Nelson questions Pacific worker scheme
Posted
Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson has toughened his stance on the Federal Government's Pacific guest worker trial.
Dr Nelson has questioned why the Government needs to bring in overseas workers to harvest crops when Australia has 500,000 unemployed people.
He has echoed calls for unemployed Aboriginal people to be encouraged to take harvest labour jobs.
"Why is it that we are not capable as a country of getting these people into areas where there is work and literally where jobs are going begging and instead we are bringing dirt poor people from pacific nations to do the work that Australians apparently are unable or unwilling to do," he said.
