Renewed fears for Australian local jobs under Australia–China FTA
The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is due for Parliamentary debate next week, but the Opposition maintains there are concerns over what this agreement could mean for Australian jobs.
A new University of Adelaide report shows the China FTA does not do enough to protect Australian jobs. But the Government has again denied these claims and has accused Labor of fear-mongering.
Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb points out the report was commissioned by the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), and claims it's total nonsense. But Dr Howe denies the union had any editorial involvement in the assessment, and claims it was an academic, independent report.
Can the Government, instead of just writing off Labor's concerns, actually PROVE that there will be no affect on Australian jobs? Can it just come out and say "no Chinese worker will take the job of an Australian worker"? No. It just sticks its thumb to its nose and says "Fear monger, fear monger!"
How about putting an end to the speculation and showing the Australian public that their jobs are safe. Stop selling us out to the highest bidder. Stop hiding behind speculation and name-calling. Actually come out and PROVE THAT OUR JOBS ARE SAFE!
What do you think of this? Are you satisfied that Australian jobs are safe from foreign encroachment? If you know of any proof of this, can you share it with the rest of us?
As far as I am able to understand it, while the trade agreement doesn't give Chinese workers complete access to the local labour market, it does very little to support Australian workers. The Government should have done more in ensuring that Chinese workers could only be used where there is a labour shortage. But as far as I know it hasn’t. The question is how do you prove where a labour shortage occurs since right now Australian employers are abusing the 457 and 417 visa permits and are employing overseas workers at lower rates and dubious experience.
Whichever way you look at it, the blame lies with the Government and the employers who want cheap labour and even before the Australian worker starts looking for work, they are at a disadvantage, because they are being sold out by the Government and the employer. This situation in my opinion will only get worse under the FTA. A real fear exists that sub standard work will be widespread and adequate safety measures won’t be in place. Hope I’m wrong.
In Dr Howe's assessment, Article 10.4, paragraph 3, of the FTA prevents the Australian government from putting any cap on the number of 457 visas issued to Chinese workers in two critical lower skilled categories: "contractual service suppliers of China" – basically trade qualified workers and "installers and servicers of China" – low skilled workers who will be able to access temporary visas.
"Even if the Australian government wished to constrain the number of 457 visa holders more generally because local unemployment was high or to reflect changing economic circumstances, it could not do so with respect to Chinese citizens," Dr Howe found.
One ad in Facebook is all thats required to show that a job has been advertised locally in australia. Yeah, that should show a lack of local workers ( shortage ) because all job seekers have FB and scour the site looking for groups who may or may not have job vacancies. Its a social network not a job classified network.
It would seem some of these deals are done more for the announcement than for any actual benefit. In fact the productivity commission finds these wrongly termed free trade deals are not what the various govts claim they are.
Students on various visa regulations and 457s etc are being exploited by businesses and the govt does very little unless there is wide publicity. Reporting abuses has no affect. Rorts and illegal practices are rife already yet Robb says nothing to see here regarding deals. Totally ignorant or passive acceptance meaning thats what they want ?
Crikey paywall
While big American companies have been allowed to draft the text, the Productivity Commission here has repeatedly complained about the poor quality of “free trade agreements” and the overhyping of their benefits, and in particular criticising the government’s process around the TPP. In July, commission chairman Peter Harris outlined a detailed process whereby the PC could independently assess complex agreements like the TPP. “We think this type of post-negotiation assessment offers a pragmatic, workable approach, and — provided the pre-negotiation analysis is comprehensive and rigorous — could be completed in around four months,” Harris said. “I understand the TPP will have around four months in front of the US Congress, so this would appear reasonable based on other countries’ practices.”
So far, the government and Trade Minister Andrew Robb have shown no interest in allowing the PC to vet their often wildly over-the-top claims about the benefits of any trade agreements. DFAT — which has minimal economic expertise — has in the past expressed angry resentment that the PC has assessed bilateral trade deals and found them of minimal benefit. If a deal has been concluded, there will no longer be any excuse for Robb to withhold the deal from PC scrutiny — except if it’s a bad deal, the harmful parts of which he wants to keep hidden.
Andrew Robb?..... the bloke that has sold out Australia to the USA's TPP which will override Australian LAWS and sovereignty.. forcing Australia to pay lost profits to MULTI-BILLION profit FOREIGN corporations, instead of being able to afford to pay for hospitals, schools, infrastructure, services & benefits for the people..... THAT Andrew Robb?
