Media Release

31 January 2007

ANF calls for urgent review of 442 visa scheme

The Australian Nursing Federation is calling for an urgent review of the Howard Government’s 442 visa scheme in the light of claims that nurses from China are being exploited by the temporary recruitment agency that employs them.

ANF Federal Secretary Jill Iliffe said the actions of the nursing agency exposed the Government’s 442 occupational trainee visa as an ‘inadequate tool that enables unethical practices by companies to exploit overseas workers and provide them with substandard wages and conditions’.

‘It is clear from the stories the Chinese nurses tell that they are not receiving any “occupational training” but being used as a source of cheap labour.’

Ms Iliffe said the government was failing to enforce legislation covering the visas which requires ‘nominating organisations’ to employ trainees under Australian industrial relations law and relevant industry awards.

‘In light of the appalling treatment of the Chinese nurses the ANF questions the merit of this scheme which claims to provide occupational training to participants.

‘These nurses are registered nurses who are not being employed as registered nurses in Australia,’ Ms Iliffe said. ‘Instead of applying for licensure as a registered nurse and using their higher level skills these nurses are being employed as personal care assistants. They are being sent to work long hours, unsupervised, on miserable trainee wages while the company makes a tidy profit on the back of their work.’

Ms Iliffe said the 442 visa scheme should be suspended while an independent body investigates the concerns raised by the treatment of the nurses, which is not an isolated incident in the Federation’s experience, and other workers employed under the scheme.

Media inquiries
Jill Iliffe, Federal Secretary 0419 576 590
Ged Kearney, Assistant Federal Secretary 0417 053 322