Australian Hotels Association concerned about Opposition’s migration pledge
The Australian Hotels Association chief executive Stephen Ferguson has warned the Coalition that its pledge to slash net migration to 160,000 would hurt the economy, particularly the hospitality industry.
Ferguson is set to lobby the Federal opposition to reconsider its pledge, which includes cutting overseas arrivals by 25%.
The Opposition will argue the point when parliament sits this week.
Ferguson intends to request clarification from Peter Dutton regarding the specific visa category targeted by the proposed measures. This move comes amid concerns regarding the Opposition Leader's pledge to prioritise skilled visas within the construction sector, potentially affecting the position of hospitality workers in the queue.
According to Ferguson, the industry is currently facing a prolonged shortage of chefs for kitchen staffing. Employers are actively engaged in recruiting trained cooks from various countries, with a notable sponsorship of 2841 overseas chefs to come to Australia in 2022-23.
“There’s a knock-on effect, first in terms of employment; not only does the key position of the chef not get filled, but neither do people like waiters, barman and baristas and all the other people associated with the restaurant or the bistro,” Ferguson told The Australian.
“Once the restaurant and bistro closes, there’s a knock on across the whole business.
“So it’s a massive decrease in our productivity if these numbers come to fruition.”
The Aged Care and Farming sectors have also expressed their concerns.
According to Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black, slashing migration could “compound our existing skill shortages and make it harder to do business … I’m concerned about any proposal to further reduce temporary skilled migration, through a cut in Net Overseas Migration, due to the negative impact it may have on the economy.”
Opposition Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor is yet to reveal the Coalition’s plan for net migration beyond the 2025-26 financial year as the party looks to strike the ‘right balance’.
Taylor blamed the “absolute collapse” of productivity on the Labor government, accusing of them of having responsibility for the skills shortage.
Jonathan Jackson, 30th May 2024
