Senator Michaelia Cash appalled by trade unions’ hypocrisy over subclass 457 visa program

In a statement released by the assistant Minister for the Department of Immigration and Border protection, the employment of subclass 457 visa holders by several trade unions in Australia has been described as an act of “hypocrisy” and “duplicity,” considering the union's stance against the 457 program.

Senator Michaelia Cash accused trade unions of launching “fraudulent campaigns” against foreign workers based on the evidence provided to the Senate inquiry into temporary work visas.

Cash said that at least 41 subclass 457 visa holders have been hired by eight unions in Australia in the past five years, and that the irony lies in the fact that those trade unions have led the charge against the use of foreign labour. She cited the Maritime Union of Australia and the Transport Workers Union as two examples.

The Senator also revealed that the most commonly sponsored position was Workplace Relations advisor, which holds significance position in businesses. "Equally concerning was evidence that another sponsored occupation was that of copywriter," she added, noting that the sole purpose of the Subclass 457 visa programe was to search for skilled labourers who cannot be found locally.

“It is well known that in recent years, Australia’s major media outlets have shed thousands of jobs and so it is curious that some unions could not have filled the occupation of Copywriter from the domestic labour market.”

Cash also mentioned that not since John McTernan was employed as a communications director on a 457 visa in Julia Gillard's office has the department witnessed such "blatant hyprocisy" from the unions’ campaigns against foreign workers.

During the Senate committee’s hearing in Sydney on June 26, the Australian Council of Trade Unions President Ged Kearney, on being asked whether they had sponsored 457 visa holders over the past five years, said the union never sponsored 457 visa workers.

However, this was opposite to what the evidence submitted by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection revealed. Cash said that either ACTU had lied during the senate inquiry or the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association has kept its usage of the 457 visa programme a secret. However, “either way the truth has caught up with the unions,” she added, calling on the unions to provide justification for the sponsored roles.

“It is impossible for the union movement to carry on with their disingenuous and highly damaging campaign against foreign workers. Their campaign is a fraud and they should be apologising not only to their members but to the Australian community more broadly for engaging in this nasty and ultimately phoney campaign.”

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