Special visas deal to lure more migrant workers to fill Warrnambool jobs gap

Foreign tradies and farmers will descend on Victoria’s southwest coast after a major coastal city was given a special new power to recruit overseas workers.

Warrnambool is set to lure more migrant workers under a special new power.

Foreign tradies and farmers will descend on Victoria’s southwest coast with the Warrnambool City Council to be given a special new power to recruit overseas workers.

Hundreds of visas will be tied to living in the area as part of a major push to attract new migrants to the region.

VISA REJECTIONS ON THE RISE

TOP MELBOURNE POSTCODES TARGETED BY ILLEGAL INVESTORS

The Herald Sun can reveal Immigration Minister David Coleman will on Monday announce the Great South Coast region as the first area outside the Northern Territory to be given the special sponsorship power.

The five-year agreement between the council and the Morrison Government will apply to a range of different jobs in agriculture, hospitality, meat processing, dairy and retail.

The agreement applies to a range of different jobs in multiple industries, including dairy. Picture: Andy Rogers

It will give local businesses the chance to recruit from a broader range of foreign workers than is available under Australia’s existing skilled migration programs.

The move comes as Victoria’s southwest has been facing a major skills shortage, with up to 1000 jobs currently vacant across the region.

Mr Coleman said the government was ready to send foreign workers to the region where Australian workers were not available to fill the jobs.

“The government is working to improve our immigration program to better match the needs of specific locations,” Mr Coleman said.

“In particular, we are looking closely at ways of filling employment gaps in regional areas. The Great South Coast region has been calling out for workers for some time.”

The move aims to take pressure off Melbourne’s swelling population. Picture: Hamish Blair

The new power is part of a push to fill shortages in the regions, as well as take pressure off Melbourne and Sydney which are battling with a surge in population. The program has already started in the Northern Territory.

Local businesses will be able to sign up to the program and start sponsoring workers from early next year — with the requirement they be endorsed by the council and approved by the Department of Home Affairs.

AUSTRALIA NOT BRINGING IN RIGHT WORKERS

Warrnambool Mayor Tony Herbert said the agreement was a great initiative to help overcome skill shortages in the area and it could be a pathway to permanent residency.

The Morrison government is currently in discussions with other regions around the country experiencing skill shortages, including the Pilbara and the Kalgoorlie-Boulder regions in Western Australia, Cairns in far North Queensland, and the Orana region in central NSW.

[e-mail]

@Gallo_Ways