“We are starting from ground zero and we can’t assume migration levels will bounce back to where they were two years ago.”
Resolve polling conducted for the Herald and The Age in November found Australians were wary of a “big Australia”, with 58 per cent of voters backing the idea of restarting migration at a lower level than before the pandemic.
Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott said: “A pathway to permanent residency for temporary skilled visa holders is critical to attracting the best talent and helping manage Australia’s acute workforce shortfall.
“You can’t employ hundreds of Australians on a construction job if you don’t have a surveyor and you can’t transform our economy to decarbonise, digitise and diversify without access to the best talent in the world.”
Jennifer Westacott, CEO of Business Council of Australia, said Australia needs to make itself an attractive destination for migrants. Credit:Photo: Louie Douvis
Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox was less positive, saying: “Upending the system and imposing more restrictions will only make Australia a less attractive place to consider to work to fill the gaping holes in the labour market we now have.
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“Issues around exploitation of some working migrants must be addressed but not to the detriment of the entire program or the vast bulk of employers who do the right thing.”
In a recent submission to the Department of Home Affairs, the Law Council of Australia recommended that all medium and long-term skilled visa holders be given a pathway to permanent residency.
“To attract prospective migrants, the pathway to permanent residence needs to be more certain and
predictable,” the council said.
Chris Stillard, of the NSW Farmers Federation, warned Labor that reducing the availability of foreign workers would cripple the agriculture industry, inviting Ms Keneally to visit a farm.
“People in the bush need to know what impact a potential Labor government would have on them well before the election,” Mr Stillard said.
“We are already seeing farmers having to scale back because of a lack of workers – failure to get this right will pull the handbrake on agriculture and derail our efforts to build a stronger future for farming.”
Jacqueline Maley cuts through the noise of the federal election campaign with news, views and expert analysis. Sign up to our Australia Votes 2022 newsletter here.
