http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/13776783/rinehart-mine-gets-specia...

Gina Rinehart's $9.5 billion Roy Hill iron ore development in the Pilbara is the first big resources project that will benefit from a new Federal Government initiative to allow skilled migrant workers to be employed temporarily in the resources sector.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen this morning announced the first enterprise migration agreement (EMA) for Roy Hill during a speech in Canberra.

Mr Bowen said EMAs would help reduce the risks involved with developing “mega” resources projects by allowing mining companies to negotiate upfront their temporary skilled migration needs before work began.

Without EMAs, there was a greater risk that projects would not be completed on time and budget and a further risk that some big projects wouldn’t go ahead at all, he said.

The Roy Hill EMA will allow Hancock Prospecting and its partners to sponsor up to a maximum of 1715 temporary overseas workers for the three-year construction phase through the 457 visa program where they cannot find Australians to fill the positions.

It will cover occupations like electricians, mechanical fitters, scaffolders and boilermakers.

Mr Bowen said the EMA would have specific clauses that would require both Roy Hill and its contractors to continue to prioritise the recruitment of Australians throughout the life of the project.

“The Government will also ensure that visaholders are aware of their workplace rights and obligations through a specific induction program,” he said.

“As part of the agreement, Roy Hill will provide up to 2000 training places for Australians.

“This includes places for more than 200 Australian apprentices and trainees, as well as preparing over 100 indigenous Australians to work in the construction industry.

“Two-thirds of the apprenticeships Roy Hill will offer will go to mature Australians.”

The EMA concept was developed by a taskforce chaired by Special Minister of State Gary Gray in 2010 to help address the need for more than 70,000 skilled workers on major resources projects in Australia over the next five years.

Roy Hill spokesman Darryl Hockey said despite the company’s priority and preference for employing and training Australians, there was insufficient workforce capacity in Australia to meet the surge in construction in the resources industry.

“The temporary overseas workers will make up less than 20 per cent of the construction workforce, and the sooner the construction is finished, the sooner that 2000 permanent jobs will be created for Australian citizens for the next 20 years,” he said.

“We are proud to be the first company in Australia to provide major training commitments under a labour program.”

WA’s peak resources body also welcomed the Federal Government’s first EMA.

WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy director Nicole Roocke said an adequate pool of skilled labour for new projects was vital.

However she said the CME had some concerns with the prescriptive nature of the scheme.

“It is hoped that with the first agreement approved, there will be continued refinement to enable other major projects to access the benefits of EMAs,” Ms Roocke said.

“It’s not about relaxing the provisions but more about making the process more efficient to so that we get the right kinds of skilled people to work in the WA resources sector.”

The WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the EMA showed the Federal Government appreciated the scale of the labour challenges facing the State.

However CCIWA economist John Nicolaou said the Federal Government could do more to make it easier for other WA businesses, particularly small and medium sized, to attract skilled overseas workers.

He said research estimated that WA would fall 210,000 workers short by 2020 if it didn’t look to alter the current population and migration trends.

“With shortages across many industries pushing up the cost of doing business for WA enterprises, anything that can improve access to skilled overseas workers is a good thing,” Mr Nicolaou said.

“If projects can’t find the numbers of suitable workers required, that will push up costs and ultimately risk the levels of investment currently earmarked for the State.”

The Association of Mining & Exploration Companies also welcomed the EMA but said it was disappointing that some sections of the community did not recognise the safeguards in place to protect Australian workers and the significant economic and social dividends which would flow from Roy Hill.

AMEC national policy manager Graham Short said there should be no thresholds on triggering an EMA.

The Roy Hill project is 277km south of Port Hedland and is a joint venture with South Korean firms STX Corporation and POSCO, and Japan's Marubeni Corporation.

The project is expected to produce 55 million tonnes of iron ore each year for 20 years, starting in late 2014.

More than 6700 Australians will be employed during the construction phase of the project.

This represents a minimum of 80 per cent of the total workforce, with less than 20 per cent being sourced from overseas under the provisions of the EMA.
A further 17 to 37 projects are expected to be eligible for EMAs depending on final investment decisions.

As long as they are only bringing in workers when they fall short of skilled Aussies there should be no problem.
We should also remember that if Howard hadn't slashed funding for training Aussie workers and apprentices and funding to Tertiary institutions we wouldn't be in this position today.
As someone whos business brings in skilled migrants to fill the shortfall in Aussie workers I would be a hypocrite to deny the same to others

Mr Baillieu is now slashing 400 million from Victorian Tafe Colleges.

It is going to absolutely GUT the whole TAFE system.

THIS is why people like myself mistrust Liberal governments on pinciple, they ALWAYS attack Health and Education funding, when they get in power, and when Labor get back and have to fix their stuff up, they get pilloried for wasting money, repairing the neglect of the Liberal years.

Despite the lunatic protestations of feral lying shock jocks, ignorant fools, and self serving, but deceitful, Liberal pollies, the BER was the most significant boost to the public school system I can remember, AND it saved the Building industry from going into recession, AND it saved our economy from going into recession.

It was one of the best decisions any government in Australia has ever taken, and moronic loonies still try and portray it as a bad thing, because do nothing Abbott, would not have done it.

Well here is a newsflash, Do Nothing Abbott, has never done anything worthwhile for Australia, because he has limited intellect, and no vision, which is why he would make a terrible PM.

progressiveslol wrote on May 26^th, 2012 at 12:18pm:




You are starting to sound like a cracked record.

In world terms, our economy is one of the best around, if not THE best.

And, also in world terms, our 'debt' is negligible.

That's FACT, not partisan spin.

And I don't believe that would be the case under a Coalition govt.

Maqqa wrote on May 26^th, 2012 at 9:42am:


I do not believe for one second that Gillard was clueless about this. It's a major piece of policy - she'd have had to be involved or at least informed.

Armchair_Politician wrote on May 26^th, 2012 at 3:49pm:



That's why she back peddling so much

Maqqa wrote on May 27^th, 2012 at 9:16am:




Smell more like a set up by the pro Rudd camp.

Thing is, any attack on Gillard's leadership is an attack on Abbott's leadership in that Rudd is more popular than Abbott.

What Liberal voter would hold them self back against a Rudd lead Labor, when they have Turnbull up their sleeves.

Liberals who support Abbott over Turnbull better start hoping Gillard holds on against the leadership challenge coming.

____ wrote on May 27^th, 2012 at 9:23am:



An attack on Gillard's leadership is an attack on Greens leadership in the REAL world because they are in an alliance in the REAL world

There are no logical reason in the REAL world why an attack on Gillard's leadership is an attack on Abbott's leadership

You continue to tout Turnbull as a LIB leader because you guys are afraid of facing Abbott at the next election