Stop blaming migrants, Canberra Multicultural group demands 10-year workforce plan
The Canberra Multicultural Community Forum has urged Australia’s political parties to stop blaming migrants and back a 10-year workforce plan.
PEOPLE & COMMUNITY
Australia’s political parties must stop competing to reduce migration and instead develop a long-term national workforce strategy, the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum says.
The organisation has called for an independent body to oversee a 10-year workforce plan, increased investment in universities, vocational education and apprenticeships, and faster recognition of overseas qualifications.
The proposal comes as debate intensifies over housing affordability, pressure on public services and Australia’s reliance on overseas workers. The Coalition announced on October 6 that it would cut net overseas migration to 100,000 a year during its first two years in government, before increasing the figure to about 160,000 by its fourth year.
The plan would also reduce temporary visa holders by about 650,000 over four years, cap international student commencements at 240,000 a year and abolish most Temporary Graduate Visas, with some exceptions.
Canberra Multicultural Community Forum chair Arif Haque said successive governments had failed to invest adequately in Australia’s workforce and were now blaming migrants for shortages created by poor long-term planning.
“This is not a migration crisis. It is a leadership crisis,” Mr Haque said.
“Governments of every persuasion governed in three-year cycles to fix 10-year problems. Building a workforce takes leadership. They surrendered it for a shortcut and imported one. Migrants filled the gap leaders left. Now they are blamed for it.”
Mr Haque said the increasingly heated political debate risked making migrants feel unwelcome, despite their contribution to essential services and the Australian economy.
He said the people being targeted in the migration debate were the same workers staffing hospitals, building homes and caring for older Australians.
“Blaming migrants will not build a house or train an apprentice,” Mr Haque said.
The forum said treating migration primarily as a political contest risked damaging social cohesion while failing to address the underlying shortages in housing, infrastructure and skilled labour.
Its proposed 10-year workforce strategy would focus on building Australia’s domestic workforce through greater investment in universities, vocational training and apprenticeships. The forum also wants migrants already living in Australia to be able to use their skills more quickly through an improved system for recognising overseas qualifications.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has argued that the proposed migration cuts would reduce pressure on housing and public services while retaining skilled workers in critical industries.
However, ACT Treasurer Chris Steel warned that Canberra could face shortages in healthcare and aged care if migration was reduced too sharply. He also said restrictions on international graduates could affect universities and vocational education.
“[Canberrans] want a sensible conversation about immigration, but they don’t want to see prices going up and a shortage of workers in critical industries like healthcare and aged care,” Mr Steel said.
International education contributes about $1.4 billion a year to the ACT economy and represents more than half of the territory’s services exports. Nearly half of Canberra’s approximately 40,000 tertiary students are international students.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr also warned about the economic consequences of policies that could make Canberra less attractive to international students and skilled workers.
“Maintaining Australia’s attractiveness as a destination for talented students and skilled workers is important for Canberra’s future prosperity,” Mr Barr said.
Mr Haque said Australia needed to develop its own workforce rather than rely on migration to compensate for inadequate planning.
“Australia cannot import its way to resilience, and it cannot divide its way to strength,” he said.
“It is time to rebuild our sovereign capability, make what we critically need, and stand together as a cohesive nation.”
“Real leaders plan beyond the next election.”
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