Just as we resigned ourselves to the reality that big
Malc was determined to do absolutely nothing of substance as Prime
Minister, he came out swinging today with the surprise scrapping of
the 457 visa. On closer listen though, it sounds like not much more
than another case of the PM pandering to the
xenophobes.
Quick facts. The number of people using 457 visas for work
(primary and secondary) sits around 170,000. While this group makes
up a very small portion of our 11+ million workforce, they're
increasingly becoming a political football as some segments of
society love screaming "they took our jobs!".
Malcolm has decided to ride this wave of resentment to some
degree of relevance by eradicating the 457 program altogether.
However, likely hoping that most people won't read past the
initial headline, in his statement today, Malcolm went on to say
that the 457 visa will be replaced by "a new temporary visa,
specifically designed to recruit the best and brightest".
