Regional Capitals Australia has put its case to the Federal Government to make changes to regional visas to re-balance the spread of skilled migrants across Australia.
The Federal Government’s immigration program allowed businesses and employers in regional capital cities to address growing skills gaps by encouraging skilled workers to settle in regional Australia.
In RCA’s submission to the Federal Government’s review of regional migration settings, RCA has recommended reforms designed to increase migration to regional areas to meet labour force shortages in skilled, unskilled and seasonal labour.
The RCA has made seven recommendations in response to the review of regional migration to support the growth of migration to regional areas. They include:
- Update the definition of ‘regional’ under visa settings is updated to exclude metropolitan cities like Perth and Adelaide;
- Expand the Working Holiday Maker program to include tourism, hospitality and health sectors across regional areas; and
- Improve the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) program to simplify the system and ensure it is fit for purpose.
We believe these changes to regional visas will encourage more new arrivals to settle in areas beyond the state capitals to fill job vacancies. This helps local services to be delivered and ensure regional economies remain robust and diverse, stimulating economic growth.
Submissions have now closed.
Read our submission here.