January 21, 2010
The Australian government has taken a series of measures to shield Australian workers from competition with cheap foreign workers from overseas.
The 457 Temporary work visa program has been reviewed to force employers to grant the same pay to skilled overseas workers as their Australian counterparts.
The change will come into effect starting from January 2010.
According to Australia’s Minister for Immigration and Chris Evans, the changes serve two purposes:
“It ensures overseas workers are not brought in more cheaply to undercut Australian workers and their conditions”. Secondly it ensures that Australian workers aren’t disadvantaged because overseas workers will now be more expensive and preference will go to Australian workers.” (Read Mr Evans’ speech here)
He also reiterated the Australian government’s committment to ensure that Australian workers are not disadvantaged in the labor market:
“The objective of the subclass 457 visa is to ensure that skilled workers are able to come to Australia quickly to meet industry, economic and labour market needs without impacting on the employment and training opportunities of Australians or undermining their terms and conditions. Consistent with that objective the Rudd Government has made it clear that overseas workers are not to be employed ahead of Australians.”
As of 2008, 25 per cent of Australia’s 21.6 million population are born overseas. Australia remains the top emigration destinations in the world despite its stringent immigration criteria.
Unlike Singapore which accepts any Tom, Dick and Harry without any proper screening, Australia only accepts foreigners who pass a basic English Proficiency Test or the IELTS.
Foreigners are only employed in selected sectors lacking manpower and it varies from one state to another.
To even qualify to apply for Australian PR, a foreigner must spend three out of the last five years entirely in Australia.
In contrast, Singapore gives out its PR and citizenships freely like toilet papers to foreigners some of whom are construction workers, cleaners, masseurs and prostitutes.
The celebrated Chinese national and Singapore PR Zhang Yuanyuan who insulted the entire nation by proclaiming her loyalty to China on CCTV7 revealed that she received her Singapore PR within 2 months of application.
Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said in Parliament lately that two out of every three PR applicants are successful, an astonishingly high succcess rate for a developed nation. In 2008, there are more than 90,000 PRs and 20,000 new citizens.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reassured Singaporeans in his New Year Day message that they remain a “priority” for his administration, but has done nothing to show otherwise.
Foreigners are allowed to compete directly with Singaporeans in jobs which can be filled easily by them such as administrators, cashiers, accounts executive, clinic assistants etc, yet the ruling party kept insisting that foreigners are only employed in sectors shunned by locals.
In a recent letter to The Temasek Review, Courts CEO Mr Terry O’ Connor explained that his company has no choice but to put up an advertisement to employ Malaysians in Johor because the take-up rate for the positions on offer among locals is very low. (read letter here)
He declined to reveal the terms and conditions including the basic salaries and working hours offered to Singaporeans.
As there is no opposition in Parliament to check on the ruling party, there is absolutely no political pressure on it to fine-tune its policies to serve the interests of Singaporeans.
Foreign workers help to reduce labor costs and in turn contributes to economic growth. A certain proportion of the annual salaries of Singapore’s millionaire ministers is pegged to GDP growth figures – the higher it is, the more money they will get from Singapore taxpayers.
A recent Wall Street Journal editorial wrote that the relentless influx of foreigners had depressed the wages of ordinary Singaporeans, lowered labor productivity, increased the cost of living and led to an overall decrease in the standards of living. (read article here)
During a walk-about session at Hong Kah GRC, Law Minister Shanmugam told the media that many companies are recruiting Singaporeans as cleaners, but there are few takers for the job as Singaporeans, especially the young, do not like long working hours or shift work.
“Most Singaporeans prefer office job and choose to give up jobs such as cleaners,” he added.
In a frank interview with journalist Mark Jacobson from the National Geographic magazine, Singapore’s octogenarian leader Lee Kuan Yew defendeed the ruling party’s liberal immigration and pro-foreigner policies.
Though he said he was aware of the fact that “many Singaporeans are unhappy with the influx of immigrants”, he continued to insist that it is for “good” of the nation:
“Over time, Singaporeans have become less hard-driving and hard-striving. This is why it is a good thing that the nation has welcomed so many Chinese immigrants.” Lee was quoted saying.
Lee described the country’s new subjects as “hungry,” with parents who “pushed the children very hard.”
“If native Singaporeans are falling behind because the spurs are not stuck into the hide, that is their problem,” he quipped.
[Source: The Singapore Solution]
Compare the speeches made by Singapore leaders to that made by Australian leaders and it is not hard to understand why that despite its ultra-liberal immigration policies, many foreigners prefer to emigrate to Australia than Singapore.
The difference is the govt in oz not mercenary like the ones we have here.
Seems the thunderstrike party very keen to see the downfall of singaporeans due to the large influx of foreigners to our land.
I anticipated that talk from him as far back as in 1993.
And the PAP also dont know how to balance the racial population.Some races population already increasing n the PAP still bring in more PR from that country.I really dont know what the hell they are thinking!!!
that why prostitue in singapore cost as low as $30 whereelse it is couple hundreds in aussie.
singapore woman tan bo chiat.
as long as there is no minimum wage structure, we can never attract locals to take up jobs which singaporean will shy away. not because of status but simply cannot fill one stomach.
my mom is uneducated near end 50 year old. she would not want to work at fastfood outlet who pay meagre $6/7 dollar an hour wherelse in aust it is over $12/15. the living standard of the 2 country are not that different but pay wise it is heaven and hell.
she said, after deduct transport and food what left? cannot eat mac/ burger king right? they will die faster!!