Migrants may be forced to go bush
The Courier Mail, February 28, 2008

Almost half of Australia’s new migrants could be forced to settle in regional areas each year under a radical plan to ease the nation’s skills shortage.

Struggling to find short-term solutions for the nation’s skills crisis, the Rudd Government looks set to use migrants to help dying regional centres and townships unable to find workers.

About 140,000 migrants are granted entry into Australia each year.

A well-placed source told The Courier-Mail Labor discussed the plans in Opposition, after a policy document was prepared for Labor’s Chifley Research Centre in 2003.

The Rudd Government is now designing its migration intake for 2009-10, which is set to go to Cabinet in April.

Among the measures that could be considered by Immigration Minister Chris Evans is a proposal to force at least 45 per cent of migrants to reside in areas with a population below 350,000.
The Chifley Research Centre policy document warns that local government areas with large population declines include Mt Isa, in northwest Queensland, Whyalla in South Australia, and Ashburton and Coolgardie in Western Australia. It said current schemes to balance migrant distribution had failed.

‘This effect may also be exacerbated by the lack of controls under some of the schemes, whereby migrants selected under them are not obliged to settle in the designated area,’ the report said.A spokesman for Senator Evans yesterday refused to say whether the Government was considering the reforms. But in a senate estimates committee on immigration this month, Senator Evans said the Government was ‘keen to look at ways of encouraging people to move to regional areas where there are employment opportunities and demand for labour’.

He said there was a major structural problem with labour supplies and with low levels of unemployment there was a huge demand for labour in particular sectors of the economy

‘Part of the challenge for this Government, as with the previous government, is to try to work out ways to attract labour to the particular areas in need and what levers one can pull to try to do that,’ Senator Evans said.

‘As you know, there has been a reaction from some in the Sydney area who are saying that there ought to be some sort of active discouragement of people moving to just the big cities and that we have got to find ways of moving them to areas in need.’

Currently, some migrants are encouraged to live in regional areas under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme, which aims to help regional employers nominate skilled migrants to fill full-time vacancies for at least two years.

Bigger say for courts on migrants
The Age (Melbourne), March 01, 2008

The courts will be the final arbiter in more migration cases under the Rudd Government, following Immigration Minister Chris Evans’ admission to a Senate committee last week that he had too much power and felt uncomfortable ‘playing God’.

Yesterday, at a conference of the Migration Review Tribunal and Refugee Review Tribunal in Melbourne, he elaborated on this sentiment: ‘You would not expect the minister responsible for social security to make decisions on an individual’s pension or the Treasurer to decide on your tax return, nor would the public accept such intervention as appropriate.’

While tribunal members and judicial officers made decisions based on guidelines, all open for review, there was no way of knowing what had influenced a minister’s decision, no right of appeal and no way to prevent an abuse of power, he said. ‘My inclination is to support independent, transparent and appealable decision making in the resolution of immigration matters,’ Senator Evans said.One of the first things that struck the minister when he took up his role was the ‘extraordinary powers’ he had as minister. These ranged from determining the character of a person - as in the case of terror suspect Dr Mohamed Haneef - to deporting long-term residents with criminal convictions to deciding whether a newborn baby could live with its mother in community detention.

He said there had been an enormous increase in immigration ministers taking decisions into their own hands because they were frustrated with the ‘alleged soft attitude of the tribunals and courts’.

Hawke immigration minister Gerry Hand handled just 81 ministerial interventions over two years, Keating immigration minister Nick Bolkus handled 311 between 1993 and 1996 and Philip Ruddock intervened on 2513 occasions between 1996 and 2003.

‘In 2006-2007, over 4000 requests for ministerial interventions were received by the department,’ Senator Evans said.

While the minister did need to retain the ability to make some decisions, the number of appeals to the minister had increased to the point that it had become part of the process, rather than being a check on the system.

‘Many are using the process of ministerial intervention not only to overcome the decisions taken elsewhere but also to delay their removal from Australia,’ he said.

Senator Evans also signalled the Government might dump Labor’s long-standing platform commitment to establish a refugee determination tribunal, with appeals to federal magistrates.

Decisions on refugee cases are now made by the Immigration Department, with applicants able to appeal the decisions to the Refugee Review Tribunal.

Senator Evans said the pledge had been made several years ago when unauthorised boat arrivals and detention of asylum seekers was front page news.

He said it was early days and the Government would consult widely before any changes were implemented.

Migrants beating locals to new jobs
The Australia (Perth), 27 February, 2008

Migrants secured more than half of the 240,000 full-time jobs created over the past 12 months as employers ran out of qualified local-born people to fill job vacancies.

