The federal government of Australia is expected to present a plan for significant changes to its immigration laws.
It follows the discovery that the system was “broken” and required a 10-year overhaul in the results of the first major study conducted in 35 years.
More than seven months after the findings of the Australian government’s review of the immigration system, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it is very close to announcing the new strategy.
The 200-page report, led by former public service chief Martin Parkinson, outlined the case for “major reform” of the system to stop Australia becoming a nation of “permanently temporary” residents where underpayment and exploitation can arise.
The first major review of the immigration system in 35 years found that temporary skilled migration helped to fill labour skill gaps, while boosting economic growth, but found that it was “not effectively targeted to either current or future needs” of Australia.
The report also found the immigration backlog and ageing technology systems in Home Affairs reflected the severity of the problems.
Albanese says those findings will be reflected in the government’s migration strategy this week.
The PM said, “What we know is, that we need to have a migration system that enables Australia to get the skills that we need, but make sure the system is working in the interests of all Australians.
“We had a once-in-a-generation review of the migration system by Dr Martin Parkinson, the former head of of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
“And it found that it was a deliberate decision to neglect the system, and that it was so badly broken, according to Mr Parkinson, that it required a ten-year rebuild. Well we are determined to fix this.”
The migration intake level is something, Mr Albanese says, the federal government wants to get right.
“There was always going to be a jump post-COVID in our migration numbers, and the net figures for population are, of course, lower than that was projected to be in place by now, before the global pandemic ensured that our borders were shut.
“But what we know is that we need to have a migration system that enables Australia to get the skills that we need, but make sure the system is working in the interests of all Australians.”
