Dr Joanna Howe, one of three people appointed to guide a review of Australia’s migration system, spoke at a Global Adelaide meeting of more than 20 industry and business organisations representing South Australian industry. The meeting focused on the Federal Government’s Migration Review, which aims to inform a strategy for A Migration System for Australia’s Future.
Dr Howe highlighted that the current migration system is not working efficiently for employers, as the red tape meant to protect migrant workers also acts to lock out employers who have legitimate needs. She suggested that the system is losing its social license, with Australians concerned about migrant exploitation.
The Review aims to fix the program and Dr Howe outlined some tentative ideas, including considering moving away from skill shortages to labour shortages, coordinating better with employers to identify labour needs and link them to domestic training, and removing unnecessary regulation to create a work visa that workers can apply for a sector visa, rather than an employer-sponsored visa.
Dr Howe also suggested creating pathways to residency for all visa holders, not just highly skilled workers, and using a light-touch approach for highly skilled workers and more regulation for lower-skilled workers. Each industry representative shared the position of their sector and the meeting concluded with a positive reflection on the importance of facilitating pathways for employers and migrants, rather than adding more red tape.
The meeting participants agreed on the following actions:
- A submission to the Migration Review would be coordinated by Global Adelaide
- All organisations should also consider an independent submission to the Migration Review
- Global Adelaide will collate feedback from the previous meetings to contribute to the joint submission.