Overseas-born Australians enjoy a lower unemployment rate than their local-born counterparts — 4.4 per cent to 4.6 per cent. The advantage is greater still for English-speaking migrants from New Zealand, Britain and Ireland, who all boast unemployment rates with a three in front of them.

The latest official data explodes the myth of the ethnic welfare bludger and warns, instead, that the Australian-born are more likely to form the bulk of the nation’s underclass because those locals who remain out of work don’t appear to have the necessary skills.Employers are increasingly relying on new arrivals from Britain, China and India, as well as more established immigrant groups such as New Zealanders and Southeast Asians.

The overseas-born claimed 129,700, or 53.9 per cent, of the 240,500 full-time jobs created in the 12 months to January.

Migrants account for just 28.6per cent of the nation’s working age population, according to the detailed breakdowns that the Australian Bureau of Statistics releases after the monthly labour force survey.Of those who remained unemployed last month, the Australian-born numbered 374,100 compared with 127,900 for the overseas-born. Migrants represent just 25.5 per cent of the total unemployed.Hairdresser Vanessa McCartney, 41, already had work lined up when her plane from London touched down in Perth last July.

She left that job seven months later and was rehired the same day by a salon in the northern Perth suburb of Innaloo.

‘Not having to struggle to get work has taken the stress out of moving countries,’ Ms McCartney said yesterday.

Finding an experienced, eager worker such as Ms McCartney was a relief for Bossanova Hair Studio owner Vera Caminiti, who said it had never been more difficult to find staff in her 25 years in the industry.

Ms McCartney’s husband, Mark, a refrigeration mechanic who ran his own business in southeast London, started work on the couple’s third day in Australia.

British- and Irish-born migrants have an unemployment rate of 3.4 per cent, almost half the 6.5 per cent of six years ago.

The near-full employment economy is challenging stereotypes. Non-English-speaking groups that suffered double-digit unemployment a few years ago have seen those rates tumble.

The unemployment rate for the Vietnamese-born has been slashed from 14.1 per cent in January 2002 to 4.6 per cent last month, driven mostly by a surge in part-time work. The rate for the Lebanese-born fell from 15per cent to 9per cent over the same period.

The only groups to remain in double digits last month were from North Africa and the Middle East, on 12.2 per cent.

Six years ago, Kiwis were among our least employable migrants - their unemployment rate was 8.7 per cent, compared with 8.2 per cent for all overseas-born, and 7.3 per cent for the Australian-born. Last month, the New Zealand-born unemployed rate was down to 3.6 per cent, compared with 4.4 per cent for immigrants generally and 4.6 per cent for the Australia-born.

Issue of the week; Migration
Sydney Morning Herald, 27 February, 2008

Australia is continuing to lift its migration intake.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans announced last week an extra 6000 migrants will arrive in Australia before July, raising the total number of permanent visas granted under the skilled stream in 2007-08 to 108,500.

Most migrants will be employer-sponsored and take up jobs on arrival, with the mining and construction industries set to be the biggest beneficiaries. The measure is part of a package to address skill shortages that have arisen as a result of our 33-year-low unemployment rate of 4.1 per cent.

The Federal Government is also negotiating with other countries to expand the reciprocal working holiday program, which generally allows 12-month working visas for young people from countries that provide the same employment rights for young Australians.

To help the building industry, overseas residents holding working holiday visas who work in building jobs in regional Australia for at least three months will be allowed a 12-month extension to their visas. Evans says the working holiday concession could attract 5000 extra workers to regional construction projects.A 12-month visa extension is already available for people who work in agriculture, forestry, fishing or mining in the bush and is clearly popular.

The number of people who extended their working holiday visas under the scheme almost trebled between 2005-06 and last financial year.

The Government is enlisting the advice of a panel of business leaders to advise it on a more contentious form of temporary migration. The subclass 457 visa program allows businesses to recruit skilled overseas residents for stays of between three months and four years.

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, today confirmed that labour agreements covering business visas will be subject to a more transparent process.

Employers can negotiate a labour agreement with the Commonwealth which sets out the numbers and occupations of overseas skilled workers to be covered and provides for variations to the standard requirements under the temporary business Subclass 457 visa program.

Labour agreements provide flexibility to vary standard requirements for Subclass 457 visas which include language skills, occupational skill levels and salary levels.

Concessions included in past labour agreements include lower minimum salary levels and access to lower skilled occupations.In some sectors employers can only access overseas skilled workers if they have an approved labour agreement.

