Sarah-Jane Tasker: Real test of Australia’s migrant plan is to get the job done

Australia needs migrants. It’s as simple as that. But what hasn’t been so simple is our outdated system to bring in overseas workers.

The Federal Government has now promised to overhaul the archaic model which a review — the first in 40 years — concluded is not fit for today’s challenge of filling thousands of vacancies.

The review, headed by former public service chief Martin Parkinson, found the skilled occupation lists are “outdated” — basically what business leaders have been banging on about for years.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar says the planned migration overhaul gives Australia a fighting chance to recruit the skilled workers Australia desperately needs.

Western Australian business, especially our miners, have long argued we are losing the global war for talent and projects are suffering as a result. The jobs summit held last year was lauded by the Albanese government as a win for business on tackling this issue but many leaders felt it didn’t provide anything actionable that would address the skills shortage today.

This review has solid ideas that will hopefully move the dial on bringing in more workers to fill the roles we desperately need.

The changes proposed include a pathway to permanent residency for all temporary skilled workers and several changes to remove barriers for highly paid skilled workers.

Government figures show temporary migrants in Australia have doubled in the past 15 years.

Anthony Albanese says Australia needs to be less reliant on temporary labour, while Mr Parkinson pointed out we have an economy that can’t be supported by the size of the population. That has been crystal clear to any business looking to expand or develop a new project.

The big test now is how fast the Government moves on these measures.