Matthew Guy calls for immigration system overhaul to give states more say

OPPOSITION Leader Matthew Guy is pushing a radical shake-up of immigration, which would allow Victoria to have more control over arrivals in Melbourne. This is how it would work.

THE state Opposition is pushing a radical shake-up of immigration, which would allow it to limit arrivals in Melbourne.

Victoria’s increasingly congested capital city is growing by 2700 people a week, and its population is tipped to hit eight million by 2050.

Under the points migration system, being sponsored by a state now earns skilled immigrants only five of at least 60 points they must accumulate.

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But under the Victorian Coalition policy, states would have just as much say as Canberra in assessing applications for skilled migration visas.

Under the plan, Victoria’s vetting of applicants would focus on skills, jobs, and where migrants would settle; Canberra’s would focus on identity, health and character.

If elected premier next month, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy will call for a December meeting of national and state governments to consider the change.

“Melbourne is jam-packed,” he told the Herald Sun.

“The population squeeze is putting enormous stress on our roads, public transport, schools and hospitals.

“And it’s having an impact on everyone’s quality of life.

“We believe Victoria needs a greater say in how many people come, and where they settle. “We are at bursting point because (Premier) Daniel Andrews has lost control of population growth.

“We need the right growth in the right places at the right time. We have the wrong growth, in the wrong places, at the wrong time.”

Under the Victorian Coalition policy, states would have just as much say as Canberra in assessing applications for skilled migration visas. Picture: AAP/Daniel Pockett

Victoria had about 67,000 permanent settlers in 2016-17, including 37,671 skilled arrivals, most of whom went to Melbourne, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Only 5223 skilled migrants were sponsored by the state government to live in regional areas.

Under the Coalition plan, such sponsorships would require migrants to live and work in a regional area for at least four years. They would need to provide annual evidence of compliance, and failure to do so would trigger a request for cancellation of the visa.

Dr Bob Birrell, head of the Australian Population Research Institute, said the policy was a good start to dealing with population growth.

“It’s important that Victoria challenges the federal migration program because it’s delivering extraordinarily high numbers into Melbourne and Sydney,” he said.

But he said it could result in some migrants, unable to use their skills in regional settings, bypassing Victoria entirely.

The Coalition also wants a review of the refugee and humanitarian visa process so new arrivals can be directed to regional areas needing workers.

Mr Guy accused Labor of not dealing properly with population growth, despite being in government for 15 of the last 19 years.

“Daniel Andrews and Labor should be the last ones to complain about changing the immigration system so we can catch up on infrastructure and services,” he said.

Last month, the Herald Sun revealed a state Coalition government would set up a Population Commission able to rein in housing approvals in rapidly growing suburbs. It has also pledged a $19 billion rebuild of the regional rail network.

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