Michael Sukkar MP

LABOR CAVE ON TRADIES OVER YOGA INSTRUCTORS AS SKILL SHORTAGES REMAIN HIGHER UNDER LABOR

THE HON SUSSAN LEY MP
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Shadow Minister for Industry, Skills and Training
Shadow Minister for Small and Family Business
Shadow Minister for Women
Federal Member for Farrer

THE HON MICHEAL SUKKAR MP
Shadow Minister for Social Services
Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme
Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness
Federal Member for Deakin

THE HON DAN TEHAN MP
Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Federal Member for Wannon

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

3 December 2024

LABOR CAVE ON TRADIES OVER YOGA INSTRUCTORS AS SKILL SHORTAGES REMAIN HIGHER UNDER LABOR

The Albanese Labor Government has caved to pressure from the Coalition, business groups, builders and the media, and will list critical construction tradies as eligible for priority skills visas, according to media reports today.

It remains to be seen if Labor will give construction workers access to the highest priority fast track visa – the Specialist Skills Pathway.

Labor has failed to build the homes Australians need and failed to manage an immigration system that provides the right workers to help supplement demand.

Instead, this Labor Government was putting Wushu Martial Arts and Yoga Instructors ahead of skilled workers including bricklayers, painters, roof tilers and stonemasons in the visa queue.

Labor always makes a mess out of immigration, whether it’s Andrew Giles or Tony Burke, the mess just continues to get worse.

Under Labor, one million migrants have arrived over two years and yet there are not enough homes and not enough skilled tradies to help build new homes.

The Albanese Government’s own data makes clear they have made skills shortages worse and have delivered the worst skills shortages in 50 years.

According to Jobs and Skills Australia, skills shortages have worsened since the Albanese Government took office and remain higher today than under the Coalition.

Over Labor’s first year in office from June 2022 to June 2023 skills shortages increased by 12.5 per cent and the latest data indicates 33 per cent of all occupations are in shortage, which is higher than under the Coalition.

How can Labor bring one million people to Australia and have skills shortages increase?

The updated Occupation Shortage List has confirmed Australia’s construction sector is facing national skills shortages of tradies across the board, with shortages in almost all trades in every state and territory.

Instead of helping, Labor’s migration settings to date have made it worse.

Clare O’Neil is staring at the problem of her own making in Home Affairs.

Despite Clare O’Neil talking a big game at photo-ops, her decisions as Home Affairs Minister made it harder to build homes.

She was warned by Jobs and Skills Australia as part of the Migration Strategy process that all construction trades were in shortage and that it was having a direct impact on the capacity of Australia to build houses.

Instead of responding to the acute skills shortages identified by Jobs and Skills Australia, Clare O’Neil specifically excluded tradies from the Specialist Skills Pathway, the highest priority visa. She put tradies at the bottom of the pile.

Then the Albanese Government doubled down, with its draft skilled migration list placing yoga instructors as getting priority skills processing ahead of construction workers – a decision they appear to be axing today.

Australians are experiencing a housing crisis coupled with a shortage of skilled workers, meanwhile Labor is inviting more noncritical workers – including Yoga Teachers – to apply for skills visas while excluding Tradies from being fast-tracked.

In this financial year commencing on 1 July there have only been 9 temporary skilled visa grants to Bricklayers.

Tony Burke must back up what he has briefed out to the media and list all skilled construction tradies on the Core Skills Occupations List.

ENDS