Yeah! I would believe whatever this bloke says, wouldn't YOU
Fairfax Media understands Labor is considering proposing an amendment to section 140GBA of the Migration Act which requires labour market testing before the import of workers on 457 visas, but only for a class of employers defined in the regulations.
The regulations impose the requirement on ordinary employers bringing in a worker at a time, but not on employers using investment facilitation agreements to import them in bulk.
Labor's proposal would extend the requirement to all employers, including those bringing in workers as part of investment facilitation agreements.
An alternative would be to demand a change to the regulations to achieve the same effect.
The change would put beyond doubt that employers wanting to bring in large numbers of workers for major projects were subject to the same constraints as employers bringing in workers individually on 457 visas.
It would not deal with a separate controversial provision of the free trade agreement that removes the requirement for labour market testing before the import of Chinese engineers, nurses, electricians and motor mechanics.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/labor-eyes-changes-to-ease-path-of-china-free-trade-agreement-20151012-gk79l4.html#ixzz3oLzzBYiI
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Three current Labor state premiers, and others including Bob Hawke and Bob Carr have come out and publicly supported this agreement in it's present form and have made it clear it must go ahead.
Only the present shambles of federal Labor leadership and their python supporters would jeopardize this agreement in the face of their distinguished peers.
What does python supporters mean ?
Maybe you should have read the post just before yours.
Robb has previously stated that visa requirements can be tightened up if necessary in the future.
Python Supporters... those that would crush the life out of sound policy to enhance the diminutive opposite.
jackyd
HOW MANY TIMES DOES THIS FALLACY NEED TO BE CORRECTED.
The Labor Party are NOT opposed to anything in the China FTA, so NOTHING has to be altered or changed or requiring any need to go back to the negotiating table in regard to the China FTA.
All that has been requested is that the AUSTRALIAN LAWS which are reflected in the FTA be TIGHTENED, to ensure that 457 visas and imported workers segments, are not abused.
That's it folks!!!!
The GROSS incompetence and ineptness of the Liberal Party Government in not undertaking these legislative changes immediately.... to PROTECT the Australian Worker and hence the Aust. ECONOMY... is utterly incomprehendable!
TWO things here show the Liberal Party to be foolish misfits who should NOT be in charge of Australia are
- their careless and reckless willingness to sell out Australian workers which impacts greatly on Australia's economic wellbeing BY not being aware of the weaknesses in the legislation and then NOT caring one hoot about it;
- using their own ineptness, as a political weapon against the Labor Party and FASLEY accusing them of refusing to back this 'wonderful' China FTA
jackyd
Sorry, 'fixed' sometime in the FUTURE..... eeerrrrhhhh NO. Sometimes FTA's are based on current law and problems can occur IF changes to those laws are made. We are not party to what is in that FTA and there could be penalties attached to specific law changes.
Any numbskull knows that when you sign something and pass it into binding law, you have to get it RIGHT and don't SLACKLY and incompetently state.... she'll be right mate we will do it sometime in the future.
Bulldust, anyway.... they didn't even notice these loopholes and didn't give a damn anyway because their 'corporation wish list' policies don't want Australia to protect its workers or its economy.... it is open slather, come and take what you want.
Jackyd
Both Carr and Hawke are total dickheads.... so it is appropriate that you selected them as an example!
If you smile you will not get into raving rants
Abby
If you had a brain... you could join in!
Had a limit been imposed on the number or proportion of Chinese workers on a project, most of the possibilities of Australian job losses would have been contained. (I note that an aggregate limit of 1800 workers is imposed on contractual service suppliers from China in Chapter 10 and a limit of 5,000 on Chinese Work and Holidaymakers under a second parallel MOU.)
The possibility of further “concessions” is a loophole that could be used to relax the job skills required of Chinese workers and to expand the list of occupations, which already cover a large part of the total skilled workforce on many infrastructure projects, especially in the mining sector. There are no transparency requirements for an Infrastructure Facilitation Agreement.
All of these provisions covering temporary labour discriminate in favour of the Chinese as they are not available to non-Chinese infrastructure investors under other trade agreements which Australia has signed.
http://theconversation.com/patching-the-flaws-around-chaftas-labour-provisions-48963
Labor screwed Australia with high wages not matched with productivity increases
the FTA is good for Aussie exports where we have comparative advantage.