‘I have come to the view that the process for negotiating and approving these agreements should be informed by the views of relevant stakeholders,’ Senator Evans said.

‘Therefore employers seeking labour agreements will now be required to consult with relevant industrial stakeholders, including peak bodies, professional associations and unions about the proposed agreement and forward their views to the Department.

‘The Department will advise employers on what will be required for this consultation.

‘I want to make it clear that no-one will be given a veto right to block the approval of a labour agreement.

‘The Department will take the views of stakeholders into account when considering the approval of a proposed agreement.

‘I recognise that labour agreements can play an important and positive role in meeting the needs of particular sectors, allowing employers to plan ahead for their workforce needs and address specific requirements that they may have.’

Under the previous Government the meat industry was required to negotiate a labour agreement in consultation with the State Governments and the meat workers union.

‘The sector now has an effective agreement that enjoys community support and meets the needs of the industry which shows what can be achieved through a more transparent process,’ the Minister said.

‘Separate to the arrangements that will now apply to labour agreements, employers remain entitled to apply for 457 visas under the Standard Business Sponsorship arrangements.

‘These applications will have to comply with the legislative requirements that apply to those visas and there is no requirement to consult with third parties when applying for 457 visas under the Standard Business Sponsorship arrangements.

‘The Government is considering options to reduce processing times and fast track applications for 457 visas, to facilitate their use in meeting skill shortages.’

In addition to these changes an External Reference Group made up of industry experts has begun examining how selected temporary skilled migration measures can help ease labour shortages in the medium to long term.

The group will provide specific advice on ways to ensure the 457 visa program operates as effectively as possible in contributing to the supply of skilled labour.

The construction, major infrastructure, tourism and the resources sectors are the focus of the External Reference Group.

The industry experts who make up the reference group are:

• Peter Coates (Chairman) – Former Chairman, Minerals Council of Australia; Chairman, Xstrata Australia.
• Melinda Cilento – Deputy Chief Executive, Business Council of Australia.
• Tim Shanahan – Director, Energy and Minerals Initiative, University of Western Australia; Former CEO, WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy.

The reference group will provide an interim report to the Minister by 14 March with a final report due in April.
(Source: Government Media Release)

Visa scheme under review
February 21, 2008

The federal government is looking for quick answers from a review it has established into the ability of temporary skilled migration schemes to help ease labour shortages.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans announced the review this week in tandem with a package of short-term measures to tackle the country’s skills and labour shortages.

He said the package had the potential to provide thousands of additional workers in the short term, especially for the mining and construction industries.

Specific measures include an extra 6,000 permanent employer sponsored visas and general skilled migration visas in the skilled migration program in 2007-08.

‘Employer sponsored visas are the highest priority because they put a migrant worker directly into a skilled job,’ Senator Evans said.The total number of permanent visas granted under the skill stream of the migration program will increase to 108,500 this year.

The government has also introduced several initiatives to expand working holiday visa programs for young people.

The number of people on working holiday visas has grown from 85,200 in 2001-02 to 126,600 in 2006-07.

Changes to the scheme will allow workers in the construction industry to qualify for the working holiday visas.

Senator Evans said an external reference group, comprising Xstrata Australia chairman Peter Coates, Business Council of Australia deputy chief executive Melinda Cilento and the director of the energy and minerals initiative at the University of WA Tim Shanahan, would review temporary migration schemes.

‘The group will provide me with specific advice on ways to ensure the temporary work visa system, also known as the subclass 457 visa program, operates as effectively as possible in contributing to the supply of skilled labour,’ Senator Evans said.

The group will also advise the minister on current and anticipated future employment trends and the need for overseas recruitment in the identified sectors.

He said the construction, major infrastructure, tourism and resources industries would be the focus of the external reference group.

Mr Shanahan said studies by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA and his former employer, the Chamber of Minerals Energy, had highlighted a deepening problem.

‘WA is in the grip of a skills shortage and a labour shortage,’ Mr Shanahan said.

Acknowledging some of the public concern over the 457 visa scheme, he said the scheme needed to ensure workers could not be exploited.

The reference group will provide an interim report to the Minister by March 14, with a final report due in April.

Meanwhile, shadow immigration minister Chris Ellison said new rules introduced by the Rudd government had already served to make the 457 visa scheme more difficult.

Senator Ellison said employers would need to consult with stakeholders, including unions, before their sponsorship applications under the scheme could be approved.

