Sydney, September 16,2004
Asian News International
Australia has reportedly decided to impose curbs on
the granting of temporary work visas to computer programmers from India,
China and Russia following opposition concerns over the high rate of
local unemployment in the technology sector.
The federal government's decision to clamp down on Indian,
Chinese and Russian computer programmers arriving in Australia was initiated
after Opposition IT spokeswoman Senator Kate Lundy raised objections
to local recruitment firms using the "457 (temporary) Visa"
for importing "cheap and skilled" labour from the above three
countries.
"It is a reasonable assumption that the expansive
use of IT workers from overseas here on temporary work visas over the
last few years has contributed to the ongoing, higher than average levels
of unemployment in the IT sector," The Australian quoted Senator
Lundy as saying while recently unveiling the Labor Party's IT policies
at a function in Brisbane.
"That's why Labor believes that the sensitive and
timely management of Australia's temporary skilled migration program
is necessary," she added.
Admitting that it was essential for the federal government
to maintain a skilled migration program to keep pace in the fast moving
industry, Lundy said that her party would prefer to promote and expand
the female workforce in the industry.
Presently only 20 per cent of the tech workforce is
female.