The Joint Standing Committee on Migration's sensible recommendations to the skilled migration program will boost innovation and productivity in Australian mining.
The MCA has advocated for a more agile and responsive skilled migration program to address critical skills shortages, recognise emerging occupations and remove barriers to innovation.
A dynamic national workforce plan coordinated by the Commonwealth Government would bring an integrated approach to Australia's higher education and vocational education systems, employment services and the skilled migration program.
And replacing the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations - which has failed to account for new occupations - with a new occupation and/or skills identification system is a smart reform to support greater innovation.
A single skilled migration list would reduce duplication, make the migration system easier to navigate for employers and visa applicants and allow more focus on skills planning and the development of accepted definitions of acute and persistent skills shortages.
Skilled migrants may make up less than one per cent of the resources workforce, yet are vital in meeting the workforce needs of the sector by filling critical skills gaps.
Since 2000, the minerals industry has invested more than $65 million into skills and education initiatives through the Minerals Tertiary Education Council, benefiting more than 5,500 Australians by supporting the key disciplines of mining engineering, metallurgy and minerals geoscience to deliver a pipeline of skilled professionals to the industry.
The minerals industry has also committed to create 5,000 new apprenticeships over the next few years.
While mining companies always prefer to train, hire and retain Australians, an efficient and effective skilled migration system is crucial in tackling both temporary and structural skills shortages.
The Productivity Commission has also found that skilled migration has wider benefits through enhanced productivity and innovation.
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