LABOR has proposed a suite of measures it wants the government to accept in return for supporting passage of the China free trade deal through parliament. He said the talks would be based on the exposure draft released by Labor on Tuesday.
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Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Labor’s Senate leader Penny Wong have described its proposed amendments as “reasonable complementary safeguards” to make sure there are not “winners and losers” in the agreement signed by the Coalition.
The suggested change, which if passed will apply to all future business deals Australia agrees on with global traders, will test the effectiveness of local workers on major projects commissioned on Australian soil by worldwide companies worth 110 million U.
There was also dissatisfaction that the changes would adequately enforce labour market testing before 457 visas were granted for such skilled professions as nurses, engineers, electricians, plumbers, welders and carpenters.
“China, but the government has gone further in this agreement than in other trade agreements when it comes to opening up the labor market”, the Labor Party senator said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday. The licence must be obtained within 60 days of their arrival in the country, Labor says. Employers entering investment facilitation arrangement work agreements would be required to advertise jobs locally before turning to overseas workers. “These safeguards will support local job opportunities, support Australian wages and conditions, maintain workplace skills and safety standards, and deter exploitation of overseas workers, ” Shorten said.
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The China free-trade agreement is part of a series of trade deals that has been concluded by the Liberal-National government since it came to office in 2013.
