WITH the release of the Labor Government’s Energy White Paper, Minister for Resources Martin Ferguson has backed the continued use of foreign skilled workers, arguing the nation must have access to the labour required to build projects on time and on budget.

In his presentation on 8 November, Mr Ferguson warned that policy focus needs to be on market-based outcomes of competitiveness and efficiency.

“First priority: Australians,” Mr Ferguson said.

“But where we can’t meet our immediate skills requirements, you don’t close down these investment opportunities. You use migrant labour as required but also a major commitment to train Australians.”

The Minister’s comments reinforce a recent AREEA submission opposing a Bill proposed by Greens MP Adam Bandt that seeks to restrict the use of Enterprise Migration Agreements (EMAs).

EMAs are broad umbrella-agreements to facilitate skilled migration labour for mega-projects of national interest. Employers must show that genuine skills shortages exist and commit to local training efforts, before gaining access to a migration agreement.

At present only one EMA has been approved in principle, that being for the Roy Hill project for up to 1700 workers in the Pilbara.

Last week, AREEA again called for wider acknowledgement and acceptance in public and political debate on of skilled migration programs, following the release of industry-first research showing the important role temporary skilled workers play in pivotal construction phase of resource projects and contribution to training and job creation.

Read more in this Bulletin’s feature article.