Taking action to solve the surveying and spatial skills shortage, while building international partnerships.
By Jasmine Bulman
The Australian surveying and spatial sciences sector is at a critical juncture. As chronic the skills shortage threatens to bottleneck major infrastructure, housing and construction pipelines, industry and professional bodies are stepping up their interventions.
In a bid to safeguard the profession’s capacity, Surveyors Australia has recently intensified its advocacy efforts on two major fronts: pushing back against restrictive visa application charge hikes and forging a strategic international partnership with the UK-based Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES).
Pushing back against visa price increases
In a collaborative advocacy push alongside the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), we have voiced significant concerns regarding the Federal Government’s recent increases to visa application charges.
These substantial fee hikes will act as a prohibitive barrier for businesses attempting to sponsor critical overseas talent, thereby exacerbating the already severe surveying skill shortages across the nation.
With the domestic pipeline of surveying and geospatial graduates remaining insufficient to meet the surging demand across the nation’s construction and property sectors, Australian surveying firms rely heavily on skilled migration to fill operational gaps.
Surveyors Australia and ACCI argue that imposing heavier financial burdens on businesses seeking to sponsor skilled migrants is highly counterproductive. It not only inflates project costs for small-to-medium enterprises but also risks delaying vital national infrastructure development.
Our advocacy underscores the urgent need for government policy that supports, rather than penalises, the importation of essential surveying expertise.
Closer ties with international surveying bodies
Simultaneously, while addressing immediate legislative and cost barriers domestically, Surveyors Australia is leveraging international collaboration to strengthen the profession’s foundations, such as through the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CICES.
CICES is an internationally recognised qualifying body dedicated to the regulation, education and training of surveyors working in the civil engineering domain.
Our strategic partnership is expected to foster closer operational ties between the two professional bodies. Key benefits of the MOU include enhanced knowledge exchange, a closer alignment of global professional standards, and robust mutual support for our respective memberships.
For the Australian spatial and surveying sector, aligning with an esteemed institution like CICES provides a vital framework for elevating industry benchmarks.
Furthermore, the MOU establishes a cooperative environment that could eventually facilitate smoother mutual recognition of qualifications, subtly complementing the organisation’s broader workforce capacity strategies by making it easier for qualified international professionals to integrate into the Australian market.
Securing the sector’s sustainability
Ultimately, all these activities demonstrate a comprehensive, multi-tiered approach by Surveyors Australia to secure the profession’s long-term sustainability.
By concurrently challenging restrictive skilled migration policies and building robust, collaborative international networks, we are actively working to ensure the Australian spatial sector remains well-equipped and globally competitive.
Jasmine Bulman is Head of Advocacy for Surveyors Australia.
