In respect of the Government’s changes to the 457 Visa Program, and its announcement on 15 May 2009 that labour agreements aim to provide a flexible response to the needs of industries experiencing skills shortages:

(a)   what is the average length of time taken for labour agreements to be approved;

(b)   how is the process considered to be flexible for those employers who experience skills shortages; and

(c)   how many 457 visa holders are in South Australia; and of these, how many have indicated they are willing to relocate to remote areas such as Coober Pedy in pursuit of training and employment.

(a)   The time taken to finalise a labour agreement can vary considerably depending on the complexity of the agreement; the number and type of concessions sought, the quality of the information provided and the response times of the employer. It generally takes around four months to prepare a labour agreement, and they can be finalised in about four weeks following provision of the required documentation. In exceptional circumstances, it can take up to two years to finalise an agreement.

(b)   The standard Subclass 457 sponsorship arrangement allows sponsors to nominate only people with occupations that are on an occupation list approved for this program. Labour agreements provide flexibility by allowing employers experiencing skills shortages in other occupations or approved occupations who cannot meet the full requirements for the standard Subclass 457 sponsorship arrangement, to negotiate with the Commonwealth approval to nominate skilled overseas workers.

(c)   There were 2,950 primary visa holders in South Australia at 30 April 2009. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship does not collect data that would indicate whether a visa holder is willing to relocate to more remote areas in pursuit of training and employment.