1.2 million homes needed, but construction workers not yet on ‘core skills’ visa list

Plumbers, bricklayers, cabinetmakers and other tradespeople needed to tackle Australia’s housing crisis have not yet made the cut on the federal government’s list of core occupations for its new skills-in-demand visa, despite pleas from the construction industry to make it easier to recruit from overseas.

As part of the government’s December 2023 migration strategy, which aims to halve net migration from 510,000 within two years, Jobs and Skills Australia has been asked to categorise occupations that will be eligible for the “core skills occupations list”.

Migrants who are plumbers, roof tilers and painters are at risk of not being eligible for a core skills visa.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Under the current draft, tradespeople including bricklayers, painters, roof tilers, stonemasons and cabinetmakers are listed as “targeted for consultation”, rather than guaranteed a spot on the core skills list.

A case will have to be made for these occupations to be included, which Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn said was “bizarre” given the industry’s “mammoth task” of building 1.2 million homes by 2029.

In a submission to Jobs and Skills Australia, Master Builders argues that to exclude any trade or trade-related profession in building and construction at a time of critical workforce shortages “would be a failure”.

“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,” Wawn said on Tuesday.

“Bricklayers, cabinetmakers, stonemasons, painters, plasterers and roof tilers are all in shortage but have all been put on the ‘maybe’ list. If we are going to have any chance of addressing the housing crisis, this needs to change.”

A spokesperson for Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor said Jobs and Skills Australia was an independent agency and was still in the consultation process to determine which occupations would be on the final “core skills occupations list”.

“Jobs and Skills Australia will provide advice to the government on the core skills occupations list later this year,” the spokesperson said.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles retain decision-making power on the final list of trades eligible for the new visa, which will allow migrants to fill areas of skills shortage, as long as they have guaranteed annual earnings of at least $70,000, indexed annually. Successful applicants could have their visas approved in 21 days, and have their length of stay doubled to four years, with potential for permanent residency.

Coalition skills and training spokeswoman Sussan Ley accused the government of contributing to the construction shortfall.

“[Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s] failed energy and industrial relations policies were already making it harder than ever for the construction industry to build the homes Australians need, and now we see him making it even worse,” she said.

“There is a clear contrast between the Coalition, who as [Opposition Leader] Peter Dutton said in the budget reply, will place tradies who can build homes at the front of the queue, versus Anthony Albanese who is busy kicking them out of the queue.”

Earlier this month, the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council’s State of the Housing System 2024 report found the government’s target of building 1.2 million homes by 2029 would fall short by more than 250,000 due to building industry constraints, complex planning processes and lack of land.

In December, O’Neil said migrant tradies would be considered under the core skills program, but “we need to make sure it is not a free-for-all with unintended consequences for Aussies doing apprenticeships”.

However, the federal government is also under pressure to cut immigration, with the May budget forecasting a fall in net overseas migration to 395,000 this financial year and 260,000 next year and 255,000 in the subsequent year.

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