Bill Shorten the “Olympic champion” of 457 visas: Turnbull

BILL Shorten oversaw the import of nearly 10,000 foreign plumbers, electricians, nurses, mechanics and childcare workers while employment minister, a number which has been slashed by half in the last year.

BILL Shorten oversaw the import of nearly 10,000 foreign plumbers, electricians, nurses, mechanics and childcare workers while employment minister, a number which has been slashed by half in the last year.

Despite warning the country “will pay the price in the future for simply the short-term importing of skills rather than training our own,” the Daily Telegraph can reveal Mr Shorten oversaw more than 2,853 nurses being granted 457 visas in one year.

Immigration Department figures show the number of 457 visas granted under the Coalition in the last year fell by more than a third, from 68,400 to 45,395 compared to the period when Mr Shorten was employment minister.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten granted nearly 10,000 457 visas to foreign workers while Employment Minister. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will today seize on new figures to attempt to wrest back the political agenda after government infighting over the budget.

“You can’t claim to be for Australian jobs when you are bringing in so many overseas workers to flip burgers and work as labourers on building sites,” Mr Turnbull said.

Just 1,009 nurses were granted a 457 visa in the year ending June 2016, according to the new figures, a third of the number given by Labor between 2012 and 2013.

Mr Shorten also oversaw the granting of 3,041 457s for cooks, 1,536 for motor mechanics, 1,121 for carpenters, 610 for electricians and 480 for plumbers.

Overall, 9,717 457 visas were granted to trades in that period, compared to 4,935 last year.

Mr Turnbull said Mr Shorten was the “Olympic champion of 457 visas … he raised the bar and set the records”.

“Businesses absolutely need to be able to access the skills they need to grow but we must get the balance right.

Malcolm Turnbull is critical of Labor granting 457 visas to foreign construction workers.

Bill Shorten oversaw more than 2,853 nurses being granted 457 visas in one year.

“Under the Coalition, 457 visa grants have declined and we have stopped Labor-approved rorts, like the fast-food labour agreements.”

The Daily Telegraph has already revealed under a Labor approved agreement, McDonald’s was given sponsor rights to bring in 285 foreign workers on 457 visas, while Hungry Jack’s hired 41 people and KFC brought in 88.

A Labor spokesman said the release of the figures was a “pathetic, desperate distraction”.

“Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals all voted against Labor’s visa controls and they are standing in the way of Labor’s new proposals to crack down on dodgy visa loopholes,” he said.

“After the Howard Government removed all labour market testing, visa workers rocketed during the mining boom.

McDonald’s was given sponsor rights to bring in 285 foreign workers on 457 visas under Labor.

“We introduced restrictions to better control the system — that’s one of the reasons the numbers have moderated.”

The number of 457 visas granted for jobs in New South Wales outside of Sydney last financial year fell 46.7 per cent — to 1,327 — compared to 2012-13, the figures show.

In the Hunter Region, they fell 46.9 per cent compared to the earlier period.