Housing experts call for more tradies to be put on priority visa lists
Details of massive visa changes coming to Australia in a huge new policy has left people stunned.
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Plumbers, builders and engineers have been left off a list of skills for visas while yoga instructors and jewellery designers are in, despite the nation grappling with a housing crisis.
The government will soon make changes to its 482 visa, where migrants are sponsored in certain industries to work for Australian companies, and replace it with a new model.
One of the three new pathways will be open to anyone earning more than $70,000 and working in an occpuation on the ‘Core Skills Occupation List’ - meaning it’s in demand.
Jobs and Skills Australia - which is independent from the government and is purely advisory - has now released three draft versions for consulation with employers, grouping sets of jobs into ‘confident on’, ‘confident off’ and ‘targeted for consultation’.
Among those on the ‘confident on’ list were roles such as chief executive, construction project managers and a range of engineers – but it also includes dog handlers, martial arts and yoga instructors.
Meanwhile key trades in the housing sector were consigned to the list needing further consultation – including painters, stonemasons, bricklayers and plumbers.
It comes as the industry scrambles to meet the Australian government’s National Housing Accord target of building 1.2 million homes by 2030 – or 60,000 dwellings per quarter.
REA Group property analyst Cameron Kusher said he could not understand how yoga instructors could be ahead of tradies on the list, saying “this country is an absolute clown show some times”.
“The Federal Government announced the housing accord more than a year ago,” he said.
“In that time I’ve never met anyone in the industry who think’s we’re going to come close to these 1.2 million homes.”
He said developers would be “crying out” for more tradies and urged the government to discuss the issue with the businesses building the country’s new homes.
“To my mind there’s no housing and construction workers sitting on the sidelines doing nothing.”
The other two pathways are the Specialist Skills Pathway - where highly-skilled migrants earn $135,000 or more in any industry except trades, laborers, drivers and machinery operators - and the Essential Skills pathway - for those earning below $70,000 in some industries.
‘Bizarre’ omissions
Jobs and Skills Australia has stressed the draft lists were being released for consultation purposes only.
“It does not represent the final advice that Jobs and Skills Australia will provide to government, nor is it a decision of government,” it says.
“Some occupations where JSA has identified current skills shortages are targeted for CSOL consultation, in order for JSA to better understand from stakeholders how well both migrant and domestic workers do in the labour market, and how those worker outcomes may be affecting skills shortages.
“These include occupations such as plumbers, plasterers, bricklayers, cabinet makers, stonemasons, painters, roof tilers and chefs.”
Master Builders Australia boss Denita Wawn was disappointed that tradespeople could be carved out of the visa pathway.
“Given the industry is facing chronic labour shortages across all occupation groups and has a mammoth task of building 1.2 million homes with supporting infrastructure, all building and construction trades and related occupations must be included on the list,” she said.
Ms Wawn said it was “bizarre” that a carpenter and joiner was on the “confident” list but the separate trades or carpenter or joiner were both on the maybe list.
‘Biggest handbrake’ on housing
Analysis published on the Jobs and Skills Australia website shows there was a national shortage in plumbers, bricklayers, painters, carpenters and stonemasons in 2023.
The agency tasked with finding solutions to the industry’s workforce issues, BuildSkills Australia in March estimated 90,000 more workers were needed to meet the nation’s housing targets.
“Demand is only expected to increase as renewable energy projects ramp up, and major infrastructure commitments are delivered,” it said.
“We can only meet so much of this demand by tapping local labour pools.
“The rapid increase in demand means the sector needs to look beyond Australian borders.”
The government announced in May it would commit $90.6m to deliver 15,000 free TAFE spots and 5000 places in pre-apprenticeship programs from July 2025.
Ms Wawn said migration was a vital piece of the workforce and domestic apprenticeships alone can’t bridge the labour shortfall.
“Bricklayers, cabinet-makers, stonemasons, painters, plasters and roof tilers are all in shortage but have all been put on the ‘maybe’ list,” she said.
“If we are going to have any chance of addressing the housing crisis, this needs to change.
“The data speaks for itself; tradie shortages are the biggest handbrake on new home building at the moment, and this can’t be solved domestically alone in the short-term.”
Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor said Jobs and Skills Australia worked independently from the government and was looking at job shortages across the economy.
Originally published as Housing experts call for more tradies to be put on priority visa lists
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