Regional capital cities across Australia want more migrants to settle in regional areas to fill job vacancies and allow their economies to grow.
Regional Capitals Australia sent a delegation, led by Chair Mayor Peter Carter, to Canberra earlier this month to meet with key decision makers ahead of the federal election and the federal budget.
Mayor Carter said the delegation met with federal ministers and shadow ministers responsible for regional development, infrastructure, housing, water and immigration.
“This visit was an important opportunity to discuss face-to-face issues important to regional capitals across our nation. One of those pressing issues is immigration,” Mayor Carter said.
“Adjusting the current immigration settings would enable regional skills gaps to be filled and provide impetus for regional cities to grow and prosper,” Mayor Carter said.
“Regional visas provide the opportunity to rebalance Australia’s population by allowing new arrivals to settle in regional areas rather than the metropolitan capitals,” Mayor Carter said.
“The regional visa program is fundamental to allowing local services to be delivered and ensuring regional economies remain robust and diverse,” Mayor Carter said.
The Regional Australia Institute’s job vacancy data for September 2024 highlighted more than 73,000 vacant positions were advertised across regional Australia.
“This figure is mostly for skilled roles and does not account for the increasing demand for unskilled and seasonal workers,” Mayor Carter said.
“A plan that does not include skilled migration to address our skills backlog is holding back economic growth in the regions,” Mayor Carter said.
In its pre-election submission, RCA has recommended:
* the definition of ‘regional’ under visa settings be updated to exclude metropolitan cities like Perth, Adelaide and Canberra;
* expanding the Working Holiday Maker program to include tourism, hospitality and health sectors across all regional areas; and
* simplification of the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) program and ensure it is fit for purpose.
“Importantly, we are also calling for more settlement services and cultural infrastructure to make sure new arrivals are supported as they join our communities,” Mayor Carter said.
“Getting regional visas right just makes sense: regional areas are primed to grow and immigration is one way to make sure Australia grows sustainably,” Mayor Carter concluded.
