The Minister for Immigration, Senator Chris Evans, says the Queensland meat industry should employ locals ahead of overseas workers as the economic downturn increases pressure on unemployment.
Senator Evans says the Rudd Government has advised employers in the Queensland meat industry to reduce their reliance on temporary, skilled overseas workers as more Australian-based labour became available.
The Minister says the Government does not see the need for employers to access more foreign workers.
"The Rudd Government does not support any employer who seeks to use the 457 visa program as a substitute for local labour," Senator Evans says.
"Temporary overseas workers are only to be employed if labour cannot be sourced locally."
Senator Evans says the Department of Immigration has advised that the visas for 12 overseas workers referred to in media reports recently were approved in May 2008 and that no Subclass 457 visas have been issued for meatworkers in Dinmore in 2009.
The Government will be monitoring all meat industry labour agreements to ensure that all conditions are complied with, particularly the requirement that employers recruit and train local workers.
The Minister reports that demand for new overseas workers has declined sharply since the global downturn, with a 33pc drop in applications for subclass 457 visas between September 2008 and February 2009 Australia-wide.
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