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The Forum > Article Comments > Getting work down under > Comments

Getting work down under : Comments

By Duncan Graham, published 9/2/2006

Labour shortages in Australia have meant an increased use of the '457' temporary business visa by Indonesian workers.

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I had never in my lifetime been able to obtain sustainable, long-term work at a liveable wage, within a reasonable commuting distance of my home and on fair and reasonable terms.

Oh and I don't consider my expectations to have been fastidious. Of course, when employers are fastidious, there is no question, they have an assumed entitlement to be but we're supposed to be the servant classes, to do the bidding and be as disposable and exploitable as the upper middle classes desire.
Posted by Inner-Sydney based transsexual, indigent outcast progeny of merchant family, Friday, 10 February 2006 12:30:20 PM
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I recently posted a response to a similar quandary. As a Sole Parent who has primarily self funded (some concessions from government)a re-skilling programme over the last 11 years through TAFE's (NSW, WA, NT) it is the piss poor attitudes of many employers to the issues of "skills" that is a real problem needing urgent attention.

3 month 'probation period' and then you will get signed up as an Apprentice - just enought time to get the Bonus from the relevant authority and then tell the hapless young aspiring trainee/apprentice that the "...work is running short I can't keep you on..."

Slave Labour in any other terms. Many of these trades experiencing so called "Skills Shortages" are due to the lousy remuneration being paid. The issues associated i.e 'Conditions' have a bearing on the availability of skilled persons to do these jobs.

Darwin = $20.00/hour for Boilermakers. $22.50/hour for Sparkies & Refrigeration Mech's, $18.00/hour for Fitters. When Trades Assistants are being paid easily $3 -5 per hour more than tradespersons - who would want to go to TAFE for 3-4 years only to find this out on the job site.
Posted by Albie Manton in Darwin, Sunday, 12 February 2006 12:04:36 PM
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This morning's Adelaide front-page story is how Halliburton have been importing 'slave labour' from Indonesia to work in the South Australian outback. The contract involves labourers working for $30 a day for weeks without a day off, an ten going to a pay rate of $80 per day.

If the multinationals are rorting the visa immediate change is necessary.
Posted by Richard Tonkin, Monday, 13 February 2006 3:56:50 AM
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Richard Tonkins post cites yet another example of business and government importing workers to break the working conditions of Australian workers. Some examples I am aware of
1978 - Abbattiors in Rockingham or Fremantle laid off workers because cheaper to export live sheep. Very tough for the 1200 slaughtermen and their families.
1991 - Telstra imports 8000 IT workers from Ireland in february then lays off 8000 Australians in August
since 1992 - ANZ bank has had an IT division in Bangalore India and has been progressively reducing its IT staff in Australia
in 2001 Coles Myer laid off 1200 Australians but there had been a gradual increase in Indian subcontractors seen in head office
Since about 1998 the Australian Tax Office outsourced its IT function to EDS. EDS writes all its software in India, Australians need not apply.

There are far too many large organisations that are not contributing to the community within which they live i.e. Australia and our first choice should be to look after our own.
Posted by billie, Monday, 13 February 2006 10:18:37 AM
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We are an employer and have employed under the sponsorship scheme and benefited greatly from it. We could not find any Australian with the many skills required to be a farm manager. He was originally an employee on a working visa and it was training that we gave him that gave him the talents required to take a higher position and be very good at it.
We have extreme difficulty finding anyone that is willing to work in this isolated rural area. Foreign visitors love the rural area and some like it so much they want to stay longer but can not without permanent sponsorship. Many Australians looking for work want to have work that does not interfere with their existing social life and accepting a job in an isolated rural area with little or no social life is not acceptable.
Another problem we have is keeping Australian workers families happy out here where some wives feel deprived of city luxuries. Divorce is common and then we are instructed to send up to a half of the fathers net wage in maintenance to keep their family who have moved to the city. These workers can't see the point of working if they don't get to keep the money they earn as it is far easier to take a less paid job in the city or go on the dole and forget about the maintenance.
You can't expect employers to provide a charity to employees, it is a two way arrangement and usually it works well. Employers employ employees because the job is too much for management to do alone but employers can not afford to make a loss on the deal as it is less hassle to do less work alone. It is getting people interested in even applying for a job in the country that we find the hardest.
With globalisation, perhaps labour is another resource that will soon be deregulated and Australian labour will need to compete with labour from other countries on an equal playing field.
Posted by NonGMFarmer, Monday, 13 February 2006 11:09:39 AM
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Labour shortages IN AUSTRALIA have nothing to do with 'slave labour', globalisation or a lack of jobs in metropolitan or 'non rural areas'. Putting aside the issue of jobs in rural areas it is plain inaccurate to state that it is hard to find employment in cities. The Australian Small Business Association has stated its members have problems finding labour in ALL areas of Australia. The Chamber of Commerce has released reports stating 'unskilled labour' is hard to find.

From personal experience I note that when I was at uni as an under graduate it took me 1 day of going from pub to pub to find empoyment as a glassy which amounted to $450.00pw for 4 nights work as a bar labourer (emtying ash trays, stocking fridges etc). In addition I noted that walking down the main street of Paddington on the week end I counted no fewer than 4 adverts for kitchen hands, waiters, receptionists and labourers. My builder mates struggle to find apprentices (whom they are willing to train in return for reliability). And herein lies the problem.

Young Australians in particular (my generation included) can't bring themselves to admit that reliability, presentation and hard work equal a job. For an able bodied 18-40yo there are no excuses for not having a job in Australia- a bloke rocking up for an interview in a dress, with an earing through his nose who will only work for 1k a week finds no sympathy with me.

I for one am in favour of national service being reintroduced for 18yo of both sexes on the proviso that recruits were not posted out of the country to places like iraq and Afghanistan. Not only would it give young people a healthy boost to their savings, it would also teach respect, discipline, personal grooming and the value of hard work.
Posted by wre, Monday, 13 February 2006 12:05:33 PM
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