Daniel
Emerson – The West Australian, June 18, 2015
Colin
Barnett will ask Prime Minister Tony Abbott for special permission to import
East Timorese labour to the Kimberley as part of a Federal push to develop
northern Australia.
The
Northern Australia White Paper, released today, contained a policy for Queensland
and New South Wales to import Pacific Islanders to work in cane and other
industries.
Mr
Barnett said it had been an unintentional “oversight” to not give WA the same
concessions to employ East Timorese, which he said were needed because there
weren't enough Australians to work in the North.
“We
can employ people from East Timor in agriculture in the Kimberley, tourism,
hospitality industry, and who knows – they could become Australian citizens,”
Mr Barnett said.
Asked
why he singled out East Timor, Mr Barnett said because it was close and because
an East Timorese minister recently suggested the move when visiting WA
recently.
Pressed
on whether it was wise to be importing foreign labour amid rising unemployment,
Mr Barnett said there were not enough Australians to do the jobs required in
the Kimberley.
“There
is a shortage of labour in the Kimberley, driving up costs. We need people to
do simple jobs – work on a farm, work on irrigation projects, in the building
industry, hospitality, hotels, restaurants – we can’t find Australians at a
reasonable cost to do that,” he said.
Mr
Barnett said he had already spoken to Trade Minister Andrew Robb about the
proposal, who had been receptive, and the Premier would soon write to Mr Abbott.
Picture:
Nathan Dyer
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