Is Australia An Immigration Nation?

1. Is Australia An Immigration Nation?

2. Introduction The impact of the COVID pandemic was immense. Australia itself now feeling the effects of its two-year border closure policies. The strict border regulations may have seemed necessary, considering the plight of the pandemic. However, businesses across the country are now struggling to find workers, leaving over half a million jobs vacant. This is a poor sight for a country once dubbed an “immigration nation”.

3. A good example is the rapidly increasing “For Lease” signs on display across Melbourne city. Who would’ve thought that in just a single year, the city’s 5 million population number would decrease by 60,500? Of course, its wearying lockdowns certainly did not help. Migrant workers, international students and many other first and second-generation choosing to move away has left the city’s working sector scarred. This is consistent across the nation and widespread across many sectors such as hospitality, child care, IT, education, etc. Australians all

4. No doubt this is a crisis for a country that has relied on immigration to boost its economy over the past 20-30 years. Now the Labour government led by Prime minister Anthony Albanese seeks to rebuild the country’s reputation on the global front for skilled workers. Although the government have laid out a more optimistic approach in the federal budget for the 2022-23 financial year, with the main intention being to increase permanent immigration, the country will continue to struggle in building trust with the international market.

5. The country’s hard border closure earning it the unfavourable name “Fortress Australia” along with the failure to provide benefits, food, social support, and housing to migrant workers resulted in such a situation.

6. Although Australia would have to work hard to ensure it can compete with other countries such as Canada and the UK in the international market once again, its recently proposed strategies will help the nation progress towards that direction. Another important measure is to ensure the reduction in visa for business in Australia processing times and provide a straightforward visa package that will allow companies across various industries to secure valuable international talent.

7. There has also been a consideration in scrapping the much-criticized Significant Investor Visa (SIV) program to ensure that skilled international migrant workers are prioritized. The SIV program grants visas to investors who invest $5 million into the country. Although the program has allowed large-scale investment of around $11.8 billion into many businesses, it is criticized as many see it as an easy pathway for wealthy individuals to live in the country, 85% of whom come from China.

8. Despite the importance the Australian government now place on attracting a large number of migrant workers, there is still a concern as to whether Australians would welcome an increase in immigration. In a recent survey of 1607 voters, 33% were opposed to the idea of increasing permanent migration.

9. Economic Policy Director at Grattan Institute Brendan Coates makes the point that an increase in permanent migration will ensure larger fiscal dividends for the economy however, the country must not overly rely on cheap foreign labour, as this will prevent the appropriate training of Australians. No matter the attitude Australians may have, there is no doubt that Australia is desperate for skilled workers and migration and therefore will look to ensure that it can address the economy-wide skills shortage.