5 June 2013
Media comment by Steve Knott, AREEA Chief Executive.
DURING question time in Federal Parliament yesterday (04-06-2013) current Immigration Minister Brendan O’Connor made reference to an address by Shadow Immigration Minister Scott Morrison at AREEA’s 2012 Migration Conference.
The context for Minister O’Connor’s reference to AREEA’s 2012 event was to attack the Coalition for its support for the role of the 457 Visa skilled migration scheme in developing Australia’s economic and employment well-being.
The comments raised my attention because, just 10 months ago, the ALP’s former Immigration Minister Chris Bowen addressed the same conference and was very effusive in his support for the 457 program and the government’s new Enterprise Migration Agreement initiative.
The speech, about a 2-5 minute read, can be found on the ministerial website here.
During this Migration Conference (an annual event) I recall being struck by the bipartisan support for both Australia’s 457 visa program and the then-recently announced program of Enterprise Migration Agreements (EMAs).
The only things that have since changed is that Chris Bowen, like many Kevin Rudd supporters, are no longer ministers in the Gillard Government, the asylum seeker boats keep coming and the federal election is just three months away.
It is no coincidence with the 700th boat arrival on the weekend, a diversion in the form of a new shrill anti-457 foreign worker campaign was trotted out by the government.
Former ACTU leaders, Martin Ferguson and Simon Crean, also recent former ministers of the Gillard Government, have sought the government to provide evidence to support alleged 457 abuses and have referred to claims being made as dog-whistling.
These issues, as reported by The Australian and also revealed by ABC 7.30’s Laurie Ferguson interview last night, were raised in caucus yesterday along with the PM being told ‘unless you personally get out there and campaign on boats, we’re dead’.
The linking of these two issues for political reasons in the shadow of an election, while some may describe as unfortunate, is both embarrassing and playing out negatively in the international reputation and investment marketplace.
For a PDF of this release including relevant media contact, click here.