‘A new level of red tape for employers and greater powers for union bosses is the result of the introduction of consultation requirements for employers seeking to employ workers under the 457 visa,’ Senator Ellison said.
–West Australia Business News

Migration must double: report
Sydney Morning Herald, February 6, 2008

Immigration, already at a record high, will need to almost double to 316,000 by 2051 to meet labour market needs, but the country is ill prepared to deal with the increase, according to a new report.

‘It is the inevitable story of Australian history,’ said Peter McDonald, co-author of Population And Australia’s Future Labour Force. ‘Migration is driven by labour demand.’

The report, published by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, estimates migration will rise from 160,000 in 2006 (when the population was 20.6 million) to 316,000 in 2051 (when the population is expected to reach 36.2 million).

Professor McDonald and his co-author, Professor Glen Withers, are calling for an independent inquiry to determine the best planning and policy to meet the country’s future labour needs. ‘It needs to be done precisely, not just the total, but the types of skills, and then the capacity of the domestic population to meet that demand,’ Professor McDonald said.

‘Strong demand for labour will be driven by rising living standards, the growth of the healthy aged population, the resources boom, construction of new infrastructure and changes in the way we live our lives because of environmental and technological demands.’

He added: ‘We are feeling the impact now, businesses across the country can’t find the labour it wants. The current inflationary pressures are driven by labour shortages leading to wage rises.’

NOTE: The ASSA report is available online here (pdf).

Migrant intake just right: business
The Australian, February 6, 2008

Business has backed Australia’s current level of immigration, despite a call for the intake to jump by more than a quarter by 2021.

A new Academy of Social Sciences in Australia paper yesterday said the nation needed to bring in 227,000 people a year by 2021, up from 177,600 last year, if it was to fill the growing gap in local supplies of labour.

But Business Council of Australia policy director Patrick Coleman said his organisation put the country’s future need for workers from abroad at closer to 175,000 a year.

“Over recent years, there have been increases in the permanent migration level and we’re now at the point where the migration level is broadly in line with where we’ve asked for it to be,'’ he said.

Australian National University demographer Peter McDonald, co-author of the paper, said the Rudd Government’s “education revolution'’ alone could not provide the skilled labour needed.

“The domestic supply of labour will be inadequate for the demand, even with migration running at its present level, which is very high,'’ he said.

The other author of the paper was Glenn Withers, who headed the Economic Planning Advisory Commission under the previous Labor government.

The entry of baby boomers and more women into the workforce has, together with migration, kept average annual growth in the labour force at 1.9 per cent since 1980. But the ageing of the population and the high number of women in the workforce meant the room for further growth in participation was shrinking, Professor McDonald said.

The growth rate had slipped to 1.2 per cent by 2006 and would plummet to 0.7 per cent by 2021 unless the intake of foreign workers increased, he estimated.

By 2051, Australia’s annual immigration level would have to double on current levels, to 316,000, to meet demand.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Peter Anderson said Australia generally had its immigration policy right.

“I think constructive suggestions should be considered — no radical changes needed, but fine-tuning,'’ he said.

Aussie immigration campaign attacks UK

Australia is to launch an aggressive campaign aimed at attracting a new generation of British immigrants.
With slogans directly attacking life in the UK, such as “Sod London house prices” and “Screw working in Staines, hello Adelaide” creators of the South Australian Government newspaper advertisements are aware some noses may be put out of joint.

Bill Muirhead, an Adelaide-born founder partner in the M & C Saatchi advertising firm who has been appointed agent-general of South Australia, said he was aware the campaign might create a few enemies.

“It might appear we are being rude, but a lot of things in Britain aren’t good,” he told The Times.

“We went for Staines because it sounds nasty … I don’t suppose the mayor of Staines is going to be too happy, but it could easily have been Slough or Croydon.”

Andrew Hirst, mayor of Spelthorne, the borough that includes Staines, took the bait.“It’s a great shame the Australians have to pick on Staines,” he told the newspaper.

“It’s an attractive riverside town with a lot more going for it than their weak beer.

“We have full employment and are close to both London and Windsor.”

It is not the first time an advertising campaign aimed at attracting people to Australia has caused controversy.

In 2006, Tourism Australia’s “So where the bloody hell are you?” campaign – also designed by M & C Saatchi – was banned by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre, which would not allow the word “bloody” in television commercials.

Lobbying by Tourism Australia resulted in the ban being lifted, albeit with a 9pm “watershed” imposed on the TV version.

The latest campaign, which starts tomorrow, promises young people can buy a four-bedroom detached house on the beach with room for a swimming pool and “barbie” for just $435,825.

Professionals such as chefs, butchers, physiotherapists, dentists and dermatologists will be targeted.-APS, 03 February, 2008