Heather Ridout,I watched TV last night and understood you to say "Australian workers are not skilled enough.
I have worked in industry most of my working life both here and overseas,and can assure you that Australian workers are some of the most skilled and industrious.They are in demand on every continent on earth.
Australian workers build and design ships,cars,trains and houses.These products do not fail,and last a lot longer than the ones built in Europe,America,or Asia.
I should tell the story of the skilled fitter and turner who arrived from Opal in Germany and started to work at Holden's in the 1970's.
I asked him to compare Australian tradesmen with Germans,his comment was that as Australian workers have to work on older machines than in Germany and the USA, they were much more skilled.
Australian tradesmen have to produce much more than anyone on earth,they cannot be compared with the Chinese worker who for $10 a week has to work constantly from 6am till 10pm six and a half days a week,producing nails for Bunnings.
If Heather Ridout wants Aussie workers to work under those conditions then perhaps she should representThe Chinese Empoloyers and not Australian Employers.
It would do all those on the Aussie worker bashing train, to stop and consider how lucky they are too not have to work constantly for nine hours with one ten minute break for coffee,lunch and toilet per day.Try it one day, it is great fun and happening in a factory near you.
God did not create us all equal and we need to consider our fellow Australian's before we consider importing cheap labour into our great country.
Australia was not built on the sheeps back, but on the Australian workers back.
More empolyers are not training existing staff,because they may have to pay them more.So they are importing the skills and trying to pay them less than the Aussie who has been a loyal employee.

Heather is only telling half the story as usual....and she knows it. WorkChoices is evil (immoral and wrong) becuase it is deliberately designed to increase the share of GDP going to profits and to increase executive salaries by reducing the share of GDP going to wages. Check out the ABS stats to show that WorkChoices has been spectacularly successful in achieving this. Wages share of GDP is now at record lows and the profit share is at record highs. It is not fair that young workers, part-time and casual workers (who are mainly women) and workers who are paid very low hourly rates....and who are struggling to survive have their share of the pie reduced to all time lows in times whilst profits and executive salaries are at all time highs. I dont call that FAIR. And few workers who are voters do think it is a fair go. I say even up the share of the pie. Let's not be greedy like Heather is. WorkChoicesisevil.com.au