BORDERS SET TO RE-OPEN; SKILLS VOW
International borders to re-open
Australia is to re-open its international borders, with fully-vaccinated visa holders – including tourists and business travellers – eligible to visit from February 21. Visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will still require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements. Tourism is a key target of the re-opening, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison noting that the industry generated more than $60 billion for the national economy in the last pre-pandemic financial year of 2018-19.
Minister rejects skilled migration booster
Employment Minister Stuart Robert has declared that the Federal Government would not double the level of skilled migration to meet worker shortages. In a media interview, Mr Robert said he would not follow a post-Global Financial Crisis precedent for skilled migration, “which was double it and bring in 600,000 skilled migrants.” He said Australia still had 650,000 people on the JobActive case load and on Jobseeker payments, whom the Government wanted to get into the marketplace. Mr Robert said 300,000 Australians were presently on JobTrainer courses to assist their progress into the workforce.
No deal with Greens: Albanese
Federal Labor Leader Anthony Albanese has confirmed that he would neither be negotiating nor doing deals with the Greens in the event of a post-election hung Parliament. The Opposition Leader told Sydney radio that Labor was the only party that could form a majority government after the next election. He said the Greens held just one seat in the Lower House and their tactic was a “con for the Greens to talk themselves up”, unlike crossbenchers such as Bob Katter, Helen Haines, Zali Steggall and Rebekha Sharkie, who, Mr Albanese said, “don’t talk like that.”
Slow growth in payroll job numbers
Payroll job numbers rose tentatively in the first two weeks of January, after slumping by 6.8 per cent across Australia during Omicron disruptions in the second half of December, according to official figures. The Australian Bureau of Statistics says total payroll jobs rose one per cent in the first two weeks of January, with highest increases in Queensland (2.1 per cent) and the lowest in Victoria (0.4 per cent). Total wages paid were static (down by 0.1 per cent), with New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia all recording wage falls.
New business obligations for cyber protection
New obligations on businesses to protect essential services and industries from cyber-attack form part of legislation introduced this week into the Federal Parliament. Under the Federal Government’s critical infrastructure package, relevant businesses will be required to implement risk management programs for the delivery of essential services; owners and operators of critical assets must also conform to stronger obligations imposed by government. Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the reforms would enable a better level of protection for essential services, from electricity and water, to health and medical care, and to transport and groceries. She said the food and grocery and transport industries would have a longer period of exemption from the new laws, given the Covid-19 disruption to their sectors.
Treasurer seeks productivity reforms
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is targeting productivity reforms and expenditure restraint as Australia emerges from Covid-19. In a speech to an industry forum this week, the Treasurer said he had charged government agency, the Productivity Commission, to undertake a review to identify priority sectors for reform, including data and digital innovation and workforce skills. Mr Frydenberg warned that the level of government intervention over the last two years must not become entrenched and become a permanent feature, saying that continued support at crisis levels would do more economic harm than good.