Albanese promises ‘Australian jobs first’

The Opposition leader says Australia has been too reliant on overseas workers as he pitches Labor as the party that will prioritise jobs for locals.

Labor Leader Anthony Albanese. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

Anthony Albanese says Australia has been too reliant on overseas workers as he pitches Labor as the party that will prioritise jobs for locals as the nation recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Writing in The Australian, the Opposition Leader identified labour shortages as the biggest issue raised during his recent 10-day tour of Queensland.

Mr Albanese’s tour focused on regional seats in north and central Queensland – including coalmining towns – that swung heavily against Bill Shorten at the 2019 election.

His “train locals first” push comes a month after the Labor leader refused to back the government’s plan to bring permanent migration back to 160,000 a year.

But business leaders have called for the annual permanent ­migration cap to be increased from 160,000 to 190,000- 200,000 in response to labour market pressures and employers struggling to find skilled workers and lock in long-term investment.

Mr Albanese told News Corp in December that “migration has always played an important role in the economy and will continue to in the recovery, but it’s important we take this opportunity to get the mix right”.

Writing in The Australian on Wednesday, Mr Albanese says Australia has relied for too long on temporary migrant workers rather than training locals, as he accelerates Labor’s shift against high immigration levels since then prime minister Kevin Rudd backed a “big Australia” in 2009.

“The lesson (is) clear: Australia is too reliant on overseas workers,” he writes.

“When Covid closed our borders, thousands of Australian businesses suddenly lost access to temporary visa holders.

“Just about every business operator I met, but particularly in tourism and hospitality, reported difficulty finding staff. From Cairns and Airlie Beach in the north and all the way down the Bruce Highway, labour shortages are acting as a handbrake on Australia’s economic recovery.

“The tourists are starting to return and the businesses are ambitious to get back to work. But many can’t find enough staff to operate at full capacity, even without the absenteeism caused by the Omicron variant.”

Mr Albanese writes the pandemic has “magnified” Australia’s problems with skill shortages in industries such as nursing, aged care, science and engineering. “This is an economic weakness we must confront if we are to rebuild our economy so it is more resilient and vibrant than it was when the pandemic hit,” he says.

“The Morrison government must urgently work more closely with industry leaders and unions to get these sectors moving again.

“But the long-term solution is to train more Australians to meet our own labour needs. It’s extraordinary that we have a skills shortage at the same time as two million Australians are either unemployed or underemployed.

“There are 85,000 fewer Australians in apprenticeships and traineeships than when the Liberals and Nationals were elected.”

In a pitch to blue-collar workers, Mr Albanese declared he had policies to train Australians and increase employment in the manufacturing sector.

“In December, I announced Labor’s Made in Australia Skills policy, our plan to work with state governments to rebuild the TAFE system, provide 465,000 free TAFE courses and create 20,000 new university places in areas of skill shortage,” he said.

“Skilling up Australians will give … more opportunities and make it easier for businesses to expand. It will also build a workforce to drive the development of new industries that will drive prosperity for decades to come.”

Two years ago, opposition home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally drew internal criticism for warning Australian workers could be harmed by high levels of temporary migration.

“We must make sure Australians get a fair go and a first go at jobs,” she said in an opinion piece for the Nine newspapers.

“Our post-Covid economic recovery must ensure Australia shifts away from its increasing reliance on a cheap supply of overseas, temporary labour.”