Reforms to temporary skilled visas welcomed by national ICT body

THE ACS, the professional association for Australia’s ICT sector, today welcomed changes to skilled migration policy in Australia, following the Turnbull Government’s plans to abolish the Subclass 457 Visa in favour of a new Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa, as a measure to address genuine skills shortages in Australia[1].

The aim of the new TSS Visa is to ensure Australian workers have priority to Australian jobs, while at the same time ensuring Australian businesses have access to temporary and critically needed talent.

ACS president Anthony Wong said, “Strengthening labour market testing was one of ACS’ key recommendations in our May 2014 submission to the Independent Review of Integrity in the subclass 457 programme[2]. We are pleased to see this is a key focus in the Prime Minister’s announcement.”

The new TSS Visa will include a strengthened training obligation for employers sponsoring foreign skilled workers to provide enhanced training outcomes for Australians in high-need industries and occupations.

“While labour market testing and training benchmarks have previously existed in the 457 Visa framework, we see tightened criteria under a TSS programme as an important signal that the Turnbull Government understands the need to treat Australia’s human capital as a strategic asset as we expedite our transition to the digital and knowledge-based economies,” Wong said.

Mr Wong further added, “Skilled migration in all its forms should be a source of competitive advantage for any country.  It should never be at the expense of the domestic labour market and attracting full workforce participation.”

The implementation of the new reforms is expected to be completed in March 2018.

About the ACS 

The ACS is the professional association for Australia's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Over 22,000 ACS members work in business, education, government and the community. The ACS exists to create the environment and provide the opportunities for members and partners to succeed. The ACS strives for ICT professionals to be recognised as drivers of innovation in our society, relevant across all sectors, and to promote the formulation of effective policies on ICT and related matters. Visit www.acs.org.au for more information.

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