Following Fairfax Media’s explosive revelations yesterday about widespread fraud and rorting of Australia’s skilled migration program, The AFR has today revealed that the Immigration Department has failed to investigate numerous allegations of fraud over a three year period:
Contractor Murphy Pipe and Civil repeatedly misled the Immigration Department to help Irish workers fraudulently obtain visas…
Leaked company files and well-placed sources have revealed evidence of widespread rorting of temporary skilled worker 457 visas and, to a lesser extent, working holiday visas.
Fairfax Media has confirmed the Immigration Department has failed to investigate the fraud, despite being contacted by whistleblowers over the past three years…
Multiple sources aware of the rorting said it involved senior staff, migration agents and schemes to help overseas workers obtain permanent residency. “It was about getting a compliant workforce,” said a source.
The Government needs to get to the bottom of these claims and restore integrity to the skilled migration system.
It makes absolutely no sense to deny younger unemployed Australians welfare benefits, while subjecting the unemployed to draconian Work-for-the-Dole measures, when the immigration system is systematically making it easier to import labour from offshore rather than training local workers, undermining their ability to gain a job.
Moreover, given the Department of Employment’s report showing skills shortages at an “historic low”, and that Australian unemployment is at 12 year highs, surely the whole rationale for skilled migration visas needs to be re-examined?
