Western Australia's peak business group has welcomed the federal government's listing of Perth as a regional hardship area, saying employers will find it easier to find skilled workers, but has warned more needs to be done to alleviate skills shortages.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen announced Perth's addition to the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme at a conference today.
He said labour shortages were particularly acute in Perth, and its listing as a regional hardship area would give employers the chance to take up some of the 16,000 skilled migrant places offered each year.
The minister said Perth employers, whether in the resources, construction, restaurant or other sectors, could now apply to take workers already in Australia under the sponsored 457 visa program or to import skilled workers from overseas.
The scheme provided opportunities for such workers to move to permanent residency, he said.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA chief executive James Pearson said it was pleasing that the government had responded to the needs of WA businesses.
Mr Pearson, however, warned the decision to make Perth a regional migration area would not single-handedly solve skills shortages in WA.
"With CCI research predicting the state will need nearly an extra half a million workers by the end of the decade, more is needed," Mr Pearson said.
"Greater attention needs to be paid to simplifying the migration system, especially among people with a disability, women, and indigenous Australians and increasing Australia's flagging productivity levels."
With Perth's listing, only Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Wollongong are left out of the scheme.
But opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison, who also addressed the Australian Mines and Metals Association conference, said the step was only an "improvement at the margin" to address the labour shortage problem.
He said the coalition at the last election had set out a policy that WA should have priority status not just for regional sponsored migration but for all forms of skilled migration.
"So to add Perth to the list, competing for the 16,000 places that are under that program, well that's an improvement at the margin.
"At the end of the day what we need is a more liberalised access to the skilled migration program."
Mr Morrison said that should not only apply to the resources sector but to all parts of the economy affected by labour shortages.
Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA Director Nicole Roocke welcomed Perth's inclusion in the scheme, saying targeted migration had a vital role to play in easing demand for labour.
