Dear Members,

We need your help. As you know, workforce shortages continue to impact the industry across all sectors. We know it will take significant effort to boost apprenticeship numbers, increase the skilled migration workforce and retain existing workers.

Master Builders is advocating on your behalf at a state/territory and national level to address these challenges.

As part of the Migration Strategy announced in November last year, the Federal Government is removing the Temporary Skills Shortage visa and replacing it with a new Skills in Demand visa that has three pathways - Specialist Skills, Core Skills and Essential Skills. The building and construction industry at this stage will only be able to bring migrant workers through the Core Skills Pathway.

We were told during the release of the Migration Strategy that all occupations on the national skills shortage list would be included in the Core Skills Pathway but now, in preparation for the creation of this new three-tiered visa, Jobs and Skills Australia is consulting on which occupations should be included in the Core Skills Pathway occupation list. Occupations that are not on the list will not be able to use the Core Skills Pathway to bring migrant workers to Australia and will have to use other avenues.

Master Builders Australia is making a submission to this consultation process. We are very concerned that a number of trades, which are in chronic shortage domestically, have been put on the list to consult (i.e. the 'maybe list').

To ensure our submission is evidence-based and strong, we are seeking input from you.

We have developed a short survey that we would appreciate the network filling in to give us the weight we need for this submission.

Complete survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MDX8CG7

Responses are due by 5pm AEST 19 April. You can choose to make your responses anonymous. Your responses will also help our advocacy efforts outside of migration.

If you have any questions please contact Liz O’Grady, National Industry Policy Adviser, Master Builders Australia: liz.ogrady@masterbuilders.com.au.