I acknowledge that we are on the land of the Jagera and the Turrbal people, and I pay my respects to Elders past and present. I also extend those respects to any First Nations people here today.

Thank you to the Migration Institute of Australia, and its national president, Reuben Saul, for the kind invitation to be here at your national conference.

For more than 30 years the MIA has been a key professional association for registered migration agents, working in partnership with my Department across many aspects of the immigration portfolio.

The government values the work MIA does to uphold the integrity and reputation of Registered Migration Agents (RMAs), as well as the important role that RMAs play in assisting their clients to access Australia’s visa programs.

RMAs facilitate the migration of people with the right skills and qualifications that Australia needs to address labour shortages – and more about that shortly. They also help reunite families and assist genuine applicants seeking to enter or stay in Australia.

The representation of RMAs by the MIA provides meaningful input and feedback that helps shape and improve government programs.

For nearly 18 months the government has been holding quarterly meetings with the Executive of the MIA to discuss key issues raised by your members across a wide range of topics.

These have included:

• Clarification of policy and program settings
• Updates on outcomes from reviews, such as the Parkinson and Nixon reviews
• Concerns about how particular cohorts are being managed, including those affected by particular court proceedings
• Receiving feedback more broadly on our proposed reform agenda.

Strong relationships with key stakeholders like yourselves is important for the government — especially as reforms are implemented — so thank you for all your cooperation and advice.

Of course, the vast majority of RMAs do the right thing and are the first line of support for vulnerable people, including those genuinely seeking asylum, employment and a high quality education in Australia.

The government appreciates your work and your professionalism.

But there are gaps within current legislation that are unfortunately exploited by some people.

The Rapid Review into the Exploitation of Australia’s Visa System (the Nixon Review) found that that a small, but highly organised group of RMAs are abusing the Australian visa system to facilitate human trafficking, foreign worker exploitation and modern slavery practices. It made several recommendations on how to reform the migration advice industry.

The Nixon Review also noted that bad actors, including those unlawfully providing immigration assistance, were contributing to the exploitation of the visa system.

In response to these recommendations, the Department is developing legislation to strengthen the powers of the Office of the Migration Agent Regulatory Authority (OMARA).

We have already begun consultation with the MIA on some of the proposed measures and will consult further as the drafting of the new Bill is finalised.

OMARA will continue to support you in its regulatory capacity to maintain the professionalism and integrity of the industry – because, as you all know, migration is so important to Australia.

For too long, Australia has not had a clear and evidence-based migration strategy.

As a result, migration policies have lacked direction and purpose, and migration has been unresponsive to Australia’s needs.

We are determined to rectify the legacy of mismanagement left by the previous government, including an overwhelming visa backlog, shortcomings in international education, and widespread visa system abuses.

To investigate why and how this came about, the government asked Dr Martin Parkinson to conduct a wholesale review of Australia’s migration system.

The 2023 Parkinson Review found that our previous migration system was “broken”.

Regarding migration, Dr Parkinson said:

“The objectives of the program are unclear, and successive governments and policymakers have responded to challenges through piecemeal reforms which have not addressed fundamental underlying issues.”

The government is determined to fix our migration system and ensure that it works to benefit all Australians.

That includes reforming our skilled migration system to drive long term prosperity, addressing shortcomings in international education, and taking action on visa system abuses.

Using the recommendations of the 2023 Parkinson Review, the government has developed a migration strategy that includes a clear vision for migration in Australia and a well-defined set of objectives to achieve our goals.

These are:

• Raising living standards by boosting productivity, meeting skills shortages and supporting exports
• Ensuring a fair go in the workplace by complementing the jobs, wages and conditions of domestic workers and preventing migrant worker exploitation
• Building stronger communities by better planning for sustainable migration, and giving migrants the opportunity to invest in their lives in Australia through permanent residence and citizenship
• Strengthening international relationships by building stronger economic and social connections with our regional neighbours and international partners
• Making the system work by being fast, efficient and fair for migrants and employers.

Under each one of these objectives there are key actions that the government is taking to ensure that our migration system delivers a net benefit to Australia.

To promote economic growth and productivity we must ensure Australian businesses can invest in additional production and capacity to deliver goods and services.

For too long, labour shortages have been a handbrake on growth, with businesses unable to flourish due to the unavailability of the skills and labour needed to drive expansion.

Under the previous Coalition Government, migrant labour grew but there was no plan regarding location and types of skills required, very little industry input to decision making and assessment of skills needed.

The result was labour shortages in key industries, persistent shortages in regional areas, and an under-investment in vocational training that has made the problem worse. All of these things were made worse by COVID.

The Albanese Labor Government has developed a plan to fix this skills shortage over the next decade.

