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Why Gillard is wrong to encourage skilled migration

Kelvin Thomson

by Kelvin Thomson

19 Jan 04:24pm

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Filed under: Big Australia, Employment, Immigration, Migration, Population, Skilled Migration

123 comments

Yesterday I wrote to Prime Minister Julia Gillard expressing concern about a report in The Economic Times,  that Australia intends to ‘target’ Chandigarh, Punjab and other cities in northern India with a promotional campaign in 2012 looking to attract skilled migrants.

Cartoon by The Australian's Peter Nicholson

I told the Prime Minister I do not want the number of skilled migrants to increase, and do not support Australia running promotional campaigns to try to attract migrants.

I cannot see how running promotional campaigns to attract skilled migrants is consistent with the Prime Minister’s pre-election statements that she does not believe in a ‘Big Australia’ and that ‘we need to stop and take a breath’.  I also think this pre-empts the Sustainable Population Strategy for Australia being developed by Population Minister Tony Burke.

I have three objections to the idea of recruiting our workforce from other countries.

First, there is nothing humanitarian whatsoever about it. Workers with real skills in developing countries are more valuable where they are, and we should not try to strip these countries of their best and brightest for our own advantage.  Surely it is more humanitarian for us to have a more compassionate approach to those in refugee camps who are pleading for us to allow them to come here, than to poach and ‘target’ people who otherwise have shown no desire to live in Australia.

Secondly, our high skilled migration program comes at the expense of skilling and training young Australians. Broadmeadows, just to the north of my electorate, has unemployment in excess of 15%.  These people are entitled to our attention.  Our disability pension numbers continue to rise.

The Prime Minister said last December that “we’ll need to decide that we seriously want to be a high participation economy….where everyone who has the capacity to work has the opportunity to work.”  “And we’ll need to decide we are seriously prepared to change the policies which stop that happening now.”  She is absolutely right, and a key policy which stops that happening, and which we need to decide we are seriously prepared to change, is the high skilled migration policy.

Third, the extent of the recent floods means we will have our work cut out rebuilding and repairing damaged infrastructure.  This is no time to be trying to be trying to meet the additional infrastructure requirements of a rapidly increasing population.

Numerous studies show that new arrivals come with a big infrastructure requirement – they bring their families with them, and all require houses, roads, schools, hospitals etc., and many require English-language and other forms of assistance.  One academic has found that population growth of 2% in a community doubles the infrastructure task of that community.  In the years ahead the building industry will have its work cut out for it in rebuilding flood hit towns and communities.  Nationally we’ve just had a flood come through the house. This is a time for replacing the carpets and the furniture and getting the power back on, not putting on an extension.

I do not support the increase in the skilled migration program under the Howard Government from 24,000 in the mid-90s to over 100,000 by the time of the change of government.  I believe the program should be returned to around 25,000 per annum.

I have asked the Prime Minister how many ‘promotional campaigns’ the Government is planning to run in 2011 and 2012 in relation to skilled migration, and what their expected cost is.

I have also suggested putting on hold plans for such programs until the Sustainable Population Strategy has been completed.

Kevin’s blog http://kelvinthomson.blogspot.com/

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123 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Shane From Melbourne says:

      04:03pm | 19/01/11

      I totally agree with you 100%.

      Reply

    • ?? says:

      11:57am | 20/01/11

      i also agree 10000%

    • Eric says:

      04:06pm | 19/01/11

      We need a larger population for strategic reasons. Australia cannot defend itself effectively against foreign aggression with the tiny numbers we have spread over this vast continent. So we need immigrants.

      And we can afford to pick and choose the best immigrants to fill our needs. Our carrying capacity is way, way higher than 22 million.

      Reply

    • Chris says:

      05:33pm | 19/01/11

      Eric I think it is time to get a hold of your invasion complex.

      Who says our capacity is way higher than 22M and why? I would say it is less than 22M. For example; our recent farming water shortage crisis. Until we have sensible sustainable solutions for issues like that we shouldn’t expand our immigration intakes.

    • marley says:

      05:51pm | 19/01/11

      Sure - but in order to defend effectively against foreign aggression, we’d need something like 200 or 300 million.  That’s just not reasonable.

      The immigration program should be targeted at economic development, not defense.  Let the foreign affairs program worry about building alliances to protect us from attack.

    • Eric says:

      06:35pm | 19/01/11

      No, Marley, all we need is a decently sized professional army, Swiss-style national service, and high technology in our Navy and Air Force.

      It’s very doable, and it just needs awareness of the need, and the will to take the necessary steps. Other countries have done it - Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, even arguably the US. We can do it too.

    • Servaas says:

      08:21pm | 19/01/11

      Hi, I’m a bit uninformed regarding hostile relations towards Australia and not for or against expansion per se, but is foriegn aggression something Australia has to worry about to that extent? Is the odds high that mass attacks, which the current force can’t handle, will be launched on Aus soon? It is obviously wise for any country to have a strong defence force in place in case the seriously piss someone off one day buit how much bigger should teh Aus forces really be? Would be interesting to know?

    • Greg says:

      12:23am | 20/01/11

      I usually agree with you Eric, but this time you are completely mistaken.

      With modern defence technology the relative number of troops is almost irrelevant.Nuclear weapons obviously trump troop numbers, but other technology also makes a huge difference.

      The worst tactic for national defence is to let the enemy inside the gates, which is what has been happening lately as proven by domestic terrorism court cases.

    • Wendall says:

      08:33am | 20/01/11

      Agree Greg, a nuclear defense capability is all a country needs to ensure security. Then we can grow the population naturally into the future while developing our own culture and living peacefully united.

      This is what will motivate Australians to progress.

    • Gav says:

      08:59am | 20/01/11

      Hi Eric,

      To put it simply invading Aust is doomed for failure. Yes they could land, and yes they could get a foothold in the Far north, but then what? Live off the land? Up there? We would simply keep retreating, leading them into the vast emptyness until their supply line is stretched to its limit, have our good mates the yanks missile their support companies into oblivion and keep the captured soldiers as slaves to do our grunt work (those nasty tasks no-one wants to do) - cleaning up rubbish, sweeping gutters or supporting the Bulldogs….

    • James1 says:

      09:50am | 20/01/11

      It would be far cheaper, more efficient, and more effective if we just developed a nuclear deterrent capability.

    • TimB says:

      09:50am | 20/01/11

      @ Gav- I hope you’re talking about the Western Bulldogs.

      I’m a Canterbury supporter and damn proud of it.

    • @CraigLambie says:

      09:56am | 20/01/11

      @Eric
      The countries you mention have much lower populations than us, and have by your own words a “decently sized professional army”
      Sweden - 9.3M
      Switzerland - 7.7M
      Israel - 7.4M
      Australia - 22M
      How is this an arguement?

    • Wendy says:

      11:04am | 20/01/11

      So Eric you would invite foreigners to help Australia defend itself from foreign aggreession. sorry don’t follow your thought path. Julia of course as usual says one thing and does another, no change there.

    • WBI says:

      12:39pm | 20/01/11

      I’m not going to read all the replies, however on simple $$$ to value grounds if I was a foreign country/Govt and I wanted large tracts of Australia. I’d simply buy them up as a Govt sponsored “private company” why waste billions invading and put up with an agro local populace and international community when you can buy the best bits you need for a fraction of the cost and export what you need from it.

      Eventually If your a big enough exporter of commodity X/Y the Aussie Govt will virtually bend over and let you do whatever you want to the land to keep the economy ticking over.

    • JAL says:

      01:01am | 21/01/11

      Eric, we evolved out of needing large numbers to provide canon fodder 100 years ago. Security comes from smart defense investment and quality training, in addition smart long-term diplomacy.

      Australia’s politicians need immigrants for one reason only, as a pyramid structure to prop up the housing industry, to fudge GDP, and therefore votes for the party involved. Each year it needs more and more immigrants to keep the bubble from deflating, but Gillard will be retired on a life-long PM’s pension when that happens anyway so doesn’t give a damn, nor did Howard before her. The whole thing is driven by the stupidity of the Australian people - both liberal and labor. Give us money now, and damn our children. The “ME NOW” generation takes its toll, while the pollies rob the blind.

    • Jacqueline says:

      02:22pm | 21/01/11

      Yeah, I guess that’s why our defence has to go the aid of other countries, because we are so few and so inadequate. That’s why our defence personnel kill themselves under friendly fire at least once a week like the Americans. We have some of the best defence in the world, Eric, don’t doubt it. Not to mention, why increase immigration under the pretence that these people with no connection to our country will help us defend it when instead you can rely on the fact that we have allies that we have helped in the past and who, thus far, have never needed to come to our aid (and therefore owe us, should anything happen)? You’re an idiot, Eric. It’s obvious you just say stupid things to spark arguments.

