No 457 Visas For Korean Bus Drivers

Australia has a shortage of skilled tradespeople. In response to this problem we have introduced the 457 visa. It allows tradies to work in Australia for four years. There are thousands of workers, and their families, who have come to Australia for this reason. Builiding sites employ great numbers of Filipino labourers, there are quite a few Korean welders and I know of many Chinese electricians in Perth.

I don't think that we should be issuing 457 visas to Korean bus drivers. They are noted for their recklessness. Last night on the bus it felt like we had a Korean bus driver. It was raining, the road was inevitably quite wet and the driver was throwing the bus around like I would be hard pressed to do in the dry. I was a bit shocked and not comfortable as I was standing up too. We approached stopping points, bus stops, corners and traffic lights, far too quickly and I was really surprised that the back of the bus didn't swing out or fishtail. And after one stop the driver called out for everyone to move backwards and get into a seat as he was unable to see. I don't know if it was being at the back of the bus or because of his driving but reading my book made me feel a bit sick and I had to stop.

It turns out that the driver was an Aussie but I have horrible thoughts that if he was a Korean on a 457 visa we would be in trouble.

P.S. Perhaps I should mention some of his antics. I thought that he was going to remove a wing mirror from a car that was driving on the diving lines between the bus lane and the car lanes. Deservedly so, I might add. Then he approached a 15 km/h speed bump closer to 50 km/h. At the bus stop he came to a screaming, although not screeching, halt. Then at a right hand turn he came to such a sudden stop that I thought the back would fishtail out. Strangest behaviour of all was that he actually stopped at a stop sign. Unfathomable. He continued to scream on through small suburban streets at dry-weather speeds. The bus route was 174, if you wish to avoid him. Won't be getting a vote from me for bus driver of the year.