AAP May 25, 2012 3:45PM
THE federal government has unveiled an historic agreement with mining magnate Gina Rinehart to import overseas workers to fill jobs in her iron ore project in Western Australia.
The enterprise migration agreement (EMA) will be first used at the mining magnate's $6.5 billion Roy Hill project, allowing Hancock Prospecting to bring in 1700 migrant workers on a temporary basis.
Union leaders today lashed out at the plan saying it is a kick in the guts for Australian employees.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen announced today the government program to allow enterprise migration agreements (EMA) would help mining companies find enough workers for their developments.
But union leaders, who were attending a government manufacturing taskforce meeting in Canberra, were furious.
Australian Council of Trade Unions leader Dave Oliver said it was "reprehensible" and Australian workers were being overlooked.
"We are calling on the prime minister to immediately intervene to ensure before any workers are being brought in under the 457 visa program that there has been appropriate measures in place to ensure that the local market has been tested," he told reporters.
Australian Workers' Union head Paul Howes said it beggared belief that the announcement was made in the wake of recent jobs losses at Qantas and the Norsk Hydro aluminium smelter in NSW.
"On Friday we come to Canberra to meet with the prime minister, the industry minister and the CEOs of the major manufacturing industries to address the 130,000 jobs that have been lost out of manufacturing since 2008," a clearly angry Mr Howes told reporters.
"And Chris Bowen is announcing that Gina Rinehart gets an early Christmas present.
"I thought we were actually attacking these guys at the moment. Whose side are we on?"
Mr Howes said it was a big win for Ms Rinehart, and the benefits would also be enjoyed by her fellow mining billionaires Clive Palmer and Andrew Forrest.
"It's a massive kick in the guts to those 130,000 workers in the manufacturing industry who have lost their jobs," he said.
It's "sheer lunacy", he added.
The union movement will now pressure Prime Minister Julia Gillard to set up a job register, as promised by Mr Bowen today, and make it mandatory to advertise locally for workers before importing foreign labour.
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.
Ms Rinehart's bid to bring in more migrant workers to address labour shortages has been ongoing for some time.
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.
by: JAMIE WALKER From: The Australian November 01, 2013 12:00AM LOOK out Canberra. Clive Palmer is heading to federal parliament after a recount affirmed he had won the Queensland seat of Fairfax.
The flamboyant businessman who invested millions in his startup Palmer United Party will be joined by at least two senators, capping the strongest debut in contemporary politics since One Nation had its brief moment in the sun at the state level in Queensland in 1998.While acknowledging the result of the recount, Queensland's Liberal National Party is keeping its options open to mount a court challenge to Mr Palmer's election.
Accusing PUP of drawing out the recount, LNP state director Brad Henderson said a petition to the Court of Disputed Returns could be lodged within 40 days of the poll being declared.
"Given the sheer scale of this process in terms of the number and nature of challenges and determinations made, the LNP will now take some time to consider its position," Mr Henderson said.
For now, attention will likely turn to the statement of pecuniary interests required of MPs and senators, which promises to provide new insight into Mr Palmer's personal wealth.
His claim to be the $6 billion man is contested, with Forbes magazine putting his wealth at $895 million as of last January.
When he takes his place in parliament in a fortnight, Mr Palmer will have the added distinction of holding its most marginal seat after winning by only 53 votes.
"I'm looking forward to making a positive contribution to the battle of ideas in Canberra," Mr Palmer said last night.
The marathon recount extended his winning margin from 36 to 53 over the LNP's Ted O'Brien.
The process was fraught for the Australian Electoral Commission which faced scathing criticism from Mr Palmer. His party challenged a record 50,099 of the 89,176 ballots cast in Fairfax, pushing the duration of the recount to an unprecedented eight weeks.
Mr Palmer will be joined in parliament from next July by incoming PUP senators Glenn Lazarus, the rugby league great who won in Queensland, and Tasmanian Jacqui Lambie.
In Western Australia, PUP frontrunner Zhenya Wang remains on tenterhooks, along with incumbent Green Scott Ludlam, with their battle for the final senate spot potentially to be decided by a court or even a new election after the AEC yesterday admitted losing nearly 1400 previously counted ballot papers.
Senator Ludlam made a barbed reference to Mr Palmer's wealth in congratulating him on being elected. "Good for him," he told Sky News. "He won a . . . fair election. I wish I had a billion to spend on my campaign."
Mr Palmer, 59, has a strong political pedigree, having served as spokesman to Queensland's longest-serving premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, in the late 1980s and then becoming a financial backer of the LNP. A life member of the National Party, he stormed out of the LNP last year after falling out bitterly with Tony Abbott and Queensland Premier Campbell Newman.
Relations between Mr Palmer and the state LNP government remain poisonous. Recently, he claimed to have evidence of corruption among unnamed state ministers.
The Prime Minister will ultimately need the support of the PUP to meet his election commitments to abolish the carbon and mining taxes.**************************************************
This is good news to Filipino aspirants for Australian mining jobs. Mining magnate Mr. Palmer's Palmer Unted Party (PUP) will certainly fight to get pending projects off the ground. He’s got lots of money invested in them.
So, kababayans back home!!!! Lodge your resumes.
And may the Force be with you! 
