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Migration report misses the mark on critical skills issues

A Parliamentary report on Australia's temporary migration schemes renews prior calls for national labour hire licensing and 'same job, same pay' practices, but largely ignores opportunities to address critical skills issues, industry leaders say.

The Senate Select Committee on Temporary Migration's final report makes 40 recommendations, and Pendragon MD John Glover says he agrees with most, but they don't include anything that would "excite" recruiters, direct employers, or individuals.

It's time to view the country as "Australia Pty Ltd" – a company whose "visa world and recruitment industry are part of the HR department", Glover suggests.

"If Australia is short of certain skills, who can we train up? What skills do we need now to get the job done? Our aim is to attract the best from around the globe just like any company would do...