On Monday 13 February 2023, Global Adelaide facilitated business and industry leaders coming together to discuss their concerns about the migration program in South Australia (SA) with the Leader of the Opposition, The Hon David Speirs MP. The key themes that emerged from the meeting were around education and training, shifting community perception about migration, and establishing specific targets for skilled and unskilled workers, with supportive and faster visa processing.
The Hon David Speirs MP opened the meeting by emphasising the need for a sharp focus on the state migration strategy to make SA economically sustainable. He acknowledged that the state needed to be competitive, reactive, and innovative to attract people to SA, especially when it is not a gateway state. He highlighted that the further one gets from Adelaide, the regions suffer more. The meeting participants agreed that it often that businesses did not even advertise for workers as there are no candidates to fill the jobs in their regions, and there is not enough accommodation for workers to live in either. Speirs called for bipartisan support to work closely with business and industry to develop a better migration program, with regional considerations.
The Hon Sam Telfer MP agreed that it is an exciting yet daunting task to get the short, medium, and long term right for South Australia. He expressed optimism that post-COVID people are looking for the right balance between work, lifestyle, and opportunities. As the Shadow Minister for State Migration Strategy, he stressed the importance of getting policy on regional population growth right.
Mark Glazbrook, Coordinator for Global Adelaide, spoke about the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) and how it has not worked for South Australian industry. He highlighted that the current Migration Review is the biggest review in 25 years and it will be interesting to see if it delivers the outcomes needed by business and industry.
The meeting participants discussed several recommendations to address the concerns about the migration program. These included:
- Launching an education campaign to change the negative perception of migration and highlight its benefits.
- Establishing specific targets for skilled and unskilled workers, such as needing 1000 certificate III carers by 2024.
- Expediting visa processing to speed up the arrival of migrants.
- Enabling training and licensing to be done overseas so that migrants can commence work upon arrival.
- Tracking migrants to ensure they stay in SA and provide incentives to encourage them to do so.
- Aligning infrastructure and housing development with population growth.
- Establishing local programs to assimilate migrants with local culture, job seeking, and English in the workplace.
The meeting highlighted the need for a more effective migration program in South Australia. The participants identified several key themes and made recommendations for improving the program. They recognised that it is a challenging policy area and called for bipartisan support to work closely with business and industry to develop a better migration program. With the right focus and commitment, SA can create a successful migration program that benefits both migrants and the state’s economy.