the 457 program a guest worker scheme; it is a skilled worker program.

It allows Australian businesses to continue to operate by bringing in appropriately skilled foreign professionals and tradespeople to fill temporary shortages while requiring from them a commitment to, and investment in, training Australians.

The day-to-day reality of these skill shortages is that without available skilled workers Australian businesses and essential services cannot continue to operate.

Employers must pay foreign workers a salary of at least $39 100 or in regional areas, a salary equal to at least the industrial award. They are also required to ensure that all public health costs incurred by foreign workers and the costs of their return travel are met.

Exploitation of any worker, be they foreign or Australian, is unacceptable. There are appropriate safeguards in place to protect foreign workers and where sponsors are found to be doing the wrong thing they will be sanctioned.

Sandi Logan
National Communications Manager
Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs