Australia's "needlessly complex" skilled migration system should be revamped to ensure the nation can attract the workers it needs to sustain a strong labour market, a new report has found.
The Deloitte Access Economics report, released on Sunday, found Australia's labour market was a stand-out success during the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by the jobless rate falling to a near 50-year low 3.4 per cent in July.
The backlog of skilled worker visas is a "hopeless situation" but the government is working as fast as it can to get them processed, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.
As businesses across multiple industries indicate they're being hampered by skills shortages, it's estimated more than 100,000 visas for overseas workers are yet to be processed.
A key business group is calling for a temporary lift on caps for work and holiday visas ahead of the jobs and skills summit next week.
The Business Council of Australia is also urging the government to boost the permanent migration cap to 220,000 temporarily to make up for the shortfall in migration during the pandemic.
When Hannah Diviney called out Beyoncé last week for using an ableist lyric on her new album Renaissance, she was hoping it would be the last time.
The Australian writer and disability advocate had just a few weeks earlier helped to get Lizzo to re-release her song Grrrls, which featured the same slur.
Australian presenter and entertainer Em Rusciano has called for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to be included on the list of primary conditions supported by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The 43-year-old made the comments during an emotional address to the National Press Club on Wednesday where she shared her experiences of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.
As office workers steadily return to Sydney's CBD, Renee Baltov's barbershop in Martin Place is finally seeing a boom in customers.
But like many small business owners around Australia, Ms Baltov is faced with ongoing staff shortages and fears her dreams of expansion — she has a second shop nearby and is considering opening a third — may have to be put on hold.
Visa changes from 1 July will offer skilled workers new pathways to permanent residency, more places for working holiday makers and the chance for graduates impacted by COVID-19 border closures to make up for their time locked out of Australia.
Ben Watt, a lawyer with migration agents VisaEnvoy, said the changes presented “exciting” prospects for some, with a focus on supporting the economic recovery from COVID-19.