    • Tony of Poorakistan says:

      04:09pm | 19/01/11

      This article is spot on. I work in one of the areas that is most likely to be affected and that is Information Technology. During the last wave of skilled immigration, I had mates who were out of work for periods of up to a year and several others who exited the field completely. 
       
      There is no shortage of Australians in this field. This is a furphy put forward by lobbyists acting on behalf of big business and recruitment groups. Companies like Westpac, Coles-Myer, NAB, Telstra and ANZ would love to increase their bottom line at the expense of Australian jobs. If they can shave a few million off a critical IT project over a few years by using Indians, it adds dollars to the CEO’s bonus. 
       
      Secondly, the recruitment companies make money out of processing these people from overseas, ‘nuff said. 
       
      Companies like Unisys and IBM love to get Indians into the country on the cheap. They only have to pay them a fraction of what Aussies earn, so they get to pocket the rest.  How can an Australian company bid on a project when the competition is putting forward cheap foreign labour?
       
      There is one other issue and that is the fact that this may become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Keep bringing these people in and putting them on projects and Australians will lose the cutting edge knowledge, meaning you have to bring yet more in. 
       
      Don’t do it; do NOT let more of them in. Train Aussies in the new technology if you have to but do not allow this industry to be decimated.

      Reply

    • A Bob says:

      04:55pm | 19/01/11

      A very good analysis of the state of the Australian IT industry. Seen exactly the same myself.

      I’ll add also the exploitation of local kids being lured into the industry with ads showing 20-somethings leaning on their (leased) BMW’s by the agencies. They get ripped off with expensive 6 month courses, get a shitty 3-month contract at the end and are then abandoned with someone on a 457 visa.

      The industry has always made used car sales seem ethical even when I started in the early 80’s, but it’s become the sweat shop of the new millennium.

    • Chris says:

      11:36pm | 19/01/11

      Great points you raised there mate, but just thought I might let you know that Coles-Myer hasn’t existed as a joint conglomerate for over 4 years now.

    • Gav says:

      09:02am | 20/01/11

      Even worse is outsourcing - why trust an unstable country (with equally unstable neighbours) with private/personal information and the systems that control that information, not to mention the cost to the local economy jobs wise. Ban overseas outsourcing NOW.

    • Dilbert says:

      09:20am | 20/01/11

      Companies advertise for a Software Engineer with tertiary qualifications, 5 years of experience in a certain field, etc, for a $50K pay packet - get little response so hey ‘there must be a skills shortage - import some IT workers asap’.  A similar job in any other industry requiring this type of qualification/experience (engineering/accounting/law) would likely be paying double that figure.  Why aren’t they on the ‘skills shortage’?

      Having completed a degree (not a 6 month IT 101 course) and worked in the industry for 6-7 years a friend recently switched from IT to a job which trained him to check/repair hoses/lines and after a few weeks on the job is earning nearly twice what he was earning in IT.

      Australian IT has no regulations.  You wouldn’t let someone who skipped his Medicine degree by doing an Excom become a doctor in 3 months course diagnose/operate on you (it’s illegal), yet we would let someone who has skipped full tertiary qualifications by doing a 3 month course desgin the software that records and manages your medication (this is perfectly legal)

    • Tigger says:

      01:23pm | 20/01/11

      I agree I’ve seen the same thing in IT. There are good jobs out there, but there are also terrible, cost-cutting, get the lowest paying code monkey we can find jobs. And the biggest corporations are the peddlers of the latter.

    • IT worker says:

      03:28pm | 20/01/11

      In my IT department it’s 90% immigrants whether from UK, Germany, Macedonia, Middle-east, China. I’m a 4th-generation Australian WASP and very much in the minority. If Australian IT workers were qualified obviously they’d have the jobs.

    • IT manager says:

      04:04pm | 20/01/11

      To “IT worker” - its not about qualifications, its about who will accept the least amount of money to take the job.  The immigrants will take the underpaid IT jobs,  as they are desperate.

      Aussies shun the “10 years experience required, but we pay only $40k”, jobs, because they are exploiting our people, and its just rediculous. Apparently exploiting immigrants is ok…....

    • Sherekahn says:

      09:58am | 21/01/11

      Anyone who has read or seen some facts about India and its health systems may wish to question the morality of Countries such as ours. 
      We invited Indian students to train in all medical fields, then do not return them to India to help their fellow countrymen with their new skills.
        A BBC documentary of two years ago showed a man holding his son in his arms with his intestines visible from an injury.  He had been waiting three days in a queue at an Emergency Department of a Hospital.  He was of course a poor man.

      Instead of using these students to “fill blanks” in the Australian Hospital system I believe it would be more ethical to return them to INDIA with their new skills.
      Our Foreign Aid to India could be specifically designed to build new Hospitals employing these Australian trained Medical personnel whose wages could also be paid by Australia.

      This would be a productive method of Foreign Aid.

    • AdamC says:

      04:11pm | 19/01/11

      I am also sceptical about skilled migration. Historically, governments have not been able to run programs that actually get vacancies filled in key skilled sectors. Instead, quotas (if there even are any) have been filled by migrants who initially arrived as students and gained dubious qualifications from even more dubious, profiteering colleges and who are unable to obtain work in the sectors in which they have training.

      However, bona fide skilled migration in areas, notably the medical profession, will be necessary in years to come - fairness to (developing) source countries notwithstanding. It is mind-blowingly naive to think the DSP recipients of Broadmeadows can be re-hypothecated into the skilled professionals and tradespeople we need for our happening economy in the years to come.

      The system needs to be tightened, toughened and maybe even capped. But talk of abandonment is the preserve of the fringe.

      Reply

    • Dumini says:

      04:12pm | 19/01/11

      All your arguements are very reasonable. Therefore don’t expect Labor to listen.

      Reply

    • Pete says:

      12:03am | 20/01/11

      The author is part of Labor… nice going

    • A Reltih says:

      04:22pm | 19/01/11

      Spot on.  Just another ill-thought out, moronic, PC pandering, economy wrecking policy from the train wreck known as the Gillard Govt.

      If Gillard was a dog you’d opt for the needle rather than witness this.

      Reply

    • Against the Man says:

      04:22pm | 19/01/11

      Firstly I doubt the PM will see this immigration issue with any sense of logic.

      Secondly by this time in April she would have abandoned this issue and moved on to something else. Has she followed through with any successful policy?

      The worst PM tag is signed and sealed.

      I encourage all Australians to put pressure to oust Gillard as fake PM. Lets make this a Gillard free year smile

      Reply

    • Macca says:

      04:31pm | 19/01/11

      @Kelvin Thompson,

      I’ll start by saying a lack of available skilled labour (Fitters, Turners, Electricians and Plumbers, that later potentially hard to find in India) results in wage inflation in our Mining States in an attempt to attract an already stretched workforce into the middle of no where. This is not economically sustainable and an injection of skilled people into this country would be for the greater good.

      Now, to address some concerns in your article.

      “First, there is nothing humanitarian whatsoever about it.” This has never been a serious argument regarding Skilled Immigration. Either you fail to understand the situation or your strawman tactics make you look blatently ignorant.

      “Secondly, our high skilled migration program comes at the expense of skilling and training young Australians”, A valid point, but apprenticeships take years and do little to ease a workforce that is already stretched. Forward planning is admirable, and is a idea worth exploring, but it will not overcome to gap of 10s of thousands of skilled workers we currently do not have in our workforce.

      “Our disability pension numbers continue to rise”. perhaps this could be to our increasing average age in the population and the number of Baby-Boomers reaching retirement age? Or simple population growth?

      “Third, the extent of the recent floods means we will have our work cut out rebuilding and repairing damaged infrastructure”. Surely this is an argument in favour of more skilled people in our country. We need to rebuild and the more skilled people contributing the better. In fact, we could employ people as part of the sheme to do exactly that, help rebuild flood ravaged Australia, and when you are done, you can stay.

      @Kelvin Thompson, it is ridiculous, that a nation still recovering from the GFC, has an unemployment rate at around 5%. Demand for Labour is high, significantly in particular skills / jobs. We need to plan for the future, and training young people in those desired skills is a wonderful idea. But Australia is going to continue to develop, Skilled Immigration is a serious fix to what is only going to continue to be an under-resourced labour market, particularly as the population ages and the lifeblood of the economy, the baby-boomers, start to retire.

