Legislative Council, Wednesday 19 October 2022

Ms FORREST question to LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT, Mrs HISCUTT

With regard to Federal immigration and Visa processing delays in areas of workforce shortage and need:

1 What are the current areas of workforce shortage or need;

2 Does State government sponsorship enable more timely assessment and processing; and
a. If so, how many applicants are being currently sponsored by the State; and
b. In which workforce areas?

3 What is the State government doing to assist local businesses and industries in desperate need for workers ahead of the busy tourist and agricultural season to ensure workers waiting for Visa’s are not unduly delayed?

Answers:

1 Workforce shortages have developed in Tasmania largely because of Australian border entry restrictions which significantly reduced temporary migration to Australia from 2020 to early 2022.
Shortages exist across industries and skill levels and are not focussed in any particular area. This is a similar experience to other Australian states and territories as well as overseas.

2 An application nominated under the Tasmanian skilled migration state nomination program does not necessarily enable faster visa processing at the federal level. Visa processing timeframes and priorities are determined by the Australian Government.

3 It is widely acknowledged that there is no single solution to solve this complex problem. That said, the Tasmanian Government is working with industry to develop and coordinate a range of new initiatives and projects to support workforce development. Migration is being considered as one avenue to address the skills need.

The Tasmanian Government is working with industry to ensure that agricultural processing, packing, picking and animal management activities continue.

To assist industry to respond to impacts of COVID-19, the Tasmanian Government has supported a local agricultural jobs campaign “Tassie Harvest Jobs – Take Your Pick” to encourage Tasmanians to consider new jobs and careers in the sector. More locals than ever have responded by taking up jobs in agriculture. A successful marketing and social media campaign continues to encourage more local residents to take up jobs in the leadup to 2022-23 harvest.

The Tasmanian Government has also been working closely with the tourism and hospitality sector to explore a range of initiatives to assist employers to address workforce challenges, including for the upcoming summer season.