Mining industry backs 457 visa axing
Image: Rio Tinto. BY ELIZABETH FABRI THE Federal Government’s plan to abolish the 457 visa for foreign workers has already received strong support from mining industry officials, who remain hopeful a new scheme would safeguard Australian jobs and fill the void where skilled workers were currently needed. On 18 April, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the Subclass 457 visa would be scrapped and replaced with a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa with a reduced list of occupations, tighter criminal background checks, and higher standards for English language skills. The TSS program would be split into two streams; a short term visa of up to two years, and a medium term visa for up to four years. Mining occupations that made the…