Name: Coronavirus Australia: Labor calls for migration overhaul after COVID-19 pandemic
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Coronavirus Australia: Labor calls for migration overhaul after COVID-19 pandemic

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'Put Australian jobs first': Labor calls for migration overhaul after pandemicWe’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.DismisscloseAdvertisementBy Log in, or to save articles for later.Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementLabor has called for Australia's immigration program to be overhauled and curtailed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, saying Australian workers must "get a fair go and a first go at jobs", in comments that form common ground with some Coalition MPs.Home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally, who is part of Labor's core leadership group, said the country had an unprecedented chance to shift the immigration program away from the "lazy" approach used by governments of all persuasions to boost the economy at the expense of local workers and community concerns.In an , Senator Keneally writes: "The post-COVID-19 question we must ask now is this: when we restart our migration program, do we want migrants to return to Australia in the same numbers and in the same composition as before the crisis? Our answer should be no."Meanwhile, members of the Coalition are also pushing for changes to the spread and composition of the migrant program, with one MP arguing the international student intake should be doubled.Senator Keneally said that although migration would be a key element to the way the Australian economy recovered from the pandemic, changes had to be made to the current system, especially the nation's dependence on temporary workers."We must make sure that Australians get a fair go and a first go at jobs," she told The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age."Our post-COVID-19 economic recovery must ensure that Australia shifts away from its increasing reliance on a cheap supply of overseas, temporary labour that undercuts wages for Australian workers and takes jobs Australians could do."The government has set the permanent migration intake at 160,000 for this year and the next three. But the 2019-20 number is expected to be well down, largely due to potential migrants being in lockdown overseas and unable to carry out required health tests.AdvertisementDespite the cap, last financial year net overseas migration reached 239,600, the fourth highest annual result since 1970, which includes temporary migrants. Two-thirds of the 381,000 increase in Australia's population was due to net migration.But migration is expected to crash in the wake of the pandemic, with the federal Treasury predicting an 85 per cent drop in next year's forecast intake of almost 270,000.International student numbers in February were 34 per cent or more than 62,000 down on the same period last year while temporary workers have been urged to return to their home countries.The Morrison government had, before the coronavirus outbreak, commenced a program aimed at encouraging migrants into regional areas.Senator Keneally said a revamped migration program would ensure regional areas were home to permanent residents who settled in the community and started local businesses.She said with wages growth struggling even before the advent of the pandemic, there was an opportunity to tailor the migration program and boost national productivity."Governments of all stripes have relied on high levels of migration to boost population in order to fuel economic growth. Arguably, at times this been a lazy approach," she said."Letting lots of migrants come to Australia is an easier way to drive economic growth than increasing productivity or investing in skills and training."Calls for a change to the migration program are bipartisan. Government MP Andrew Laming said there was scope to increase the skills-based element of the migrant intake which was planned to account for almost 68 per cent of the 160,000 permanent settlers this year.Dr Laming said it was vital to focus on "quality rather than quantity" in the migration program. He also argued for a sharp increase in Australia's international student intake, arguing there would be long-term diplomatic and strategic benefits from educating young people from across the region while a larger focus on international students would broaden the economy."It's a $36 billion sector that could quite easily be doubled or more," Dr Laming said."Universities don't have to be in the centre of our major cities. We can channel students into other parts of the country. And at a strategic level, there may be no more better national security blanket than having students from our region educated in Australia."The government's Senate whip, West Australian Liberal Dean Smith, has long raised concerns about the rate of Australia's immigration intake. He said Australia deserved a more "comprehensive and population" debate in the wake of the virus."Any plan to reshape Australia once the coronavirus has passed must start with a conversation about the composition, geographic spread and the skill components of our population," he said."Australia's new population plan should drive initiatives such as workplace productivity gains and reshape federal-state financial arrangements to encourage more effective infrastructure spending."Get our Coronavirus Update newsletter for the day's crucial developments at a glance, the numbers you need to know and what our readers are saying. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter and The Age's .Log in, or to save articles for later. – Shane is a senior economics correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Advertisement

'Put Australian jobs first': Labor calls for migration overhaul after pandemicWe’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.DismisscloseAdvertisementBy Log in, or to save articles for later.Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementLabor has called for Australia's immigration program to be overhauled and curtailed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, saying Australian workers must "get a fair go and a first go at jobs", in comments that form common ground with some Coalition MPs.Home affairs spokeswoman...

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Shane Wright

The Sydney Morning Herald - Australia's leading news source. Independent. Always.

Coronavirus Australia: Labor calls for migration overhaul after COVID-19 pandemic

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