Statement attributed to Business Council Chief Executive Bran Black
The major reduction in migration proposed by the Coalition could risk a significant hit to the economy and workforce.
We must avoid a race to the bottom based on an arbitrary migration figure that could hurt Australia’s economy while worsening the skills shortage.
We welcome the Coalition’s commitment to attracting skilled migrants who meet Australia’s workforce needs, but a target this low undermines our capacity to prosper.
Attracting more highly skilled migrants through specialist programs and clearing the backlog of skilled construction applications are practical measures that could help businesses grow the economy while securing the people needed to build more homes.
However, the significant reduction in net overseas migration to 100,000 will very likely risk Australia’s economic growth and stop businesses across the economy accessing the workers they need.
There are many unanswered questions as to how a cut of 650,000 temporary visas will be achieved without creating economic damage.
Training Australians must remain our priority, with business playing its part. But we cannot train a tradesperson or nurse overnight, and we simply do not have enough workers to meet the needs of an ageing population. Skilled migration helps fill genuine gaps while we grow the domestic workforce.
The proposed cap of 240,000 international student commencements also risks one of Australia’s most important export sectors that delivers significant economic growth. International education contributes around $52 billion to the Australian economy, and a cut of this scale would hit broader economic growth.
We strongly support action against visa breaches and misuse of the migration system.
A well-managed migration system helps deliver a strong economy, while providing more homes and care for Australians.