The priority for skills development must be to train more Australians in the industries where skills are needed into the future.

The national economies that will thrive in the future will be those that have the skill base to support investment in innovation and emerging technology such as artificial intelligence and a net zero economy.

To meet this challenge, investment in education and vocational training must be the priority, and it is for the government.

That’s why we have invested an additional $2.5 billion in vocational and tertiary training through policies such as Fee-Free TAFE, funding 1400 additional university places in STEM based courses and introducing a payment of $319.50 per week for students required to take on practical placements as part of their course.

Importantly, we are planning for the skills needs of the future through the creation of Jobs and Skills Australia – an industry centric body through which employers, business peaks, unions and government work together to ensure that government policy is responsive to industry needs, and to provide a springboard for growth into the future.

While training more Australians to acquire the skills needed, we will still require a level of migrant labour to ensure full economic potential for industry.

For too long, the skilled migration system has been cumbersome and unresponsive to the needs of employers.

We are reforming the temporary and permanent skilled migration pathways to ensure employers get the skilled workers they need as quickly as possible.

This will be achieved through a new Skills in Demand visa with three targeted pathways – a new specialist skills pathway to attract highly skilled workers, a core skills pathway with simpler, regularly updated occupation lists, and new visa settings that give migrant workers more mobility in the labour market.

In the permanent skilled pathway, we are consulting on reform of the points test to better identify migrants who will drive long-term prosperity.

The government is working to introduce the National Innovation visa (or NIV) to drive productivity growth in sectors of national importance.

This new visa will create a single, streamlined pathway to Australia for highly talented migrants who can make significant contributions that will benefit Australia’s future prosperity.

The visa will be aimed at both established and emerging leaders to ensure Australia attracts migrants from across the world who will help create jobs and drive investment in the Australian economy.

Along with the government’s broader reforms, such as the new Specialist Skills Pathway, the NIV will drive growth in sectors of national importance and attract highly talented migrants to Australia, including high performing entrepreneurs, innovative investors and global researchers.

This will be a small, exclusive program with an increased focus on high-calibre talented migrants. It will support productivity growth by enabling migrants with skills in areas such as advanced robotics, quantum computing, and clean energy to come to Australia.

The NIV will be introduced by the end of this year.

A big focus of our government is reforming regional migration settings to ensure that regional employers get the workers they need as quickly as possible.

To achieve this, we have already designated regional visa processing as the highest priority.

We have commenced an evaluation of regional migration settings, including the Working Holiday Maker program, to ensure it supports development objectives in regional Australia and does not contribute to the exploitation of migrant workers.I acknowledge the MIAs detailed submission responding to the discussion paper released in June this year.

The Albanese Labor Government is restoring integrity to our immigration system through several important reforms.

We are implementing limits on international student enrolments and encouraging international students to study at regional universities and vocational training institutions.

This will ensure that we strengthen our international education reputation and maintain the delivery of quality tertiary education outcomes. It will also allow for proper planning for student housing to ultimately take pressure off the rental market.

We are also tackling exploitation of visa holders and misuse of the system by allowing mobility between employers for migrants who experience exploitation at work.

The government is also cracking down on visa-hopping, through which temporary visa holders seek to manipulate the system by hopping from one visa to another over long periods.

Our immigration system should also ensure that we strengthen ties with our neighbours within our region, particularly the Pacific.

To achieve this, we have reformed the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, and we are delivering a new Pacific engagement visa to encourage more mobility from our region.

We will also ensure that our migration system is responsive to our nation’s needs in the future by working with the states and territories to plan migration over a longer timeframe. This will include ensuring that migration planning is based on the best available population forecasts and data.

Our new Migration Strategy is bringing migration back to sustainable levels, ensuring we have the skills we need for the future and, ultimately, making sure the system is working in the interests of all Australians.

Australia once again has a coherent and robust plan for migration that will meet the needs of these times.

It’s a plan that’s based on the best available demographic and economic data.

It’s a plan that responds to the needs of industry to ensure employers have the skilled workers they need to grow their businesses.

It’s a plan that builds integration by new arrivals into Australian society to promote social cohesion.

It’s a plan that reduces manipulation of the system and exploitation of people.

And most importantly, it’s a plan that will deliver economic and social benefits for all Australians.

Our migration system should never be a substitute for upskilling local workers, but a well-targeted migration system can help better connect skilled migrants to Australia’s skills needs.

This will contribute to productivity growth.

And productivity growth is the key driver of real wage growth and rising living standards over the long term, so getting these settings right can make a real difference to everyone.

We now have a plan to ensure migration delivers benefits for all Australians, and I thank you all for helping the government to put that plan together and to put it into effect.

I also thank you for being willing to play your part in Australia’s continued and future success.

Thank you.

ENDS