Curtin University has awarded its software development contract to Indian outsourcing giant Tech Mahindra, and while staff claim this will cost local jobs now and in the future, Curtin rejects this claim outright.
The issue was raised on Tuesday at an open union meeting of staff and students held to discuss the impact of recent budget and job cuts across the Bentley campus.
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A staff member told WAtoday a group of Curtin IT workers were not having their contracts renewed as a result of the Tech Mahindra contract.
The staffer said Curtin's existing workers were capable of doing the work, and a failed bidder for the contract had actually approached some of those outgoing to see if they would be willing to stay, but Tech Mahindra did not.
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Instead Tech Mahindra had engaged a group of Indian software developers.
Curtin was unable to confirm what workers Tech Mahindra employed as a contractor.
Tech Mahindra has not yet responded to questions but the company is known to count the 457 visa program as vital to its expanding Australian operations.
The staffer said while the current teams' workers did both software development and IT support, they would now likely be confined to support instead of the more creative development work.
He also said an internal report advising management on selection of the service provider had listed one criterion as the provider having a 'head office based in Western Australia'.
He said the university "taking the cheap way out" would hurt local families in a tight job market.
He said if Curtin could not employ local software engineers and support the industry, it should not be using public money to educate even more of these workers.
National Tertiary Education Union WA Division Secretary Gabe Gooding said the choice could reduce capacity in a key area.
"Curtin's outsourcing of software development to an international firm based in India is another example of their ongoing assault on employment, that includes a less-than-CPI wage offer and the non-renewal of fixed term contracts for people who they admit are performing ongoing work," she said.
"Publicly funded universities are supposed to provide leadership by example and by investing in Australia's human and technological capacity. If the rumours are true that this particular contractor extensively uses 457 visa workers this will be a prime example of a university undermining the employment prospects of Australian graduates."
Curtin's chief information officer Chris Rasmussen said technologies and digital service delivery and maintenance were changing rapidly, impacting both the strategic direction and day-to-day delivery of services at Curtin.
"Tech Mahindra provides software services, systems integration, professional services, and specialised consulting in the telecom sector," he said.
"The company is a recognised supplier with a physical presence in Perth and is completing work for other local organisations."
He said TM had been engaged to undertake integration work for Curtin on the new MuleSoft platform for linking systems within an organisation, providing a quick way of transferring and accessing consistent data between internal systems.
"This is a new tool in the market and there are very few people in Perth who have the skills to use it," he said.
"No jobs will be lost at Curtin as a result of the University engaging TM. Rather, TM staff are working alongside Curtin staff to deliver new services, and upskill and train Curtin employees to use the new platform. This will provide them with a unique opportunity to be trained in a system which is setting the industry standard."
A 457 visa allows employers to recruit overseas only if a suitably qualified Australian worker cannot be found.
A Free Trade Agreement between Australia and another country can provide variations to this rule, but there is as yet no such agreement between India and Australia.
The announcement followed the opposition's proposed crackdown on the scheme.
But Fairfax Media has reported that the number of 457 visa holders in Australia has been falling, not rising; that they generally create more jobs than they take; that they help provide essential services and improve the overall budget position as they pay high taxes but claim no public benefits.
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