THE Australian government has committed to increase the nation’s annual migration cap amid the current skills and labour shortage crisis.

Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil said today that the permanent skilled migration rate for this financial year had been set at 160,000 places, and the new Labor government would increase that number to 195,000, reported Xinhua.

Speaking on day two of the government’s Jobs and Skills summit, O’Neil said “almost everyone” agreed an increase in migration was needed to address labour shortages.

“I want to emphasise that one of Labor’s priorities is to move away from the focus on short-term migrants, towards permanency, citizenship and nation building,” she said.

Regional areas will welcome 34,000 new migrants for this year – an increase of 9,000 from the previous cap.

Extra places will also be allocated for healthcare workers, tech sector workers and workers with skills needed to deliver critical infrastructure.

The government today also announced about A$36 million (RM110 million) in funding to help clear the backlog of visa applications.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australian employers had become too reliant on temporary migrants.

“There’s also consensus that it’s not just about the numbers, but it’s about the make-up of our migration system, that we need to move towards more permanent migration rather than a reliance on temporary labour,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation television. – Bernama, September 2, 2022.