The labour shortage resulting from Western Australia’s booming economy has prompted State Development Minister Alan Carpenter to approach the Federal Government requesting changes to visa requirements.
THE labour shortage resulting from Western Australia’s booming economy has prompted State Development Minister Alan Carpenter to approach the Federal Government requesting changes to visa requirements.
In a letter to federal Immigration Minister Senator Amanda Vanstone, Mr Carpenter proposed several initiatives aimed at better utilising the skills available among holidaymakers to WA, and altering the age limit for a range of visa classes.
In the letter, Mr Carpenter suggested that:
• changing the Working Holiday-maker Visa system would immediately increase the size of the WA workforce by allowing workers to stay longer in WA and increasing the time spent with each employer;
• the age limit of 45 years for a range of visa classes to be reassessed, and raised to 50; and
• the State/Territory Nominated Independent (STNI) Visa Scheme should include provisions for a non-points tested visa that could be granted in several circumstances (for example where the state is prepared to sponsor the occupation based on its contribution to economic development).
Mr Carpenter told parliament last week WA was the powerhouse of the nation’s economy, with the lowest average unemployment rate of any state (4.7 per cent) and record business investment of $15.8 billion.
“Employment in WA has grown at record rates in the past 12 months and the number of people employed in the state has increased by 123,700 since the Gallop Government came to power,” he said.
“Over the last 12 months there has been an increase in the number of permanent settlers coming to WA from overseas and interstate migration, but more needs to be done to match the state’s demand for both skilled and unskilled workers.
“We would have to double our skilled migration program if we relied on the Howard Government’s existing migration policy to fill the current vacancies.”
Mr Carpenter said that, every year, tens of thousands of working holidaymakers were issued with visas to come to Australia for up to 12 months, but were restricted to working for three months with one employer.
“A simple change in federal regulations enabling working holidaymakers in regional WA to work for up to six months with one employer – and for any working holidaymaker who works for three months in regional WA to be eligible for a further 12-month working holidaymaker visa – would boost our regional workforce immediately,” he said.
A similar concession introduced by the Federal Government in 2005 for seasonal harvest workers was on the right track but did not go far enough, according to Mr Carpenter.
The letter to Senator Vanstone included an attachment containing extracts from a letter to federal member for Canning, Don Randall, (Joint Standing Committee on Migration chairman) from Premier Geoff Gallop regarding an inquiry into skills recognition upgrading and licensing.
One extract suggested broadening STNI to deal with occupations not on the Skills Occupation List.
The extract reads: “The STNI could include the provision of a temporary visa where a skill is in demand within a particular state or territory but is not on the SOL. This circumstance can arise very quickly with major resource development projects or with the adoption of new technology. A temporary visa would be granted for the specific project and an application for a permanent visa could be made after meeting occupancy and employment milestones.”
