#Foreign Worker
Startups to have easier access to global talent under new scheme being piloted by government
A new visa scheme will be piloted for 12 months from 1 July, this year, in a bid to attract highly-skilled global talent to Australia and boost the nation’s capacity for innovation, Minister for Jobs and Innovation, Michaelia Cash, has announced. [Related: If employers can’t import critical talent on visas, they’ll consider overseas hires, says […]
Committee endorses visa worker levy but Kate Carnell warns of angst for small businesses
A Senate committee has deemed it ‘wholly appropriate’ that employers pay a levy to access overseas workers; however, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, considers this “another blow” for small businesses. [Related article: Federal Budget: foreign worker tax introduced] In October, last year, the Federal Government introduced the Migration Amendment (Skilling Australians […]
How the 457 Visa changes will impact SMEs
Australia has long been regarded as a country which has been able to attract top international talent to encourage business growth and diversification which has been made possible through the Temporary Work Skilled (subclass 457) visa. But the abolition of the 457 scheme and introduction of a replacement program from March next year has received […]
Federal Budget: foreign worker tax introduced
Businesses that employ foreign workers will be subject to a new levy that will be used bankroll a fund for training Australian job seekers, the Government announced in the Federal Budget. From March 2018, businesses will be subject to a levy of $1200 per foreign worker or $1800 if they’re on a temporary skilled visa. In […]
PM announces the end of 457 visas, proclaiming Australians must have priority for local jobs
The federal government is replacing 457 visas with a new type of temporary visa designed to ‘better target genuine skills shortages’. The announcement was made on Facebook by Malcolm Turnbull who explained “Australian workers must have priority for Australian jobs”. The Prime Minister said the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa will feature “new requirements including […]
Addressing the Controversy: challenges and Benefits of Hiring Foreign Workers on 457 Visas
In 1996, then Prime Minister Paul Keating proposed the 457 Temporary Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa program. The subsequent Howard government then oversaw the implementation of the scheme, which enabled Australia to catch up to the immigration programs of many other developed countries, and thus increase its participation in global trade. The program still exists today […]
Exploitation claims send Ombudsman to Bundaberg
A team of workplace inspectors is in Bundaberg today to respond to allegations of exploitation of foreign workers on Queensland farms.
Foreign worker changes raise the spectre of workplace rorts
The recent relaxation of subclass 457 visa rules has opened up new opportunities for some businesses, but reignited fears of potential workplace rorts. In February, the cap on business nominations for skilled migrants imposed by the former Labor government was quietly lifted by the Abbott government and was quickly followed by a new review into […]