Opposition party employment spokesman O`Connor (Brendan O`Connor) hinted that international students` work visas would be severely punished after coming to power, and said suggestions to encourage migrant workers to settle in villages and towns were "worth studying."
O`Connor said the, opposition party would consider supporting policies to force new immigrants to settle outside Sydney and Melbourne after the Australian newspaper revealed over the weekend that Tan was considering a population policy.
He also said there was a need to crack down on those who worked on student visas and working vacation visas, arguing that the cap on those visas should be seen as a "last resort" because they were too often abused.
As the population debate becomes a bigger political issue, the former immigration minister says more needs to be done to encourage migrants to settle outside Sydney and Melbourne.
"the vast majority of immigrants are attracted to big cities, especially Sydney and Melbourne, but some communities in other regions are hungry for skilled people and labour, so it`s a very uneven situation, and I think it`s worth considering." O`Connor told Sky News.
"if there is a shortage in certain sectors or areas of our country that require labour supply, we should examine it."
Too many people abuse the student work visa system and come to Australia to pretend to study while actually working seven days a week, O`Connor said.
"of course, if you`re here primarily to study, then you should get a job, but if you`re not here for study, you have a student visa, but it`s mainly for work. I think we need to investigate. " O`Connor said.
"the thing is, since the federal government was elected, we have seen an increase of two hundred thousand in the number of applications, so we want to see if there is a need to limit the program or make sure it is properly used for the intended purpose."
"the same is true for working vacation visas. If they come here seven days a week without vacation and are often exploited in many cases, we need to check their use.
"if it hadn`t been used for that purpose, our immigration system would have really gone wrong."
He clarified that the "ceiling" should be seen as a "last resort" and that increased scrutiny should be given priority.
"either there are no caps, but be sure to be vigilant, to make sure that they are primarily for that purpose, and for students, to learn," O`Connor said. "you have to make sure what they`re doing is real. One of the problems we have is that some people come to Australia and enroll in the cheapest Mickey Mouse class so that they can work here. "