      Reply

    • Robert Smissen, rural SA, God's own country says:

      09:59pm | 19/01/11

      When we taught apprentices on the job they learnt & produced but some pointy head though he/she could do it better, we now have young apprentices that do beautiful book work in Tafe but useless & dangerous as tradies

    • Greg says:

      12:37am | 20/01/11

      There is no labour shortage. Not anywhere. There are only stingy employers who will not offer enough pay to attract workers, or to train currently unskilled workers.

      This is just another attempt to sell off citizenship and our birthright to increase corporate profits.

      And if the alleged wage inflation causes some businesses to go under, then that will free up more workers. Problem solved.

    • Macca says:

      08:14am | 20/01/11

      @Greg, There is definitely a labour shortage, particularly in Chefs, Electricians, Mechanical Trade Persons and Hairdressers. Obviously some have different priorities to others but these are the jobs which are consistently at most demand and are increadibly hard to recruit for.

      Most of the jobs listed above are based on Awards, not individual contracts. I can’t be bothered explaining this too you in more detail but I’m sure you can learn at the Fair Work Australia website.

      Wage inflation will unlikely send companies bankrupt; many of the companies who pay the highest rising wages are in remote locations making billion dollar profits from Mining and similar industries.

      The negative impact of wage inflation is not lost jobs, it is higher prices for houses, food, electricity etc. The labour shortage directly impacts on your standard of living.

    • Heather says:

      09:09am | 20/01/11

      Nonsense Macca, there is a shortage of people with pieces of paper that SAY they are skilled, as pointed out quite correctly by Robert Smissen. There are plenty of people with skills who DON’T have pieces of paper, “taught” by Tafe and private colleges, the courses from which cost a fortune, and are impossible to fail. I have lots of pieces of paper from universities, because I like studying; and I would be hired tomorrow over someone with experience but no degrees…even though I have forgotten most of the study anyway. Why can’t we just go back to the old way, where experts were trained ON THE JOB by people who are genuinely experienced and skilled, and who don’t necessarily have some silly certificate. Robert and Greg are right. And a shortage of HAIRDRESSERS? Please, I’m choking on my cornflakes…

    • Macca says:

      10:19am | 20/01/11

      @Heather, your knowledge of the labour market is completely ignorant, your scoffing comment regarding Hairdressers being the most obvious example. The Clarius Skills Index (http://www.clarius.com.au/news_centre/clarius_skills_index.aspx) shows the level of demand for employees in certain occupations. Their latest report shows that Hairdressers are more in demand than Building and Construction and IT professionals. Not exactly a massive national concern, but a good argument to prove you wrong regardless. You will also notice that Wood and Metal Tradespersons are in short supply which is significantly going to impact and infrastructure building in the near future. Clearly I have more knowledge to speak on this subject than you do.

      Despite your obvious disdain for TAFEs and teaching schools, many businesses do hire apprentices and partner with these schools to develop future staff. Unfotunately, demand for apprentices is high and TAFE opportunities is limited. There is simply not enough skilled (because it does require skill and knowledge to become a painter, pumber or electrician) apprenitices to replace what is an ageing and retiring workforce. Not all of us went to university and work in an office.

    • Heather says:

      10:47am | 20/01/11

      Gee Macca, obviously you don’t live in the same town as I do; in urban SEQ, hairdressing salons go bankrupt all the time, and there certainly aren’t any queues outside the remaining ones. And why on earth should I give any credence to a “skills index” devised by an employment consultancy, that deals in 457 visa applicants, and *surely* has a vested interest in the issue? In addition, recruitment agencies are some of the worst offenders, notorious for advertising fake jobs to pad their databases and get government funding. Nor does quoting references does not make you more skilled to comment; if we are going to play that game, I am a postgraduate educated professional who can quote references ad nauseam. And as the owner of a business employing tradespeople, I most certainly know the *quality* of Tafe qualifications. There is a shortage of apprentices because the pay is atrocious, on the job training is minimal and glossed over by many employers, and Tafe courses do not provide adequate background. In addition, many so-called qualifications only exist to justify the overpriced existence of training providers, including Tafes.

    • greg says:

      12:50am | 21/01/11

      You seem to have a very high opinion of yourself Macca, but you aren’t too good with basic economics.

      Any job can be filled if the pay is sufficient to attract a skilled worker, or pay for the training of an unskilled one. There are no laws against paying above award wages, if that is what is required.

      Then the high wages will atract more skilled workers in greater numbers, until the supply exceeds demand and the wage pressure abates.

      And inflated wages will cover the higher costs that you mention, and improve workers’ standard of living.

      It’s all basic free market economics. Isn’t that what businesses say they want, rather than artificial government regulation and interference?

    • A Bob says:

      04:41pm | 19/01/11

      Well, that was a refreshingly to-the-point, low-on-rhetoric statement from a politician. Where have you been hiding?

      There might be a few areas where we must import labour, but by and large, it’s not because of a real shortage here, but rather a faux one created by large companies and agencies with their fingers in the pie. More like a shortage of el-cheapo, disposable labour.

      Reply

    • FNL says:

      04:43pm | 19/01/11

      So you’re happy for their to be a shortage of skilled workers especially when rebuilding in certain areas will cause a greater shortage.

      Great idea.

      Over-inflated prices for tradies here we come. Not like the mining boom wasn’t already doing this.

      Reply

    • Chris says:

      06:26pm | 19/01/11

      @ FNL

      Who says there is a shortage of skilled workers? I presume you are referring to the flood rebuilding. The Newcastle earthquake rebuilding period provided an opportunity for builders from outside of the city an opportunity for work. I would suggest after a GFC that hit the building industry hard many workers from outside of places like Brisbane would love the opportunity to work.

      The issue of over inflated prices should be dealt with by industry groups, dept. fair trading and intelligent home owners rather than creating an underclass of workers prepared to undercut the established professionals in the industry.

    • FNL says:

      09:24pm | 19/01/11

      People earning 6 figures to drive trucks around a mine suggests there is a skill shortage. Similar pay rates for semi-skilled workers reflects the same.

      Every report about labour supply to the government and every article about labour supply proves there is a skills shortage.

      Now that there will be an increased demand on these trades means there will be a further shortfall.

      The market sets the price of labour. This is supply and demand. A shortgae of supply fuels higher prices which feed into the rest of the economy creating inflation which is bad for all of us.

    • Robert Smissen, rural SA, God's own country says:

      10:03pm | 19/01/11

      Obviously you are one of the soft handed paper shufflers that think tradies should work for peanuts. This country would come to a grinding halt if it wasn’t for tradies but if 50% of office workers stayed home we’d hardly see a difference

    • Macca says:

      06:46am | 20/01/11

      @Chris, anyone who has ever tried to recruit an electrician or fitter in the past 3 years knows there is a shortage of tradies. Don’t pretend the mining boom hasn’t resulted in wage inflation, it clearly has and will continue to do so as companies try to attract employees to otherwise unattractive jobs and locations.

    • TChong says:

      05:10pm | 19/01/11

      Yet more Zenofobic ranting from the Far Right. These skilled people have a right to a better life and shouldn’t have to catch a boat to get here.

      Reply

    • TimB says:

      05:38pm | 19/01/11

      LOL

      “The Far Right”

      You do realise Kelvin is a member of your beloved Labor party right?

    • MarK says:

      05:38pm | 19/01/11

      Gosh. I bet you wish there was an edit function.

      You do reaIise that Kelvin is the Labor member for Wills don’t you?

      He just wrote a letter to his own leader.

      Want to continue on about the xenophobia of the far right inherent in the sitting members of the Labor party?

    • Bonestar says:

      05:45pm | 19/01/11

      Do you think skilled people in less fortunate nations automatically want to escape their homelands to Australia because it’s a better life than what they have?  If so than your a racist.

    • fairsfair says:

      05:47pm | 19/01/11

      OH,EM.GEE.  I thought I was dreaming when I read this, but then I realised you are still an idiot.

      I honestly, can not believe you have commented with the above two sentences. Are you joking?

    • Cyclone says:

      06:00pm | 19/01/11

      Kelvin Thomson is a former Victorian member of Parliament and the current Labor member for the federal seat of Wills.  Not from the Far Right mate.

      http://www.kelvinthomson.com.au/

    • Chris says:

      06:13pm | 19/01/11

      Learn to spell xenophobic. You can do that when you look up the meaning in the dictionary.

      This article has nothing to do with ‘boat people’ so shame on you for trying to include that tired argument in this discussion. The article talks about promoting to skilled workers who would be legitimate immigrants.