Unfortunately that comparative advantae has been shafted over and over by labor mismanagement
Denzel
Utter crap, dear thing!
How can agreeing to the FTA but ensuring that Australian Law does not have any loopholes in it and thereby enforcing ALREADY PASSED LEGISLATION but taking out any loopholes that can be abused anyway 'shafted' or 'labor mismanagement'.
Oh! sorry, you made an error and put Labor instead of LIBERAL mismanagement.
RE: WAGES... again utter rubbish. PRODUCTIVITY is well and trully matched by wages BECAUSE wages have actually 'decreased' when taking HOUSING, INFLATION and OTHER aspects into consideration.... items which are normally involved with this measurement!!
Yes, the China FTA is, I am told, good.... nothing like the disgusting USA TPP but that is another topic..... that is WHY Labor did NOT oppose it but ENDORSED IT but merely wanted loopholes fixed BEFORE parliament bound it legislatively.
No - youre wrong Missi
AGAIN !
Dont you ever get sick of being wrong mate?
Denzel, mate... go on tell me which section was wrong... one liner dribble doesn't hold water, your like a sieve.
You are all forgetting about the 1 million Australian citizens who are working overseas at any one time. I am thankful that I have been able to use my skills by working in China for the last 12 years.
I am not sure how your post relates to the topic Lorraine.
United Kingdom[edit]
One third of Australian expatriates live in the United Kingdom.[39] In London, there are 200,000 Australians.[44]
China[edit]
In Beijing, China there are 5,000 Australians.[45] In southern China there are 10,000 Australians.[46]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_diaspora#China
Now Australia has 22/23 million compared to over 1 billion Chinese. There are more expats in the USA and that pop. is over 300 million.
The issue under discussion is importing workers to do work that has not been advertised to the local population and the pay and conditions are at a lower level.
In view that the Chinese own so much of our farms and properties I cannot see why they would not use their workers to operate them.... our people would prefer to collect the dole rather than work on a farm.
The greedy farmers we have export live animal where animals get tortured before their deaths .... no respect for the animals.
Abby
The AMERICANS own MUCH, MUCH more of Australia than the Chinese and other foreign countries put together BUT you don't seem to mind that..... WHY?
Additionally, the Chinese have done more for Australia's prosperity than the Americans.
The USA uses its political MIGHT to wrench trade away from Australia's hard won exports, for themselves and have been doing this for decades and even used Pine Gap when it was running to spy on 'shipping lanes and trade' in the area, so that their corporations were aware of what goods were going where!
USA corporations also interfere in Australia's DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES and do very little for Australia except leave all their pollution and environmental damage behind, for the Aust. TAXPAYER to clean up. This is after taking their profits back home AND these days, don't even employ Aust. workers if they can get away with it (with the Libs in govt PLANE LOADS of 457 visa holders come into Aust weekly, with very, very little - if any at all - policing or follow up to ensure that everything is with parameters of the law).
ADDITIONALLY, the Chinese FTA is a relatively MILD agreement and doesn't interfere overly with Australia's sovereignty, however, the USA TPP is draconic and demands LEGALLY that Australia hands over its sovereignty, by overriding our LAWS, and if we do not then Australia must attend and be judged in a special TPP court overseen by USA Corporations!!!!!!!
Re, animals... I have heard of middle eastern and some asian cruelty to animals but not by the chinese???? More info, maybe.
I do know that the nouveau riche in China are that stupid that they are buying oodles of IVORY and fueling the illegal ivory trade but are not aware of where ivory even comes from and what is done to enable them to acquire it!!! Now THAT is pathetic..... the group AVAAS is starting a program in China, showing these idiots exactly what they are responsible for... so that is good. Hopefully, these idiot nouveau riche will stop importing it or the govt puts an embargo on it and prosecutes/gaols anyone importing ivory, etc.
Its a global economy
Stop living under your coconut shell, you labor coconuts
Funny how Labor is falsely accused of being racist for wanting standard regulation regarding importing workers yet the TPP excludes China completely. Why would an asian trade and property treaty exclude the biggest asian player ?
Agree with all you say here Leon. We continue to live with Abbott's legacy, that is a government that behaves more like a dissing, sloganeering opposition party. Yes they need to prove that our jobs are safe. We want RESPONSIBLE governing.