Draft legislation that will make it harder to employ workers on 457 visas should be replaced by more initiatives to encourage young Australians to take up a trade, Canberra motor industry bosses say.
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The changes, which would require employers to conduct labour market testing and document compliance with strict new 457 visa guidelines, is due to be debated before Federal Parliament rises at the end of next week.
Labor says the draft legislation will crack down on rorts and protect local workers; the Greens say the changes do not go far enough to be effective, the Coalition says they are unnecessary and independent MP Rob Oakeshott wants hard evidence of the alleged abuses.
''If the government can find me qualified mechanics [in Australia] to employ I'd be happy to do so,'' said Steve Loiterton, the manager of Fyshwick's Bridgestone Service Centre.
''Instead of making it harder to employ people on 457 visas it [the government] should be offering incentives to make apprenticeships more attractive.''
Richard Dudley, the Canberra-based chief executive officer of the Australian Motor Industry Federation, agreed. He said there was a shortage of 19,000 skilled mechanics Australia wide.
''What they [the federal government] are proposing is certainly unnecessary as far as the motor trades are concerned,'' he said. ''It is bordering on ill-informed policy; there is no race to the bottom on wages and conditions and our organisation has never been provided with evidence of a single example of rorting.''
Mr Loiterton said attempts by his company to expand its staff through apprenticeships had foundered in the face of competition from the public sector and the mining industry.
''I've lost three apprentices in recent times,'' he said. ''Two went to the public service and one to the mines. They all left before they finished their training.''
The company had been left with no choice but to turn to the 457 visa scheme to meet the skilled labour requirements of the growing business. Candidates are screened by a company in the Philippines before being interviewed by a company principal who flies to Manila to check them out.
Mr Dudley said while the government was co-operating with industry in trying to attract more apprentices this was not a quick fix; it could take up to a decade for a person to become a highly skilled worker able to lead others.
Mr Loiterton said the motor trade was not the only one suffering from a skilled labor shortage.
''It is across all the blue collar trades,'' he said. ''Hairdressers are apparently even harder to find than mechanics.''
There is no suggestion 457 visa staff are being exploited. ''We pay above the award,'' he said. ''We have offered Australian staff above the award but we just can't compete.''
A culture shift in the mid to late 1980s had led to a dramatic decline in the numbers of young Australians taking up apprenticeships. ''Young people started preferring university and college over life skills and a trade,'' he said.
Engineering a better future for mechanics
Hilario Garrido is one of dozens of 457 visa workers who help keep Canberra's motorists on the road.
The 34-year-old mechanic from Manila has been working at Fyshwick's Bridgestone Service Centre since last September.
He already loves Canberra, has bought a Holden and would like to settle here permanently with his girlfriend, Dorilyn, who still lives in the Philippines.
Mr Garrido's boss, Steve Loiterton, says the highly trained mechanic, who spent eight years working in Saudi Arabia, would make a great Australian.
''Words can't describe how much Hilario and Romeo (another Philippines 457 visa mechanic employed at the service centre) bring to the industry,'' he said. ''They are professional, polite, conscientious and, above all, good mechanics. They would make bloody good Australians; they love the place and they love the people.''
Mr Garrido wanted to be a mechanic from an early age. ''When I was a little boy I would take my toys apart and put them back together again and they would work,'' he said. ''I became interested in cars as a teenager. My dream was to become an automotive engineer but that (the study)costs money so I became a mechanic.''
His skills have taken him around the world and, of all the places he has been, Australia appeals the most.
''This is a nice place,'' he told Fairfax Media. ''It is a lot safer than Saudi and certainly a lot freer. In Saudi you couldn't have long hair, wear a sleeveless singlet or shorts. You could live in Saudi for 25 years and still only ever be a guest worker.''
Australia allows 457 visa-holders to apply for permanent residency and, in time, to become citizens. Mr Garrido said while it was difficult to be separated from his girlfriend and family he was building a future.
''I met Dorilyn through work in the Philippines,'' he said. ''The distance is the hard part but the ideal is for both of us to be living in Australia.''
One aspect of life in Manila he does not miss is the traffic congestion. ''I live in Florey,'' he said. ''In Manila a commute of the distance from Florey to Fyshwick would take about two hours.''
That is why, when he lived in the Philippines, the car nut didn't have a car. ''I had a 125cc Yamaha motorcycle,'' he said. ''It was the best way to get around.''