      You talk of people having a better life. Why should Australia poach skilled workers from countries that obviously could use their best and brightest? What about the community they leave behind? If we keep taking the people who want change how will their homelands change?

    • Tony of Poorakistan says:

      07:53am | 20/01/11

      @ TChong
       
      ‘‘These skilled people have a right to a better life and shouldn’t have to catch a boat to get here. ‘’ 
       
      These people have a right to a better life in their own country.

    • Rosie says:

      09:32am | 20/01/11

      Chongy yet more xenophobic ranting from a die hard Gillard lackey! It was beyond belief when I read your post! As my granddaughter would say; “Caught big time”

      Even I, according to you from the “Far Right” agree with the writer of the article, who we all know except you is the current Labor member for the Federal seat of Wills. I repeat MarkK; “Gosh I bet you wish there was an edit function.”

      My agreeing with Kevin is mainly because of his first reason as I find it not humanitarian for developed countries like Australia to be snatching skilled workers from undeveloped countries like India, Fiji etc I have seen a brain drain in these undeveloped countries, mainly Fiji, where today they have had to import skilled migrants from places like India, China, Sri Lanka etc. It should be discouraged by any Govt. Australia should breed and develop their own, even if it means that we start with the children of all the asylum seekers and their parents.

      As for the dithery Gillard she first has to sort herself out, months after being PM we are still not sure whether we are seeing the “real Julia or the “fake” Julia. This only confirms the reason why she will say something but then renege or dismiss it all together. In this case Kevin is correct when he mentions Gilllard’s pre-election statement that she doesn’t believe in a big Australia and the sustainable population strategy for Australia developed by the Population Minister, Tony Burke.

      You see Chongy sometimes we the “Far Right” do agree with the “Far Left” for the betterment of this wonderful country we are blessed to call home. Poor Poor Chongy!

    • Richard says:

      05:21pm | 19/01/11

      Gyek, what disgusting xenophobia. You’re as bad as that “F@CK OFF WE’RE FULL” crowd. Immigration brings a wonderful vibrancy and cross-fertilisation into our culture and economy, we should be thinking of enticing incentives to encourage the best brightest and most thoroughly educated foreigners from youthful vigorous countries around the world to build their careers in Australia.

      Remember, the government’s first responsibility is to us the tax-payers who support it and make its existence possible, not to India or Sri Lanka or China. Every single one of their decisions should be calculated with the express best interests of Australian citizens in mind.

      Therefore it makes sense to grow our population and economy to generate real power and wealth for our Country-Continent.

      There is a growing gap being exposed in world power with the demise of America as a Super Power. Our neighbouring rival powers of Indonesia, India, Vietnam and China are all well-poised to advance into that vaccum with their large populations of educated productive citizens.

      If we can advance our own interests into the future architecture of world power as well, it would be a good thing for all Australians, and healthy numbers of rich diversive immigrants will help us to this end.

      Reply

    • Chris says:

      05:59pm | 19/01/11

      @ Richard

      What a greedy and disgusting view of how we should grow our nation. You are talking about pillage of those countries in need rather than grow and support our own.

      Do you not realise that there are studies that suggest that importing skilled labour actually costs us more than they actually provide?

      It is not saying eff off we are full. It is saying hang on a minute lets be smart about this decision making process.

      It is also asking the government to be accountable to their pre election promise of not having a big Australia.

      I suggest you also look up in the dictionary the word xenophobia. I totally fail to see where Kelvins article fosters any form of unreasonable hatred or fear against foreigners or strangers.

    • Bitten says:

      06:09pm | 19/01/11

      It is arguably unethical to decline to train people in areas of skills shortage within Australia and to short-circuit to a solution by poaching skilled people from developing countries.  Those developing countries need every single one of their skilled professionals, and then some.  Australia, the UK, Europe and the US swan in with big bucks and surprise, surprise, the skilled professionals leave, further disadvantaging the developing economies. It’s not about xenophobia -it is about developed nations taking responsibility for training sufficient skilled professionals within their own population so that developing nations are not continuously disadvantaged by investing in education for their own population, that is then utilised by a wealthy developed nation that could perfectly well afford to train its own population.

      Crying ‘racism’ and ‘xenophobia’ is simply a distraction from the real issues, and believe me, they are real. South Africa for example doesn’t need to lose any more allied health professionals to prop up a lazy and feckless wealthy developed nation like Australia which simply refuses to put enough of its money into training sufficient people to staff the Australian health system.

    • john says:

      06:47pm | 19/01/11

      What a load of rubbish, generate real power… for what reason? neighbouring rival powers of Indonesia, India, Vietnam <= you call these ‘powers’.?.....advance our own interests into the future architecture of world power ...are you serious?. you sound like some deluded exiled tyrannist despot from the 1950’s.

      Just worry about when your going to mow your lawn next.

      Blind Freddy can see that corporations are the real super powers of the globe and getting bigger and kicking in the door to china and any other emerging market that they can feast on e,g KFC,maccas,apple mircosoft, walmart,westfield and they need immigrants to run them etc….not some idiot with a small penis anointed with a robe made head of state.

      There was no macdonalds etc in Australia in pre 1971…we have already been invaded. Heaven forbid…. getting more immigrants means more of this crap will infest our cities, freeway off ramps and country towns. with junk like crispy creams starbucks..etc…get the drift?

      Corporations are the real winners from immigration, anything Australian gets pushed aside. And that racist xenophobia card you played, got news for you ....shove it where it doesn’t shine because your using it to prop up your own pro immigration stance which is without merit.

    • FNL says:

      09:38pm | 19/01/11

      To the people arguing we can train our own:

      It takes 4-5 years to train an apprentice. We need people NOW.

      Whenever the government steps in to encourage training apprentices the tradies just dump them as soon as the apprenticeship support stops leaving these kids with nothing but a piece of paper and no chance of getting a job anywhere else because the tradies prefer cheap apprentices.

    • TCB 24 X 7 says:

      01:07am | 20/01/11

      Demise of the U.S. as a super power,
      I dont think so fool, just their naval fleets that constantly patrol the oceans 24 x 7 can destroy and nuke say a country like China in one day,  every city their would be wiped out.

    • Dilbert says:

      09:31am | 20/01/11

      @FNL - It takes 4-5 years to train an apprentice?  I think excom should offer 3 month courses to get anyone skilled up and qualified as:
      - electricians
      - builders
      - plumbers
      - mining
      -etc
      We could cover all trades with a 3 month course.  The cost of tradies would come down, it would be accessible to everyone, and we could get workers out there quickly.

    • Heather says:

      09:51am | 20/01/11

      Dilbert, if only governments were so sensible and logical. Also, it probably takes even less to retrain/grant certificates to skilled tradies without pieces of paper, who have maybe been out of that specific field for a while. My partner has very good sheet metal welding, mechanical and forklift ability and experience but can’t get work because he hasn’t got some piece of paper from Tafe.

    • Jim says:

      11:04am | 20/01/11

      @Dilbert - 3 month courses to qualify as a sparky or plumber is 3rd world stuff and a quick way to get someone killed.

      3 years minimum to be able to do the job, 4-5 years before they should be able to go out on their own.

      RPL does cut down some time for older apprentices…but do you really want a 17yo wiring up your house or fitting a gas line?

    • Dilbert says:

      12:12pm | 20/01/11

      @ Jim and Heather - I intended a touch of sarcasm in that last comment..  Just venting my frustration at the fact that we entrust vitally important (sometimes also life threatening) computer systems to a completely un-regulated IT industry.  Anyone can get a job in IT, whether you have a PHD in Computer Science, or read an IT magazine once and thought ‘I can use a computer, I could do that’ and have good interview techniques.  Whereas to work as an electrician/plumber/engineer you MUST have the appropriate qualification.

      This leaves the IT industry in a shabby state - and employers think they can hire highly qualified/highly skilled people for peanuts - and if they can’t there must be a skills shortage so they ship in some IT workers from overseas and pay them $15/hr.

      I have worked with some IT professionals from overseas and they were fantastic workers - so don’t get me wrong there either.  But IT has been on the ‘skills shortage’ list for a long time, in my opinion only because organisations are crying out because they had no applicants for the positions they advertised requiring very specific skills/expirience and offering very small salaries.  Offer salaries of other equivalent professions, and offer training as part of the position and you will get 100’s of very keen enthusiastic Australian IT professionals applying.

      The industry is outsourced overseas enough already, and now they are bringing overseas here to compete with the local workforce driving salaries down.

