MORE than 140,000 skilled migrants are caught in an Immigration Department processing backlog of up to 28 months.
Business leaders are warning of a looming skills shortage and a wages breakout driven by a resurgent economy.
In a secret briefing to Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, the department warned of potential legal action by skilled migrants unable to get a decision on their applications. The department also said that, in order to offset the ageing of the workforce, migration would need to remain at levels that would lead to Australia having a population of 35.9 million by 2050 – the figure that sparked the “big Australia” debate and Julia Gillard’s promise of a sustainable Australia.
Despite cuts to migration levels that would cause net overseas migration to plateau at about 190,000 a year by 2012, the Red Book briefing said net overseas migration would still be above the 180,000-a-year level used by Treasury in the 2010 Inter-Generational Report, when it calculated the figure of 35.9 million by 2050.
Business leaders are warning of a looming skills shortage and a wages breakout driven by a resurgent economy.
In a secret briefing to Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, the department warned of potential legal action by skilled migrants unable to get a decision on their applications. The department also said that, in order to offset the ageing of the workforce, migration would need to remain at levels that would lead to Australia having a population of 35.9 million by 2050 – the figure that sparked the “big Australia” debate and Julia Gillard’s promise of a sustainable Australia.
Despite cuts to migration levels that would cause net overseas migration to plateau at about 190,000 a year by 2012, the Red Book briefing said net overseas migration would still be above the 180,000-a-year level used by Treasury in the 2010 Inter-Generational Report, when it calculated the figure of 35.9 million by 2050.