What do you know about 457 visas?

[bob10]

According to this, many jobs are at risk. This is not a political thread, as both sides of government are to blame. But we should be aware.

Legal expert: 457 visa rules are 'farcical' | The New Daily

[bob10]

Check this out.

Fruits of their labour: Investigation into exploitation of migrant fruit picking workers in Australia

[EastFreo]

S457s have a place to provide additional labour when we can't source it internally.

Unfortunately some unscrupulous people and companies will abuse them in the same way some will illegally avoid tax, compromise safety etc. however most companies using them will do so appropriately including advertising. You just don't see this in the media.

Some sectors also face much greater scrutiny than others. I saw in a comment under the first link a claim Gina Reinhardt is paying $3/hr. if that occurred it would be front page news.

The second story was about illegal immigrants who paid fixers and tried to avoid the scheme. Very sad. Also companies actively involved in this should be prosecuted.

However, as someone who worked picking fruit and veggies 20 years ago and has friends with fruit and veggie farms, I can say there aren't many Australians willing to do the seasonal work required in these farms.

My last comment is that that maybe all of us should be prepared for to pay more for our Australian produce.