    • Liberal Voter says:

      05:28pm | 19/01/11

      Couldn’t agree more, great to see someone taking the time to write a letter to the PM to point out her blatant incompetence and ineptness on the topic of immigration.  It really does appear to be the biggest weakness of Labor and where they have continued to make huge blunders throughout their history in government.  I work in the IT industry and have seen these ‘skilled migrants’ from India first hand who continue to stuff up the most basic of tasks due to substandard education and training backgrounds in their home country.  And what we get in return for a substandard job from them is needing to provide them with a job, house, resources, healthcare, benefits etc. which are taken away from our own countrymen.  India is overpopulated, disgusting, polluted and bursting at the seams, we do not want to encourage that same behaviour here with a large population in an environment which cannot support it.  Shame on you Gillard/Labor and Good on you Kelvin!

      Reply

    • Mayday says:

      05:35pm | 19/01/11

      What happened to the Education Revolution?

      The high youth unemployment figures are a disgrace and the sooner we get our own young adults into some form of job ready training the better, TAFE
      is the place for this.

      There are also high numbers of graduates underemployed or unemployed so why are we importing “skilled” people?

      This new policy is bullshit.

      Reply

    • MarK says:

      07:07pm | 19/01/11

      Oh they built that.

      Got $6billion worth of canteens and halls for $16billion.

      None thus far have self combusted. To this end we can say the building the education was a success.

      They are moving forward now don’t you know. Wouldn’t it have been nice to have spent properly and have those extra few billion now to….oh I don’t know….rebuild parts of Qld or Victoria. Stuff like that.

      This is why wasting money as a government is bad kids.

    • Robert Smissen, rural SA, God's own country says:

      10:05pm | 19/01/11

      TAFEs are full of the failed & grossly incompetent, why would you send a kid there? ?

    • Macca says:

      08:17am | 20/01/11

      @Robert Smissen, that’s complete rubbish. TAFEs and other training centres, along with apprenticeship programs are vital at ensuring an ageing workforce full of tradies (who grew up in a time when University was rare) is replaced with the next Generation.

      Skilled immigration is likely required to supplement this

    • Harry says:

      09:48am | 20/01/11

      Macca, hahaha you make me laugh, if you have a pulse and can pay your fees, you can get a Tafe certificate, and I don’t know where they find their lecturers from either, as they are totally useless. The whole system of certificates is just because of fears of litigation and the govt. desire to make all the vast education system worth the investment. As a mechanical workshop owner, the best mechanics i’ve ever seen have no trade qualifications.

    • Shane From Melbourne says:

      01:13am | 21/01/11

      Remember that training levy on business that Howard canned? Liberals killed the Education Revolution

    • Bob H says:

      05:40pm | 19/01/11

      The skilled migrants come ready educated and trained at no cost a governmets dream.  Unless governments fund programs that actually produce skilled workers rather than fund shop fronts that only promote aqcuiring skills and little else, we had better bring in what we need.

      Reply

    • Against the Man says:

      05:47pm | 19/01/11

      If the population is faced with a pandemic new disease, do you help prevent it or search for a cure? The reality is that both actions are needed. Importing skills is one thing but what is being done/invested to support /train Australians to do these jobs?

      @ A Reltih, that statement is very insulting to dogs.

      Side note: How come ex-PM Rudd aka the hostie fighting ninja went to a private hospital to treat his flood induced foot infection? Why didn’t he go see a nurse practitioner like he expects other Australians to do? Does Roxon take her loved ones to a nurse prac before being referred to a ‘real’ doctor.

      The ALP is in lots of trouble because it creates lots of trouble!

      Reply

    • Jade says:

      05:53pm | 19/01/11

      I agree with this article. We need to get our own house in order before be burden ourselves with more migrants.

      Reply

    • Flexo says:

      08:35am | 20/01/11

      Jade I doubt Gillard spent more than 2 minutes on this idea. We are in a lot of trouble with the current Gillard government in charge.

    • Fairsnotfair says:

      05:56pm | 19/01/11

      The Federal Government is not able to look after its current population and associated infrastructure. What makes you think it will cope with importing non-English speaking, non-integrating cultures. We should not have to call on “big business” (her words) to provide for natural disaster relief while she entertains & provides for those from foreign and generally un-assimilating cultures.

      @ Richard: your words: Remember, the government’s first responsibility is to us the tax-payers who support it and make its existence possible, not to India or Sri Lanka or China. - exactly my point. Charity begins at home.

      More Australians would want to live here if Giggling Gillard didn’t.

      Reply

    • The Badger says:

      06:00pm | 19/01/11

      Kelvin, you “do not want the number of skilled migrants to increase”

      Nowhere do I see anyone talking about increasing skilled migrant intake. If you have other information regarding increasing the intake of skilled migrants, then you should have shared this with us instead of mentioning it as if it were fact and then not showing us where you got this information from. You are being disingenuous.
      In Fact, Mr Varghese said
      “Our new migration programme will be more demand driven rather than supply driven. It is not the case that rules will be harsher or relaxed for any particular country.”

      Let’s see
      We take in immigrants – check
      We recognize that we have a skill shortage in Australia - check
      Employers sponsored 38 per cent of all skilled migrants – check
      States and Territories sponsored 33.9 per cent of all skilled migrants – check
      The rest came from the independent skilled pathway where priority was given to occupations on
      the critical skills list.

      Seems to me that Industry is calling for more skilled migrants because of shortages of available resources here and State and Territory governments are calling for more skilled resources to address region specific shortages. If the conservatives had invested some money in education and apprenticeships during the howard years, we probably wouldn’t need to be bringing in quite so many skilled workers.

      A few facts you cannot debate.
      At 30 June 2010, the total Migration Program outcome was 168,623 against a planning level of 168,700 which is 77 places or 0.05 per cent below the planning level. - good work to the government for achieving targets.
      The Skill Stream (of which we are talking), accounted for 64.0 per cent of the total Migration Program or 107,868 places.
      The top priority Employer Sponsored category accounted for 40,987 against a planning level of 41,000 and comprised 38.0 per cent of the 2009-10 Skill Stream.

      Kelvin, exactly what do you propose the employers and state and territory governments that are crying out for skilled workers do if you are successful in shutting down the skilled migrant program?

      Reply

    • MarK says:

      07:16pm | 19/01/11

      Hahahahahaha

      Nowhere do I see anyone talking about increasing skilled migrant intake”

      As part of the government Kelvin might be in a better position than you to comment.

      Are you actually criticising a member of the Labor government? Are you actually holding them to account?

      You go girl.

    • Chris says:

      06:50pm | 19/01/11

      Good on you Kelvin for trying to make the government accountable for the pre election promise of a sustainable Australia. Many people voted for the government based on the change from Rudd’s view of a big Australia to Gillard’s view of a sustainable Australia. How dare the government say one thing then do another just to win an election. That is deceit in my books.

      There needs to be more debate and discussion on what sustainable actually means. I seriously doubt there is reasonable consensus in Australia regarding this term. The Gillard government can tell us what they think sustainable means by providing us with numbers for immigration, population and infrastructure projects. As a voting nation we should then use those numbers to hold the government accountable.

      What stirs me greatly is there are many in our community who complain in one breath about issues such as not enough hospital beds yet in their next breath they want to grow the population. Go figure?

      Reply

    • Christine Black says:

      07:39pm | 19/01/11

      “everyone who has the capacity to work has the opportunity to work.” 

      are you seriously trying to say that skilled migration is stopping people who want to work from being able to work?!

      So it was OK for your ancestors to migrate here for work purposes, but not OK for people to do so now.

      “Workers with real skills in developing countries are more valuable where they are”?! - so try to tell Australians with skills that they aren’t allowed to go to any other country because ‘they are more valuable where they are”. You’d be instantly dismissed as the xenophobic joke that you are.

      You also know that skilled migrants from poorer countries remit a lot of their income to family/relatives - a far more effective form of ‘development assistance’ than taxpayer funded ‘aid’ which more often than not gets siphoned off to help Australian companies or corrupt governments locally. 

      “Numerous studies show that new arrivals come with a big infrastructure requirement” - ooooh bad - people need to be housed fed, educated, etc. So focus on stopping people having babies, rather than blaming migrants who are able to work (and pay tax and not need to create the cost of having to be educated, etc).  But it’s so much easier to pick on migrants than it is to tell Australian they shouldn’t have babies - gutless coward.

      Dress all your comments up in shallow, hollow illogical and intellectually dishonest garbage as much as you like - you’re still a hatemongering anti-immigrant jerk who is saying the same things that people said in the White Australia heartland of the 1890s/1910s.

