MIGRATION PLAN WILL BACK NORTHERN & REGIONAL AUSTRALIA
Northern Australia will be a major beneficiary of the Liberals and Nationals’ Australia-First Migration Plan, which will cut migration numbers while protecting workforce pathways needed by regional businesses and major projects.
The Coalition will cut net overseas migration to 100,000 a year for the first two years of government, before increasing to about 160,000 in year four.
It will also reduce the number of temporary visa holders by around 650,000 over four years, and keep permanent migration capped at 185,000 a year while lifting standards and targeting migration more closely to genuine skills shortages.
Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator Susan McDonald, said the plan recognised that regional and Northern Australia had specific workforce needs.
“The Coalition’s policy will fix Labor’s disastrous immigration system that has allowed numbers to blow out while punishing businesses and farmers across Northern Australia still struggling to find the workers they need,” she said.
“We will scrap the ballot system and caps, and we will incentivise working holiday visa holders to work in regional and remote areas.
“We will also prioritise employer-sponsored applications from regional Australia and introduce a new Ag Visa from 2030.
“We not only need fewer people overall, but we need to raise the standards of who we allow to come to Australia, and place a much stronger focus on getting workers where they’re needed right across Northern Australia.”
The Coalition will establish 15,000 Skilled Project Visas each year, tied to major projects and limited periods, as well as a dedicated team to clear the backlog of skilled construction visa applications.
Senator McDonald said the changes would help businesses across Northern Australia that were ready to invest and get projects moving but were being held back by genuine skilled labour shortages.
“There are businesses right across Northern Australia that want to get on with the job, expand, invest and employ more Australians, but they need skilled workers to get projects off the ground,” Senator McDonald said.
“The Coalition’s sensible migration program will help solve that problem, and importantly, put Australian needs and Australian values first.
“It’s no use raising the population in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane while regional employers are desperate for workers.”
The Coalition will also roll back Labor’s changes to the Working Holiday Maker program, including its ballot system and caps affecting second and third-year visa extensions.
The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme will remain intact.
The Coalition will also review the definition of “regional” to ensure Working Holiday Maker arrangements better reflect the workforce needs of regional communities.
Senator McDonald said working holiday makers remained critical to industries such as agriculture, tourism and hospitality.
“Farms, motels, roadhouses and truck stops across regional Australia rely on these workers, and I am contacted almost daily by these businesses absolutely livid at Labor’s approach,” she said.
“Working holiday makers who are prepared to work in regional and remote communities should be encouraged to do so.
“PALM workers, working holiday makers and skilled migrants perform important roles across Northern Australia, from picking fruit and vegetables, to staffing remote service stations and pubs.
“Labor targeting this important sector defies all logic.”
The Coalition’s plan will also prioritise higher-skilled migrants, while strengthening requirements around income, English language proficiency, age and full-time work.
Temporary visas will be made genuinely temporary, with tighter rules aimed at ending prolonged visa-hopping by international students.
“Migration is important, but it must serve Australia’s national interest,” Senator McDonald said.
“Under Labor, the numbers have been too high and the standards too low. Our approach will cut the numbers, raise the standards and make sure regional and Northern Australia can still access the workers it needs.”
ENDS