"The boost in the permanent migration program to 195,000 places announced today by the Minister for Home Affairs, Clare O'Neil, is a positive step that is good for the community and good for the economy," Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group said today.
"Raising the proportion of the program devoted to skill shortages identified by the states and territories and the focus on the regions will help result in a program that is better targeted to the skills and labour our economy needs.
"Expanding the size of the migration program at this time is a sound economic decision. As the Productivity Commission found in its last formal review of the program, in the long-term, immigration delivers a measurable 'demographic dividend' that will raise output and incomes for everyone.
"We would encourage the Government to continue to aim for at least two-thirds of the permanent intake to be made up of skilled migrants.
"We also welcome the commitment by Immigration Minister, Andrew Giles, to investing an additional $36 million to help clear the visa backlog.
"Too many people are being left in a visa limbo. We are in a global competition for the world’s best talent and the more barriers we remove from the system the more chance we will have of attracting the best people to help fill our skills and labour gaps," Mr Willox said.
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