Does this labor govt actually help any worker?, ive read of many people and know many who have found it impossible to get into the mining sector so why allow this?. Does this govt represent anybody bar the greens.. ###############################
THE federal government is poised to unveil the first enterprise migration agreement (EMA) for Gina Rinehart's $6.5 billion Roy Hill iron ore project in Western Australia.
Special Minister of State Gary Gray is scheduled to announce the "historic agreement" at a mining conference in Perth at 12pm (WST).
Mr Gray in 2010 chaired a taskforce to help address the need for more than 70,000 skilled workers on major resources projects in Australia over the next five years.
The number of short-term resource construction jobs is expected to peak at 49,000 alone in 2014.
Hancock Prospecting's Roy Hill arm was the first company to apply for an EMA, which allows them to use migrant workers on a temporary basis at the peak construction phase, right down to the subcontractor level.
It is believed the EMA will stipulate a maximum number of positions that can be filled by workers from overseas, who must have experience in their area of trade and English-speaking competencies.
They must also be paid the same rate as Australian workers and operate under the same conditions.
In return, the company must to commit to train a certain number of Australians with a view to their future participation in the resources sector.
It is understood Hancock Prospecting will be training workers that may not even end up working on its projects.
Ms Rinehart's bid to bring in more migrant workers to address labour shortages has been ongoing for some time, with unions reacting angrily to the proposal.
The huge Roy Hill project is situated 277km south of Port Hedland and is a joint venture with South Korean firms STX Corporation and POSCO, and Japan's Marubeni Corporation.
Skills Australia estimates mining operations will need an additional 89,000 workers in the five years to 2016 to meet expected demand.
The number of short-term resources construction jobs is expected to peak at 49,000 alone in 2014. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/migration-deal-for-rineharts-new-mine/story-e6freuyi-1226366616316
