WA is being hit by the mining tax and a shortage of skilled workers.
Western Australia has called upon the newly elected government to tackle labour shortages and dump the controversial Mineral Resources Rent Tax.
Premier Colin Barnett voiced his disappointment that the two independents, Bob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor had gone over to Labor and said that the mining tax will slow down the growth of the WA economy.
The chief executive of the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry, James Pearson, called upon the government to ditch the mining tax plans and address the shortage of labour in WA by implementing a stronger immigration policy to supply more migrant workers to the region.
Both Rio Tinto and BHP have said that projects planned in Western Australia will go ahead despite the new mining tax.
Meanwhile those waiting to emigrate to Australia under state sponsorship may find that their wait is extended until early next year. With the new government yet to be sworn in and leaks from the DIAC about the departure of Chris Evans as Minister for Immigration, the long awaited State Migration Plans may not be implemented until January next year.
However with the long wait also comes some good news. Fears over radical changes to the immigration program may not become a reality. Because the government only won by a minority, new decisions will be made with extreme caution for fear of a negative reaction from voters. Already the business community are calling upon the government to ease restrictions on the skilled visas, so it seems unlikely that the government will want to upset business leaders by imposing drastic cuts to immigration.
These are interesting times for Australia, but for now those waiting to get sponsorship through SMPs may find their wait extended yet further. We’ll keep you posted on all immigration news and in the meantime you can discuss changes and policies with our friendly community.
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