The Prime Minister Tony Abbott claimed in the House of Representatives today that the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement would not remove labour market testing when overseas workers enter Australia.
He said:
There is absolutely no possibility of placing any foreigner in an Australian job without labour market testing.
Mr Abbotts statement contradicts evidence by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties yesterday.
Kelvin Thomson MP: Mr Wilden, you referred in your evidence again this morning to engineers, nurses and category three trades. Are Chinese tradespersons, category three, engineers and nurses currently subject to labour market testing conditions and requirements?
David Wilden, DIBP: If they were to come in currently and they are not exempt, they would be required to be subject to labour market testing, the sponsors would be.
Thomson: And if the China FTA comes into force, will they be subject to those labour market testing conditions then?
Wilden: No, they would be exempt.
Mr Abbott needs to explain the contradiction between his statement to the House of Representatives and the evidence to the Treaties Committees inquiry into the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Both statements cannot be correct.