The Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Clare O’Neil MP, announced a review of Australia’s Migration System on 2 September 2022. In response to the announcement, Global Adelaide collated the views from the Global Adelaide network to prepare a submission.
The Global Adelaide submission said that ‘reform of Australia’s migration system is essential to ensure that Australians prosper, through business growth, employment, wages growth and welcoming communities. It’s significance is enabling a region like South Australia to prosper, cannot be understated.’
The recommendations in the submission related to modernising Australia’s migration program, reducing red tape and complexity, changing the Australian migration system to benefit business and industry, employment and economic growth in Adelaide and regional South Australia. The submission recommended three, new, contemporary programs. The existing migration programs to be replaced by an express permanent program, a provisional visa program, and a regional provisional visa program. Employers nominating or sponsoring employees would have to complete annual monitoring and report visa holders’ compliance with visa conditions. A commitment to training within the business or paying an annual Skilling Australians fund levy would be required for employers.
The recommendations also included abolishing the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) and replacing it with market salary rates applicable to the relevant occupation in the designated jurisdiction. Additionally, the submission recommended changes to business visas, student visas, and training visas. Overall, these changes aim to increase the integrity of the Australian migration program and protect vulnerable visa holders.
Full details of the Global Adelaide submission can be found here.