SKILLED migration was blamed for mining job losses in New South Wales recently but Mount Isa and Cloncurry businesses said without it, pubs and hotels would be quickly closing their doors in regional Australia.
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Hakfoort Group CEO Albert Hakfoort owns and operates the Red Earth Hotel in Mount Isa and said without skilled migrants the cost of food and drink in the city would be one third higher due to labour costs.
"There is a shortage of chefs in regional Australia and they will only work for what the market is willing to pay," he said.
"Quite often the market is a mining company that has a higher capital and can offer those higher wages to their staff."
He said it was a common misconception that workers on 457 class visas were 'cheap labour'.
"We need to get across to the community that 457 isn't cheap labour, it's above the award. The minimum 457 wage is about $10,000 more than the highest award for cheffing and more than we would be paying to employ staff down on the coast."
The Red Earth Hotel sponsors workers from Nepal, Indonesia, China, India, Sri Lanka and Peru on 457 class visas and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme.
Mount Isa Buffalo Club executive manager Justin Wilkins said he has six employees working in his kitchen under a 457 visa who are extremely reliable.
Like the Red Earth Hotel, Mr Wilkins said the worker's wages are set by the department of Immigration and Citizenship and are above the base award for the industry.
He said he's advertised locally to fill positions in the kitchen but almost always has no applications.
"Its too hard with the salaries offered over the road at the mines," he said.
"Australian workers expect over and above the award where these people are happy to work for the award rate we offer."
Both visas allow migrants to live and work in Australia with their families, something Cloncurry mayor Andrew Daniels said his town was desperate for.
Cr Daniels said people in the North West were spoilt by mining a culture where they wouldn't look past their own nose for work in rural areas.
"People think they are really hard done by if they aren't getting $120,000 for working half the year at a mine," he said.
"We can't get people out here because it's more attractive to get a job at the mines or on the coast but they can't have the sea breeze and the good income."
Federal member for Kennedy Bob Katter and State Member for Mount Isa Rob Katter have made their party position clear on the issue, stating mining magnates were bringing migrants in to undermine Australian worker's pay conditions and were taking jobs off skilled, un-employed Australian's looking for work.
"I walked into the Townsville RSL the day after Gina Rhinehart made statements about hiring workers on visas and there were 12 people there, all qualified tradesmen, that couldn't get a start in the coalfields," he said.
"The Mount Isans I spoke to were out of work and they said they applied at the mines but they (the mines) were flying people in from overseas."
Mount Isa Mines said just over one per cent of their 4500 employees hold 457 class visas.
A spokesperson said the mine's recruitment strategy involved training their own staff, recruiting from the North West region and relocating skilled personnel and their families to Mount Isa when local candidates were not suitable.
"However... when vacancies requiring a specific skill cannot be filled locally or from within Australia, Mount Isa Mines works through the Department of Immigration and Citizenship programs and processes to identify potential skilled workers who are interested in relocating to Australia.
Queensland immigration statistics showed 8540 skilled workers were granted 457 class visas from 2012 to March 31, 2013 with the majority filling vacancies as chef's, meatworkers and hotel workers.
The number applications to work in service industries have increased while migrants sponsored to work in the mining industry dropped by 30 per cent at the beginning of this year.