Border control can be a dog leash or a velvet rope for migrant workers

Yoga instructors, martial artists and dog handlers have beaten some construction workers to a spot on the nation’s draft priority skills list for migrants, an achievement that may well reflect society’s changing priorities but stretches credulity.

Despite the nation’s housing crisis, yogis, martial artists and dog handlers are among the occupations to have beaten construction trades to a spot on a draft priority skills list.Credit: Getty Images, Sam Mooy

Not that we would wish to denigrate such lifestyle or wellness occupations, but governments around Australia have been united in their belief that the cost-of-living crisis can partly be addressed by building more homes and apartments to relieve the national housing and rental crisis.

But Angus Thompson’s exclusive report in the Herald reveals the latest list of occupations that can be fast-tracked into the country includes wellness professionals, as well as doctors, electricians and jewellery designers. Meanwhile, many tradespeople who are key to the government’s home-building pledge, but who are also in short supply, need further consultation before being ruled in or out.

The Albanese government’s Jobs and Skills Australia agency has released three draft lists for occupations relating to a new core-skills migration stream: those it is confident should be on or off the list, and those requiring more consultation: Yogis and martial artists are on the roll call, and so too are electricians, carpenters and joiners and civil engineers. But painters, roof tilers, stonemasons and other tradespeople needed to address the housing crisis have been targeted for consultation.

The government already faces a shortfall of 90,000 construction workers to meet its target of 1.2 million new homes by the end of the decade. The dire situation has been further underscored by a new report showing Australia now ranked 22 out of 33 OECD countries in providing housing.

According to Home Affairs figures, the government granted 10,540 visas to tradies in 2022-23, and is on track to surpass that this year.

But BuildSkills Australia, an agency commissioned by the Albanese government to help solve Australia’s housing workforce crisis, said in a submission on the core skills list that boosting the proportion of migrant construction workers would rebalance the effect arrivals had on housing demand. BuildSkills head of research Rob Sobyra would not advocate for a particular intake level, but suggested upping the proportion to 10 per cent would mean 19,000 tradespeople would contribute to supply. Asked whether that meant yoga instructors out and construction workers in, Sobyra replied: “Yeah, pretty much as simple as that.”

For too many years, with unemployment relatively high, governments have been able to relegate skills policy to a second-tier priority. Funding was cut from TAFE programs. Apprenticeships in building trades withered and Australia is now paying the price.

In last month’s budget, Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor announced more than $90 million to train more building sector tradies as well as fast-tracking skills assessments for thousands of overseas workers already in Australia. The allocation included $265.1 million over four years for the Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System to continue supporting apprentices in priority occupations. Under the revised Australian Apprenticeship Incentive System, apprentices undertaking training in priority occupations will be eligible for $5000 to assist with the cost of living and finish training, while employers taking on apprentices in priority occupations will be eligible for $5000 to subsidise costs associated with employing apprentices.

Parliament is divided over the role of migration in housing affordability, with a debate over who qualifies for the overseas skills list incongruously being fought at the same time as the government strives to cut new arrivals from overseas while increasing the supply of homes. In any case, the budget adjustments to apprenticeship systems will take many years to make any meaningful impact. Yet the government has a ready-made tool to address the tradie shortfall: Raise the intake of migrant building and construction workers – and do it now to have an immediate impact on alleviating the housing crisis.

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