As a niche sector requiring specialised skills, the spatial sector heavily relies on skilled migration to support industry and community with innovative, location-based solutions. However, last week the Australian federal government announced plans to tighten controls on skilled migration, threatening to cut this valuable source of skilled spatial workers.
Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull’s controversial announcement included news that the Temporary Work visa for skilled workers (subclass 457 visa) will be replaced with a Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa. The TSS visa will be comprised of a short-term stream of up to two years, and a medium-term stream of up to four years.
In response, the Spatial Industries Business Association/Geospatial Information and Technology Association (SIBA|GITA) is urging spatial businesses to consider what impact the changes will have to individual practices and to the spatial industry more broadly.
The association has called on its member organisations to share their views in an online survey. The information will help SIBA|GITA to quantify industry impacts resulting from the changes and, if necessary, express these concerns at a government level.
We need to know how these changes impact our industry, and what action we can take to ensure spatial businesses continue to have access to a skilled workforce,” said SIBA|GITA CEO Deanna Hutchinson.
“The changes likely to have the most impact on the spatial industry include removal of certain eligible occupations from the program effective immediately for new applications,” Hutchinson explained. “This includes hydrographic surveyors, surveying and spatial science technicians.”
A full list of occupations that are affected by the changes is available from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
The changes also include new requirements for workers, such as higher English language skills and further scrutiny of character, work experience and criminal history.
There will also be new requirements for employers, including labour market testing, training contributions and minimum market salary.
Details of the changes, including constraints on the existing 457 visa will be introduced progressively between now and March 2018. The impact of these changes and the results of SIBA/GITA’s survey will be reported here at Spatial Source as details emerge.
