“I was speaking with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews last night on this exact issue ... we will be working very closely together with the prime minister to address that,and it needs to be addressed as soon as possible. We can’t wait.”
Perrottet said he had been told by the NSW Department of Education secretary that overseas workers who had been targeted to fill teacher shortages were being held back by lengthy delays in visa approvals.
“They have accredited so many people around the world,but the advice I’m receiving is it will take 18 months for their visa applications to be processed by Home Affairs. That needs to be addressed,and it needs to be addressed quickly,” he said.
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“We’re in a very different place today than we were two years ago because we didn’t have the shortages that we are seeing in many industries across our state and across our country ... whether that’s in construction,whether it’s in teaching,whether it’s in nursing.”
Perrottet said he had already had a constructive discussion with the prime minister,adding that the Victorian premier was “completely on the same page”.
Industry groups have previously called for permanent skilled migration levels to be raised significantly for at least the next two years. The Business Council in Aprilrecommended permanent migration be lifted to 220,000 places in 2022-23,with up to 70 per cent of places – about 154,000 workers – reserved for the skilled stream.