Human Rights Commissioner Appears Before Immigration Inquiry

Human rights commissioner Lorraine Finley said Australia should consider accepting more asylum seekers to protect more people and attract additional skilled workers to the country.

Ms Finlay made the statement in support of a new parliamentary inquiry commissioned by Home Secretary Claire O’Neill investigating the role of permanent immigrants in “nation-building”.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Finlay said Australia had a moral obligation to protect those in need and should also consider the “tremendous contribution” asylum seekers have made since arriving here. Stated.

“This will really reduce the number of people we can help in this sense by looking at alternative pathways to bring in people who have the skills Australia needs but who also need protection and security. It’s one way to increase it,” she said. Finley said on Tuesday.

For example, Australia said it could consider alternative immigration programs separate from its Refugee Humanitarian Programme, which provides opportunities for people with unique skills and seeking security and protection.

“Ultimately, we can come up with a better mix in terms of how many people we can support and how we can get people to Australia,” she said.

“And it’s definitely something worth considering.”

Mr Finley said Australia should look at its policies for refugees and asylum seekers not only to provide people with immediate security and protection, but also to build a life in Australia and support their long-term contributions. said.

She said this would help Australia avoid a situation that would effectively create permanent temporary residents who “can’t really go about their lives with any certainty”.

Australia’s immigration system is set for broader reform following a recent review, and the federal government is expected to announce its final strategy later this year.

At the same time, the Labor Party is pushing ahead with plans to increase Australia’s visa cap for skilled immigrants to 195,000 a year to address the severe labor shortage affecting many industries.

Mr Finley called on the government to consider better protections for foreign workers and immigration assistance services among employers to root out exploitation.

“Of course, these schemes are very important in addressing labor shortages, so we have to strike the right balance,” she said.

“They are very important in that they bring economic benefits to both Australia and the workers engaged as part of the scheme, but the issue is ensuring adequate protection.”

The Albanon government has also pledged to improve access to permanent residence for temporary skilled migrants, saying that about 70 percent of the permanent immigration program quota for 2023-2024 will be allocated to skilled migrants. .

The decision was made at last year’s Jobs and Skills Summit and was endorsed by the Coalition.

Clubs Australia, which represents licensed establishments such as RSLs, bowling clubs and golf clubs across Australia, supports calls to enhance opportunities and pathways for temporary migrants to become permanent residents.

The group has pragmatic policy measures requiring companies to prove they have made an effort to find Australian workers before filling skilled visa vacancies, ahead of a parliamentary inquiry into immigration. He argued that there was no basis for it.

“The lengthy time it takes to fill vacancies for skilled workers abroad is compounded by the cumbersome and costly requirement to complete labor market tests,” Club Australia said in its research paper.