New migration strategy to fast track regional worker processing

The working holidaymaker visa program will be put under review next year, as part of the federal government’s new 10-year migration strategy.

The working holidaymaker visa program that has provided a crucial pipeline of agriculture workers for almost two decades will be reviewed by the federal government next year.

Labor’s 10-year migration strategy, released Monday, also revealed that, while the nation’s migration numbers would be curbed to “sustainable” levels in coming years, it would make migrants sponsored by employers in regional Australia “its top visa processing priority”.

The Albanese government will also create a new temporary “skills in demand” four-year visa to attract highly-skilled and paid workers, particularly in growth areas such as green technology.

In replacing the existing temporary skill shortage visa, the new program will also match “core skills” of middle-income tier applicants against the job market in Australia and open an “essential skills” pathway to address labour shortages in lower income brackets.

Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil. Picture: John Grainger

“This new visa will give workers more opportunity to move employers and will provide clear pathways to permanent residence for those who want to pursue them,” the strategy said.

However, while the government ignored a recommendation to limit the working holidaymaker visa to one year, it flagged the program as an area for “future reform”.

The WHM program allows young adults from partner countries to extend 12-month visas for a second year by undertaking 88 days of specified work in regional Australia, and for a third year by working for six months.

However, the government will open a consultation early next year to investigate the effectiveness of regional migration settings, pointing to multiple inquiries finding the specified work requirements are “a key driver of exploitation”.

“The government will analyse the importance of the program in meeting labour shortages in regional Australia, especially in horticulture,” it said.

“However, a historical reliance on working holidaymakers has not always supported positive workforce outcomes for the agriculture sector.”

Backpackers, Ellie Hudson and Luke Pannett of England in a potato farm near Roseworthy. Photo: Roy VanDerVegt

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said the government wanted to align its regional migration strategy with other government work, such as the infrastructure investment program and “our net-zero transition”, and to “design out” migrant worker exploitation.

The 25-point strategy aims to better manage the flow of migrants to place less burden on infrastructure and social services, principally by clamping down on foreign student and graduate visa applications and restricting “onshore visa hopping”.

Meanwhile, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government’s mid-year economic and fiscal outlook would report a record net migration of 510,000 last financial year, many of those backpackers and workers on temporary visas who extended their time in Australia.

The government’s modelling is for migrant numbers to fall to 250,000 in 2025.

The strategy follows a review by former public servant Martin Parkinson, released in April, which reported the visa system was “broken”.

Meanwhile, the strategy also dampened hopes Labor would step outside the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme for low-skilled workers, by saying the region would continue to be its “guiding principle” in filling labour shortages.