      Reply

    • TCB 24 X 7 says:

      12:55am | 20/01/11

      Oh Yeah,
      But our ancestors did’nt get social security.
      So you tell me why should people coming from these countries work , when an entire family can live comfortably on welfare, i mean $50000 a year they would feel like millionaires, would’nt they.
      Wake up fools, for they are laughing right at us,

    • Greg says:

      01:03am | 20/01/11

      The skilled migration program is all about reducing labour costs for business. It allows businesses to avoid making contributions to worker training costs, and it also reduces wages for existing Australian workers.

      Are you seriously trying to say that skilled migration does not stop people who want to work from being able to work?!

      Foreign governments are responsible for promoting the interests of their own citizens, and they generally do. Why do Australian governments (Liberal and ALP) always have to put the interests of foreigner ahead of their own citizens? No other country or national government is going to look after our interests.

      You must really hate Australians if you want them to stop having babies and then be replaced by foreigners. Obviously too many Australians are white for your liking, and the real racists can always be identified for promoting genocidal policies. You are a hatemongering anti-Australian jerk, as demonstrated by your ranting diatribe.

    • Tony of Poorakistan says:

      07:58am | 20/01/11

      @ Christine Black
       
      One of your many points is vaguely accurate. They do send most of their salary ‘‘back home’’ . Does lots for our economy, hey? 
       
      Why don’t we train Aussies, thus providing employment in the training industry here and ongoing employment for the trainee? Much better for our economy.

    • Gregg says:

      09:43pm | 19/01/11

      Honestly Kelvin, this would have to be one of the weirdest articles I have ever seen anyone write and some if not many of the responses are in the same basket, I giving up on reading them once Chongy the confused Pinko got unconfused again to have a rant about the rants of the Right.

      But seriously, yep immigration numbers went up under Howard but not by anywhere near the margin you state.
      Have a look @ http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/SP/Skilled_migration.htm and you’ll see it ranged from 83,000 in 95/96 to 85000 in 01/02 and actually went down before increasing to 140,000 in 05/06 probably going a bit higher as the economy grew, the resources boom!
      Delve into the figures a bit more and you’ll not only possibly find that the actual numbers represent people including family members accompanying skilled workers and so the actual number of skilled workers immigrating was substantially less.
      You may even find that the actual number of skilled immigrants had a high % of temporary visa holders.

      You say we should have a demand driven skilled immigration system and so have you had a recent read of the latest regulations and I’ll link them here for you -  http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/ , or at least you can strat there and then also read Whats New - http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/whats-new.htm and if you understand it all, you’ll see a great number of changes in recent times all about making immigration a demand driven program and setting priorities for processing applications.
      You may also want to do some asking about numbers of applications in the system at the moment and the possible processing times, some detail @ http://www.immi.gov.au/about/charters/client-services-charter/standards/2.1.htm but I do say possible processing times for many older applicants are being given the royal flick, many of them students who were lured here with the juicy carrot dangled by overseas educational recruitment agents in cahoots with private colleges that mushroomed.

      We certainly will not be taking in droves of Indians unless there are now Indians running the Immigration department and Bowen but I suppose anything is possible in our forever increasingly strange country.
      But that aside I suspect Varghese is using the licence of Largese that some bureaucrats have for talking about that they know not so it sonds very Arsese.

      But you mention Julia and she also has Largese in many respects and feels we should aim to have a high % going to University, I suppose because she could do it, whether or not everybody has the aptitude for it.
      The other big question is what are all these university educated people ever going to do for once they stop smoking pot and protesting, some might even decide to think about work.

      The demise of Australian industry thanks to WTO trading principles where overseas countries can have their sweat shops and child labour means we do train less trades people and so yes, we’ll look to immigration for many.
      Thankfully we still have some from countries where training has been more apprenticeship like and they speak english regularly even if it sounds like they may have forgotten to take the plum out.
      But then there’s the catch - an electrician, plumber or refrigeration mechanic with skills assessed arrives in Australia and can they work?, No way Hose or not at least straight away and that’s another story you may want to get your head around Kelvin.

      So, you reckon we ought to be training up refugees, and that’s great and some may end up attempting to get taken on as adult apprentices but first it could be english they need to learn and if there were so many apprenticeships about, I reckon you’d still find willing Aussie lads raring to go and that would be even better.

      But before we even get to that stage, we hear about employers not able to find skilled people and yet they’ll be loathe to take on anybody past 45, less likely when past 50 and it’ll be like pulling teeth out of a hen when 60+, even with highly skilled people.

      But never fear, as much a mess as Australia is in, it may seem to not be anywhere as bad as a lot of overseas countries but then we have nowhere near their populations nor close by populations of an equivalent work/life culture to be anywhere near as close to be selfsustaining.
      We import damm near everything and heaven help us when the extra resources tax kicks in and International companies decide to operate elsewhere to supply China or China implodes because of reducing export markets.

      So Kelvin, you may have gone to that same school of Dumb Spin as others of similar ilk went to but go and learn a bit from the School of Hard Knocks.

      Reply

    • NESLIHAN KUROSAWA says:

      11:36pm | 19/01/11

      Hi there,

      It sounds good on a piece of paper, I really think that when it comes to practice it does not at all!!!  I truly believe that it is quite sad to think that we have to import so called “skilled labour” from overseas, when we actually have our young generation and mature professionals looking for jobs in our own countrry which happens to be Australia.

      Australia has rules and regulations concerning Migration in general, we are already accepting only the highly qualified with basic English skills.  I am presuming only from certain countries like India and China!!  Why not include other countries?? When we accept these people, we also have to make sure that they are actually qualified for those positions in the first place and have good language skills to begin with.

      My personal experience at the Passport Office was a totally shocking experience that most of workers were hopeless when it came to language and public relations skills.  If these employees are the “really qualified”,  I would love to see the under qualified and under achievers!! 

      It seems very funny that we are not tapping into our own human resources in Australia.  However, migration for humanitarian reasons is a whole new issue to deal with.  Best regards to your editors.

      Reply

    • Marilyn Shepherd says:

      12:57am | 20/01/11

      Does anyone see the lunacy of locking up a few thousand refugees and spending hundreds of millions of dollars to try and keep them out, while we ignore 50,000 who are here illegally and then we spend hundreds of millions inviting skilled migrants, foreign students and tourists in the millions

      Reply

    • Nafe says:

      09:02am | 20/01/11

      Totally different cercamstances and totally different topics. The Article is talking about skilled migrations. Not Refugees and Not Illegal immigration. Let your heart bleed somewhere else and let the adults chat here.

    • Gregg says:

      10:20am | 20/01/11

      I see the lunacy again in your thoughts Madame Marilyn for people here illegally do not get ignored but are apprehended when they can and dealt with accordingly.
      I do not know where you get $$$100M+ on invites but
      . a skilled migrant program is run with priority to those having employment offers and then for occupations where there is a demand.

      Read up on the facts Madam.
      . education is something of an industry in Australia, many people employed and student visas are of the temporary status.
      . tourism is also a significant employer and income earner for Australia if you had not noticed.

      Refugees do not get locked up though people using people smugglers will until their identity and other issues are determined, they being a drain on the Australian economy.

      Once more it would seem that you have had far too many swigs.

    • TC says:

      05:27pm | 20/01/11

      Firstly this so called invites are not free. Applicants still have to pay $2500 per head to get their skilled visa processed. Inviting people to study in Australia is not free either. A standard 3 year degree costs about $70000-$80000 almost 4X the amount an average Australian pays. Now with a population of 22 million people, do you think it would be possible for universities and colleges to sustain themselves on just local tuition fees and government research grants. Also, do you think that there would still be able to provide the same quality of graduates in a competitive world without the income and resources?

      Migration numbers have already dropped that some universities have been laying of local Australian Staff because the numbers just aren’t cutting it anymore. Courses can’t get full enrollment numbers because of low intake. Think about the effect this is having on quality local staff and the education sector itself, which just 2 years ago was $14 billion industry.

      Not all students who study in Australia wish to stay here, there a large number of them who go back, and even if they wanted to stay, not all of them can based on the currently more focused skills occupation list. They can still apply for $2500+ but are likely to get rejected, either way you don’t get a refund.

      I could on forever about this but those just a few points people might want to take into consideration, and remember there alot of elements to migration

    • Greg says:

      01:09am | 20/01/11

      Imagine that, an Australian Labour Party politician who actually represents the interests of Australian workers, and not foreign immigrants or progressive academics with pretend jobs.

      I wonder how long it will be before he gets kicked out of the party?

      Reply

    • Lurch of Perth says:

      01:36am | 20/01/11

      @Christine Black: If talking shit could make you money, you would be a bloody millionaire!

