Gillard: Offer work to Aussies first or be fined Prime Minister Julia Gillard is believed to be considering proposals that would fine employers for choosing foreign workers over Australians. JULIA Gillard will reignite the foreign workers debate with a new regime of cash fines for employers who fail to offer jobs to Australian workers first. Unions, concerned about companies claiming they face local labour shortages without even advertising jobs, are pushing the Prime Minister to act. The Sunday Times has learnt Cabinet will debate the issue tomorrow night. Proposals include asking bosses to advertise locally and making it easier for authorities to penalise bosses who lie or mislead authorities. "Why do they like 457 visas if they have local labour available?" a senior Government source asked. Because they can deport these workers in a month. It makes Work Choices look like a picnic. Fines and sanctions are already in place, but are rarely enforced. The proposed changes would increase the number of inspectors to enforce the rules and make it easier to determine a breach. Offenders could pay up to $33,000 in fines if a body corporate or $6600 if an individual. Those found in breach of the regulations could also be barred from sponsoring more workers on 457 visas. Government sources said also the Department of Immigration was reviewing serious allegations about exploitation of some low-skilled workers, suggesting there was a fine line between abuse of 457 visas and labour trafficking. Employers use 457 visas to bring in skilled overseas workers to work here temporarily. There are now just over 100,000 workers in Australia under the visa class, up 20 per cent in the past year. To qualify, employers must claim there is a labour shortage, but do not have to prove it. Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the Coalition was open to "commonsense" reforms to the scheme, but accused Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor of grossly inflating the numbers of workers being exploited. "Our fear is they are using this as a trojan horse to introduce industrial inspectors," Mr Morrison said. Mr O'Connor sparked controversy earlier this year when he suggested the number of 457 visa rorts could be more than 10,000. Some parts might be reformed through regulation. Mr O'Connor has previously pledged to allow Fair Work Ombudsman's inspectors to check that businesses were complying with the scheme's guidelines.