Following a review by the Australian Government Thursday into Australia’s migration laws, Minister for Home Affairs Claire O’Neill declared the nation’s migration system as “broken.” This arises from Australia’s uncapped restrictions on temporary visa-holders, thereby doubling migrant numbers in the absence of a clear pathway for them to obtain permanent residency.

O’Neil stated, “Our migration system is suffering from a decade of genuinely breathtaking neglect. It is broken. It is failing our businesses, it is failing migrants themselves. And most importantly, it is failing Australians.” O’Neill further stated, “The upshot is this: Australia’s migration system has become dominated by a very large, poorly designed, temporary program, which is not delivering the skills we need to tackle urgent national challenges. And, that program created the essential ingredients for exploitation of migrant workers.”

The Department of Home Affairs released a report on the Australian migration system after the Government’s review. The report identifies the primary shortfalls associated with Australia’s migration system and states, “The system fails to prioritise the migrants we need to enhance economic prosperity and security, the system is too complex for employers and migrants and the system fails to deliver the right outcomes for Australian’s and migrant’s post-arrival.”

Accordingly, the Australian Government is anticipated to continue inquiry into the nation’s migration laws and release a final Migration Strategy aimed at resolving the above-mentioned issues later in 2023.