      Reply

    • Martin says:

      02:01am | 20/01/11

      Caressing the QLD floods into a piece on population is great work Kelvin. You are a true genius. Congrats! I may just hand in my ALP card today.

      Reply

    • murray says:

      07:35am | 20/01/11

      I’m surprised people think it is so terrible for skilled people to seek better lives for themselves and their families.

      Reply

    • TimB says:

      08:51am | 20/01/11

      I’m suprised that so many people think it’s our obligation to provide it.

      Exactly when do the people in charge of their own country take some responsibility?

    • Anna C says:

      09:39am | 20/01/11

      Murray, we would all welcome more skilled migrants and their families if we had the necessary infrastructure to deal with them, but we don’t due to government mismanagement and incompetence at all levels. Adding more people into the mix now just isn’t feasible or attractive to a lot of us, especially given that a crappy 2 bedroom single storey fibro shack (with no water views) in Sydney puts you back $1 million.  Ordinary workers like me are struggling as it is with the consequences of our current population via : higher cost of living pressures; lack of affordable housing, traffic congestion; lack of decent public transport; longer waiting times for health services; environmental pressures; budget pressures; pathetic short sighted governments who can’t run a chook raffle etc.

    • Heather says:

      08:28am | 20/01/11

      A major part of the so-called skills shortage has nothing to do with skills, but because companies will not hire people without “tickets”. I know many highly skilled, perhaps slightly older people (but in their 30’s and 40s, not *very* old), who cannot get work because they do not have some piece of paper from a Tafe. Sure, they can apply for RPL, but if anyone has ever had to go through this process, it is a nightmare of red tape, and expensive too. In addition, even though it is impossible to fail any of these courses, they are expensive, and time consuming. I blame our excessive fear of risk and being sued, and the govt. wanting to prop up all these so-called education providers. Why not just make it simpler for people such as these to do a simple test of their skills, as shock, horror, was done in the past. A skilled foreman can quite easily and quickly tell if a tradesperson has mechanical, welding, driving etc ability and experience.

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      10:28am | 20/01/11

      You will find Heather that there are quite a few skilled occupations where people do have to be registered and it is not just the federal government involved but various authorities at state levels have registration requirements, a few examples:
      . electricians and it is reasonable enough to make sure they are assessed against local wiring regulations for electricity can kill very quickly.
      . plumbing for sake of sanitation
      . doctors!, and yet you would be surprised at the standard of many in not just their ability for english, many a laugh being had by radiographers over medical referrals by many.
      So certainly there are standards we would want maintained, even if it does not happen so well.

    • heather says:

      10:55am | 20/01/11

      No, I agree with you that it is necessary. I am not arguing against having standards, nor putting unskilled people into jobs. What I am saying is that many people who DO have skills, often of very high level, but for various reasons, do not have papers. I don’t see why someone who is skilled in a certain trade, but does not have a certificate, has to spend time and money getting a piece of paper, when it would be quite easy to assess that person’s skills. I wouldnt put anyone straight out of any education provider on to the tools anyway…

    • John L says:

      08:53am | 20/01/11

      Excellent points Kelvin. Thank you for continuing to make them to the PM, who seems completely tone deaf on this issue.

      I am not sure about others expericences, but I have noticed that “skiled migrant workers” are actually not that skilled. The 457 visa IT workers the company I work for is using generally have good english language skills but a poor ability to understand the techical issues that we are seeking to address.

      Reply

    • Immigraniada says:

      09:46am | 20/01/11

      Lord, phrases like “birthright” and “social security” make me cringe for your sake.

      I’m on a 457.

      Not eligible for Medicare, so private health insurance it is, no complaints from me, it’s only fair.

      Not eligible for “social security”. No “dole bludging” possible from these scary migrants. If there’s much of that going on, it’s from your own.

      Infrastructure? I pay for my tickets on every train / tram / bus trip that I take. With money, even.

      I also prop up someone’s “1 bedda investment property”. Don’t worry, I won’t be looking to squat in a McMansion in suburbia just yet. I can’t buy property, you see, which is a pity, because I really wanted to contribute to the skyrocketing house prices [/sarcasm].

      There really isn’t much opportunity for me to rort the system. And I have no intention to. I’m happy to have been offered a job, and to gain some international experience, and if it so happens that I find myself more at home here after a couple of years, then I might stay. In the meantime, I’m contributing to the economy like a MF.

      If the person who pays my salary believes that I have the skills they require, it’s between them, me and the Australian government. Apparently they had an issue with young Aussie staff. High staff turnover. I suppose ongoing first-world privilege has bred a sense of entitlement in the young’ns.

      I love Aussies. You people are great, your country is great, your culture is great. Sometimes though, I can only sigh at the ignorance of some people.

      PS. I’m as lily-white as the next bloke, so you would walk right past me and not even know I’m a dirty immigrant. Watch out!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OauoL-z3K5E

      Reply

    • Ellejay says:

      11:58am | 20/01/11

      Thank God for your voice of reason! 
      The anti-skilled migration is ridiculous.  It’s like all those people who whinge that Kiwis come here and bludge on the dole - they havent been able to that for ten years now, but lets not that stop someone snarking about bludging Kiwis.

      Obviously I dont work in IT (but my husband does and the only poorly paid ones I see in his company are the ones with overseas qualifications); and I dont work in trades or hairdressing - but I have never found an employer who would prefer someone with an overseas qualification and English as a second language over a locally qualified, Australian born candidate. 

      What I have seen is a myriad of young, educated people with ‘entitlement issues’ - they want to work when they want to, want to be paid what they want to be paid and want to be promoted as quickly as possible.  They dont actually want to do that much work.  In fact if they are asked to work, they just resign and head off to a new job - safe in the knowledge that there is always more work out there.

      Maybe there isnt a skills shortage out there - but there is a hell of a shortage of people with a good work ethic, loyalty towards their employer and a good old fashioned can do attitude.  Maybe THAT is what we are importing…

    • Greg says:

      01:07am | 21/01/11

      It’s amazing that somebody who is so much more intelligent than all of us ignorant Aussies is forced to take a low pay job with high staff turnover that nobody else wants.

    • DanieL says:

      10:26am | 20/01/11

      *Dey took arrr jerbs!!!*

      Reply

    • Levi says:

      03:43am | 21/01/11

      good job man. To quote south park really shows the depth of intellectual complexity that the left contains

    • Jim says:

      10:50am | 20/01/11

      The ‘skills shortage’ term has been used now for a few years. I find it a terribly generalised term; what skills are we lacking, exactly? Tradies? I can make a call right now and have 50 applicants by 4pm sitting on my desk. IT? No, there are more IT experts than there are IT problems. Builders? Seems to be plenty of them around. Forklift/FEL/HV operators? Anyone who was in industry during the 90’s has a ticket.

      Where do the numbers come from to say there’s a skill shortage? Dwindling union ranks? Downsized (rationalised) council work gangs?

      People blame my industry (mining) for taking young people away from apprenticeships in some vocations…and that’s true to some extent. But there will always be someone else to step into that role. And with the amount of industry that has shut down over the years in this country I struggle to believe there is a shortage of skilled workers.

      More likely it’s disinterested workers - I know several people who were on a very good wicket as tradies, were laid off when the place they worked at went belly up, and now refuse to look at similar roles because they pay a more realistic amount.

      Reply

    • Bob H says:

      11:30am | 20/01/11

      The real skills shortage is for industry specialists. Guys and Gals who move around the globe well rewarded and pampered because they are highly sought after and any country needs to bring these skills in.  Bringing hairdressers and the like into Australia on the basis of a skills shortage is govt departments showing they are unable to cope with detail.

      Reply

    • Harquebus says:

      12:28pm | 20/01/11

      I am with you on this one Kelvin.

      Reply

    • hot tub political machine says:

      01:54pm | 20/01/11

      Well, it ain’t gonna happen. Skilled migration is here to stay. Government wants it because of the revenue from the Visas. Business wants it because of the boost to productivity.

      Reply

    • Greg says:

      01:14am | 21/01/11

      No, you’re wrong.

      The Liberals want more migration to reduce labour costs and to increase big business profits.

      The ALP want mor immigrants to assist with ethnic branch stacking and to promote divisive race politics..

    • hot tub political machine says:

      11:14am | 21/01/11

      Whichever of us is right the result is t he same though Greg.

      Skilled migration is here for a long time if not permanent.

