Government won’t cap WHVs… for now
Immigration Minister Chris Evans has assured the industry the Government has no plans to cap the Working Holidaymaker Visa program as a whole or individual arrangements “at this time”.
In a letter to Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) Managing Director Matt Hingerty, Evans insisted the Government “recognises the important contribution of Working Holidaymaker Visa holders to the tourism industry, as well as industries needing short term casual labour”.
Hingerty wrote to the Minister in March expressing concern that the WHV scheme would be capped and asking if it might be expanded to new countries. At last month’s ATEC Backpacker Conference in Darwin, Hingerty said he would fight any moves to impose quotas on existing countries within the scheme following Trade Union pressure to restrict skilled migration and protect Australian Jobs (Backpacker Trade News, May 6 2009).
Evans said the Working Holidaymaker and Work and Holiday Visa programs have more than doubled in the last 10 years, with up to 200,000 visas expected to be granted in 2008-09. There are currently no caps on the former, but there are caps on all Work and Holiday arrangements, except with the US.
He added: “The purpose of these programs is to encourage closer ties between arrangement countries through an extended holiday, with incidental work to supplement funds.”
However, he said the programs are regularly monitored and reviewed and any decisions on expanding them to new countries would be deferred until research findings into their economic and labour market impact had been considered.
By Martin Lane · May 20th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Comments
31 May 09
8:06 am
Is the Backpacker industry giving enough support to backpackers in finding work?.
The OZ unemployment rate might have increased but in some sectors, small-business owners are still experiencing a skill shortage.
Oz apprentices need young tradesmen and women to be trained
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