Now the Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke has come under pressure to release numbers allocated for permanent migration. This is amid warnings that the delay has stalled a critical skilled visa program. We know that. You know this government has talked about cutting immigration numbers, but none of that has actually happened. To talk to us more about this, the Shadow Minister Shadow Minister for Immigration and Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Paul Scarr joins us. Paul, Good Morning.
Senator Scarr
Good morning. Stephen, good to be with you.
Stephen Cenatiempo
My understanding here is, is that we don’t actually know what’s happening, do we? Because we don’t have any clear numbers on how many people are coming in and whether or not we’re meeting our targets on this skilled visa program.
Senator Scarr
That’s exactly right, Stephen, there’s been radio silence from the government since the election, and it’s now three months since the federal election, and the government still hasn’t released the numbers for the skilled migration program.
Stephen Cenatiempo
I guess the problem here is, is that a lot of these figures kind of meld into each other and can hide shortages in one area with increased numbers in some other area.
Senator Scarr
Yeah. Look, I think that’s right, Stephen, it’s something we need to consider, because there are specific occupations where we have a great shortage of people who we need in order to build the economy, in order to provide services. So we’re talking about people like carpenters. We’re talking about cardiac surgeons. We’re talking about skills like that, where there is a shortage, and in some cases, a particular shortage in the regions. But at the moment, the government hasn’t been transparent. It hasn’t been on the front foot in telling us what the figures actually are for the 25/26 year. So people are actually flying blind in terms of making applications. Potentially, if you’re a carpenter and you’re interested in coming to Australia, and we know we need more carpenters to build more homes, then you don’t really know whether or not you should be making an application to come to Australia, or whether or not you should go to Canada, New Zealand or somewhere else.
Stephen Cenatiempo
So it’s not just total numbers here. We actually need a breakdown per individual skill as well,
Senator Scarr
Exactly Stephen. So we need to be open and transparent with the Australian people with respect to our migration program. We need to also be fair with respect to applicants. So if you’re a cardiac surgeon, you’re looking potentially to move from the UK to somewhere else to start a new life, then you need to know whether or not, does Australia want me to make an application, or do I go to Canada, or do I go to New Zealand, or do I go somewhere else, so the system needs to work efficiently. And at the moment, we’ve just got absolutely no transparency. And to be frank, the excuses coming out of the government are absolutely feeble. So they’re basically saying, they’re basically saying, Well, we’re still considering it.
Stephen Cenatiempo
So Paul, is the inference here that they don’t actually have a plan, or they just don’t want us to know who they’re bringing in and in what quantities.
Senator Scarr
Well, it could well be a combination, Stephen, it could well be a combination. And the fact of the matter is, we just don’t know. But we’re in a situation where the current migration year has commenced and they haven’t told us what the figures are. All we’ve been told is, oh, the figures from last year apply until we release the new figures. And to be frank, that’s just not good enough.
Stephen Cenatiempo
Absolutely extraordinary. Paul, I appreciate your time this morning.
Senator Scarr
Good on you. Thank you. Stephen.