    • heather says:

      02:16pm | 20/01/11

      There is no shortage of skilled labour, just a shortage of cheap labour. Many big companies and recruiters regularly advertise, and receive hundreds of qualified applicants, but reject all of them, then apply for 457 visas to hire o/seas workers. This practice is rife in many industries. However, part of the issue is also related to Australian workers demanding huge salaries…young graduates in particular seem to think they can start, if not at the top, at least in the middle, and be paid the same salary as someone with 10 years experience. Gotta pay for that mortgage and consumer goods somehow…

      Reply

    • ww says:

      04:18pm | 20/01/11

      Why is Gill-LIAR advertising in India?
      Why not Germany or Russia or somewhere else?
      Why is the govt targeting Indian immigration?
      Is it because they are used to much lower wages and poorer living conditions?
      How will an Indian migrants skills and training be superior to someone from Europe who also lives and works in first world conditions and has similar infrastructure?

      Reply

    • just saying.... says:

      06:07pm | 20/01/11

      As a recruiter I can assure you there is no shortage of people needing full time jobs.  I am hiring in the generalist business area. I receive 200-300 applications for any position I advertise. On average around 25-30% of all applicants are of Indian descent.

      Many Australian applicants are over 40 and are obviously struggling to get back into the workforce. I prioritize these applicants where possible.

      What is the point of allowing these skilled *questionable at best* Indian immigrants into Australia to take the jobs from Australian taxpayers who have families, financial responsibilities and ties to the community. These applicants who are crying out for options for re-skilling / retraining to secure ANY job they can get?

      We don’t need anymore Indian workers. We need to recognize the transferable skill sets present in our existing pool of applicants.

      In the UK 2 out of 3 jobs are filled by NON British workers (migrants, skilled migrants and and EU migration).
      The flow on effect in the UK is that now 20% of people aged 16-24 are unemployed (one in five or one million people)

      Is this what Gillard is trying to achieve here too because it’s well on the way?

      Reply

    • Janet says:

      07:15pm | 20/01/11

      Kevin, I have a few questions.

      I haven’t researched the statistics, but what percentage is skilled immigration of total immigration?  If you don’t want a ‘Big Australia’, you should mention immigration in general in your letters to the PM. Not only the fraction that actually work, pay taxes and don’t need Centrelink support/detainee centers.

      There is nothing humanitarian whatsoever about it. Skilled immigrants can choose whether they want to stay or go. No government campaign will get skilled people to immigrate; each will do it for their own reasons. So what exactly is the problem or are you confused between refugees and skilled immigrants?

      At the expense of skilling (or educating rather) and training young Australians ... Maybe it is their (the young Australians) choice and not because of skilled immigration? Why do you want to go to university, if you could do a trade and get paid more sooner, or when you get paid to stay at home and/or get babies, or why do you want to earn more just to pay more tax? If there were Australians to do the job …

      And what about unemployment in Broadmeadows? In Australia it is 5%. Unemployment in Broadmeadows needs to be addressed, but it is definitely not that high because of skilled immigrants alone, if at all.
      How exactly does the high disability pension numbers relate to skilled immigration?

      The PM wants a high participation economy and everyone who has the capacity to work, to be employed. According to you the skilled migration policy is a key policy preventing this from happening. Or could it be that the skilled migration policy is rather a result of this not being the case?

      How can you only consider immigrants ‘pressure’ on infrastructure and blissfully ignore their contribution to the Australian economy? They work, they pay taxes, they buy houses, furniture ... And their education and experience were gained by Australia at no cost.

      Again, I haven’t researched the statistics, but I can’t think that population growth due to skilled immigration is the only factor to consider if infrastructure is lacking. Please do mention the Australian population growth per year vs. the 100,000 or so of skilled immigrants coming over. And lack of planning by local, state and federal government departments. The tax paid by these skilled immigrants can foot a hefty bill to upgrade or add to existing infrastructure. So what is the problem with skilled immigrants specifically?

      And bringing the recent floods into this equation is really low. I am sure skilled immigrants are part of the volunteer teams, have donated money and will, with their skills, help to rebuild affected communities, replace carpets and getting the power back on? Surely it is not too much to ask to buy or rent a house and have access to schools and hospitals whilst positively contributing to this great country? Yet you chose to focus only on the strain they place on infrastructure. Why?

      And by the way, promotional campaigns like this have been ongoing for years. It is not new.

      The little I agree with … They need to speak English competently. The government should not waste money. And we need a Sustainable Population Strategy.

      Reply

    • Dark Horse says:

      08:30pm | 20/01/11

      I work in a prison with about 600 aborigines, most of whom cannot write their name. Many can’t even talk English, they talk Creole and a botch up of other aboriginal languages. These people will be on welfare from womb to tomb, but with a bit of additional funding and effort, could complete apprenticeships while in prison and get back into the community with a chance to earn a buck and keep out of prison.

      The vast amount of money we spend on importing foreign skilled labour, much of which is under skilled by Australian standards, could be directed towards educating and training the healthy aboriginal population that sits on its fat ass and receives handouts.

      This country lacks strategic direction. Importing all the muslims we are at present is also a recipe for conflict and disaster, but nobody seems to be learning from the lessons of Europe.

      Reply

    • Against the Man says:

      05:06am | 21/01/11

      Dark Horse, I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times. Gillard does not care about the future of Australia or what is best for this country. She has zero personal or professional investment in this country. Wake up Australia, it is time to turf her out!

    • YYR says:

      05:58am | 21/01/11

      Sorry but i simply don’t believe in the so called ‘skills shortage’
      There is now enough evidence to show that the aging population is also a load of BS.

      This society is under more and more pressure to provide services for all these new arrivals. Can’t Australia learn anything form what’s going on in Europe and especially from the UK with regard to immigration?

      Gillard is right on track to provide a “big Australia”. Her wishy washy rhetoric about a ‘sustainable’ Australia is nothing but a delay tactic whilst the immigration continues thick and fast. There are more than enough Australians here right now who need full time employment.

      Reply

    • Emeritus Professor says:

      02:43pm | 21/01/11

      Australia is already over populated.  At 12 Million Australia was considered a great country with a strong economy, a high standards of living, low crime rate, and honest politicians.

      Now at 22 Million we find that our standard of living has declined dramatically, the economy is shot to ribbons,  the crime rate has increased exponentially, and most politicians are blatently dishonest.

      Until recently we struggled to find enought water for the population, but that has now been solved (not by the Government), however food is the major problem.

      Instead of looking overseas for so called migrants, we should be developing our own people to fill the gaps.  Many so called skilled migrants actually displace Australian workers from their jobs, as happened to me at Curtin University.  The Government has done nothing to compensate me or to address inadequacy of their policies.

      Reply

    • SoylentGreen says:

      05:47pm | 21/01/11

      The skills shortage is rubbish. If mining has to slow down a little then GOOD.
      Leave something for the kids to dig up.
      The corps just want a captive cheap supply of workers. I don’t understand anyone who cannot see this.

      @Emeritus Prof

      Totally agree with you. I also work at a Uni and I am seeing what you describe.

      Reply

    • jason says:

      12:17am | 27/01/11

      “Third, the extent of the recent floods means we will have our work cut out rebuilding and repairing damaged infrastructure.  This is no time to be trying to be trying to meet the additional infrastructure requirements of a rapidly increasing population.”

      Isn’t the floods the reason we need skilled migration? we will need a lot of people ready to hit the ground running to rebuild. Plus Australia is under populated really.. we need to look at population control as a global issue.

      Here we have safe access to abortion and contraception and I would say that someone in Australia is more likely to be able to control when and how many babies they have than in a poorer country.

      I see this as a way of controlling population on a global scale.

      Reply

    • Adamsky says:

      08:07am | 22/03/11

      No we will not need a lot of people to “hit the ground running” because that just means that in addition for tax payers having to fork out money for the re-construction, they will have to also fork out money for more housing and infrastructure for the new “skilled immigrants”. The big business that is “crying out” for skill labour will not foot the bill for this infrastructure, it will be ordinary Australians who will see a loss on their investment since they will have to compete for scarce housing (already the most expensive in the world) and jobs. Taxpayer money could be better spent on science, education and innovation as an alternative way to create economic growth. Also Australia is not under-populated really. If you only look at space, then sure we could fit about 3 billion people here. But if you look at food, water, and all the other resources needed to sustain a larger population, then there are already too many people here. Australia has less arable land than France and it is the driest continent on Earth. if you don’t believe me, ask the CSIRO which advocates less than 20 million people for Australia.

    • Adamsky says:

      10:07pm | 21/03/11

      I agree totally Kelvin. But as of now, I have never heard anyone telling the electorate what do to stop population growtht? As far as population growth is concerned there is no democracy. Please tell us what to do to influence the policy to reduce population growth.

      Reply
 
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