China News Service, May 7 (Xinhua), according to a compilation report from the Australian website, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (Scott Morrison) said in a press conference after the Australian National Cabinet meeting on May 5 that the government supports the restoration of immigration levels in recent years. The residence immigration quota will not change, and it will remain at 160,000.
According to foreign media reports, in the context of the recent Labour MPs' announcement that the Australian government should reduce temporary immigration to Australia, Morrison said that skilled workers holding temporary visas are particularly important to come to Australia, because a large number of permanent residents are from temporary skilled immigrants Then, Australia should not reject overseas skilled workers after the new coronary pneumonia epidemic has eased. He said: "If you want to reduce skilled immigration holding temporary visas, it is equivalent to reducing permanent immigration and destroying Australian communities." At the same time, Morrison said on May 1 that the government expects net overseas immigration this fiscal year The number of people will fall by 30%, and it will fall again by 85% in the next fiscal year. This is an alarming decline compared to the estimated number of new arrivals of about 270,000 per year.
At the same time, the Australian business community is also opposed to reducing immigration with temporary visas. Innes Willox, the head of the Australian industrial group, said that considering the global and Australian local conditions, a short-term immigration rate decline is inevitable, but it cannot be used to As an excuse, permanently close the door to talent and skilled immigration.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman James Pearson also said that the number of immigrants should be determined based on health status and other decisions related to the virus pandemic. He said: "We have urged the government to support temporary skilled immigrants through welfare, recognizing their value to the companies they work for, the people who depend on those companies and the communities they serve." (Gao Jiawen)