CANADIAN Sarah Bonnier has breathed a sigh of relief after a week of not knowing if she can stay in Australia.
Ms Bonnier is Western Metropolitan Legislative Council member Bernie Finn’s new electorate officer. She moved to Australia from Canada on a 457 visa.
She had sold up and moved here to work for the Liberal MP in his Sunshine office about four weeks ago.
But the President of the Legislative Council, Labor’s Bob Smith, recently sought legal advice about Ms Bonnier’s employment.
Mr Finn said he had applied for the visa on behalf of Ms Bonnier and believed there was nothing wrong with the terms of her employment.
He said Ms Bonnier used to work as a legislative assistant in the Canadian office of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Public Safety.
He had met her when she had visited Australia on a work-related trip.
Mr Finn said he had been impressed with Ms Bonnier’s qualifications and eagerness to work in Australia.
When the electorate officer’s position had become available, he had offered the job to her.
The Government this year agreed to a $4 million funding boost for the Upper House, allowing each MP to employ two electorate officers from 1 July.
Mr Finn said he then made enquiries to the Department of Immigration as to the way to get Ms Bonnier to Australia and was told to apply for a 457 visa.
Under the visa conditions, direct employers may apply to sponsor employees for periods of up to four years.
The visas were introduced to allow skilled migrants to work in Australia to help fill holes in the labour market.
Mr Smith said he had sought the legal advice after learning of how Ms Bonnier came to be employed as Mr Finn’s electorate officer.
He said as the president of the Legislative Council, he had to sign off on employment agreements for electorate officers in Victoria because the parliament was their official employer under the Parliamentary Administrative Act 2005.
Mr Smith said his approval of Ms Bonnier’s employment had not been sought and her visa application should have been applied for by the Victorian Parliament.
Mr Smith said legal advice received on Wednesday showed both Mr Finn and Ms Bonnier acted in “good faith” and Mr Smith approved Ms Bonnier’s employment that day.
“If I were to object to her employment, she would have to leave the country immediately,” Mr Smith said.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to be employing people under those arrangements.”
He said many people living in Australia had the qualifications to be electorate officers.
Mr Smith said he would be using Mr Finn and Ms Bonnier’s situation to make it clear to all politicians in the Upper House that, in future, electorate officers employed using 457 visas would not be approved by him.
