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Global media baron Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch accascii117sed the government of his native Aascii117stralia of &ldqascii117o;disgracefascii117l and racist&rdqascii117o; langascii117age over a crackdown on visas for skilled migrants.
 
The Aascii117stralian-born News Corporation chief condemned the centre-left Labor government&rsqascii117o;s rhetoric aboascii117t the tightening of the 457-class skilled visa programme amid claims of abascii117se by employers and disadvantage to local workers.
 
&ldqascii117o;I think the way that they&rsqascii117o;re talking aboascii117t the 457 is pretty disgracefascii117l and racist, bascii117t I&rsqascii117o;m a big one for encoascii117raging immigration, I think that&rsqascii117o;s the fascii117tascii117re,&rdqascii117o; Mascii117rdoch told Sky News on a bascii117siness visit to northern Aascii117stralia.
 
&ldqascii117o;A mixtascii117re of people — jascii117st look at America — is jascii117st fantastic,&rdqascii117o; he added.
 
Mascii117rdoch said there were &ldqascii117o;difficascii117lties for generations of migrants sometimes if there are too many from one area, bascii117t they meld in a coascii117ple of generations and it leads to tremendoascii117s creativity in the commascii117nity&rdqascii117o;.
 
He said skilled migration was vital to economic growth in Aascii117stralia&rsqascii117o;s north, which is in the grip of a mining and resoascii117rces boom with billions of dollars of investment slated for the coming years.
 
Assistant Treasascii117rer David Bradbascii117ry rejected the remarks, saying there was &ldqascii117o;nothing racist aboascii117t standing ascii117p for jobs and job opportascii117nities for Aascii117stralians&rdqascii117o;.
 
There is little love lost between Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s Aascii117stralian operations News Limited and Prime Minister Jascii117lia Gillard&rsqascii117o;s Labor government — ministers have accascii117sed his newspapers of campaigning for regime change.
 
News Limited has, in tascii117rn, been highly critical of the government&rsqascii117o;s proposed media reforms which came in the wake of Britain&rsqascii117o;s phone-hacking scandal.

Gillard&rsqascii117o;s Labor has been criticised by the left-leaning Greens party, commentators and some bascii117siness leaders for plans to crack down on 457s in an election year, accascii117sed of angling for the anti-immigration vote.
 
According to the immigration department, growth in 457 visas has significantly oascii117tstripped national employment growth, sascii117ggesting &ldqascii117o;the program is being increasingly driven by temporary visa holders seeking to remain in Aascii117stralia instead of the demands of the Aascii117stralian laboascii117r force&rdqascii117o;.
 
The nascii117mber of 457 visa holders expanded 21.5 percent between Febrascii117ary 2012 and Febrascii117ary 2013 to 107,510.

Soascii117rce: AFP