ACTU wants backpacker numbers cut

[Guest The Pom Queen]

The Australian Council of Trade Unions has reportedly called for a re-think of the numbers of working holiday visas granted to backpackers each year, due to the high rate of youth unemployment for entry level positions.

 

While ACTU president Ged Kearney didn’t suggest that working holiday visas were the only, or indeed main contributing factor to youth unemployment, he urged the government to reconsider signing visa agreements with new countries.

 

“If you look at just unemployed teenagers who are looking for full time work – that’s up to 19 years of age, it’s rising well toward 25 per cent unemployment,” Ms Kearney told the ABC.

 

“Before we just jump into… saying well let’s open up the holiday visa program for example and allow all those young people in Europe to come to Australia, we have to stop and just have a think about what is the impact that will have on our economy; what is the impact of that on our young people.”

 

Chief executive of YHA in Australia, Julian Ledger disagrees with Mr Kearney however, telling the ABC that higher levels of visitors to Australia actually create jobs.

 

“Previous studies have shown that working holiday makers visiting Australia actually are net creators of employment, through the goods and services that they purchase while here,” he said. “For each 100 visiting, an extra six jobs for Australians are created.”

 

Mr Ledger also refutes the claim that backpackers on working holiday visas are driving down wages for young Australians, claiming that there is ‘almost no evidence’ to support the notion.

[tingtongman]

Intresting, Im not sure what to make of it, about 50%+ of the people working at the onion farms I have been at were backpackers, the rest were other immgrants and 1% ozzies.

 

I do think with the current numbers there will be enough people to carry on picking for the harvests but the study fails mention how much profit Oz makes from visas and the amount of $$$ people spend when in oz on a WHV. A lot of what people save here in jobs, goes staright back to the ozzie people in one form or another (hostels, food, drinking etc).