澳洲新移民将转移至5大边远区域,2019年来澳人数或再增多 Five Regional Areas to Receive New Migrants

去年盛传的澳洲要强制部分新移民到偏远地区定居、缓解大城市的人口压力的新闻已成定局,人口部长Alan Tudge在接受采访时,首次透露了新移民“下乡”的5个重点区域分别为:维州西南部地区、阿德莱德、南澳农村地区、昆州北部(far-north Queensland)以及Kalgoorlie-Boulder。这几个地方都将接受“指定区域移民协议”,从而允许这些地区的council和企业为某些类别的移民提供担保。

5大关键区域转移来澳移民

报道称,Tudge在接受采访时表示,来澳移民在联盟党赢得大选中扮演了重要角色,墨尔本、悉尼和布里斯班郊区的移民支持联盟党转移移民和增加基础设施的建议。

据悉,政府将指定5个边远地区为委员会和商业赞助的重点地区,旨在通过吸引更多的技术移民进入这些地区,减轻大城市人口压力。维州西南部、阿德莱德、南澳、昆州北部和Kalgoorlie地区都将收到“指定区域移民协议”(Designated Area Migration Agreements),该协议将允许地方议会和商业团体资助不同类别的技术移民工人。

Tudge举例称,新州的Dubbo目前是一个迫切需要工人的地区,同时在昆州最北部,会说中文普通话的潜水教练是他们的缺口之一。这不会出现在全国技能短缺名单上,但为迎合那里蓬勃发展的旅游业来说,这确实是一个非常重要的角色。

2019年来澳人数或再增多

据内政部数据显示,在联盟党政府的领导下,非地区性技术移民签证每年都在增加,然而地区性的签证数量则从2012年至2013年的20510份,降至2016年至2017年的10198份。预算数据则显示,2019年将有超过27万临时和永久移民来澳,高于去年的25.9万人。这一数字比去年预算预测的数字高出4万人,超出15%。

Tudge对此表示,在经济增长与认识到澳洲大城市面临的巨大压力之间,总是存在一种平衡,这个问题不一定是澳洲人口的总体增长数据。问题是增长的分布。在上月的联邦选举中,人口压力,尤其是基础设施方面的压力,对民众来说是非常重要的事情。

新研究中心重新规划人口

此外,Tudge还表示,财政部此前成立了一个人口研究中心,研究在移民中社会和经济因素的影响。一旦7月1日政府开始提供资金,财政部的“一体化人口中心”(All-in-one population centre)将尽快开始运作,并汇集多个机构的移民数据。

他说:“我们的目标是在规划人口增长时,比过去更加严格地要求服务和基础设施。我希望未来几年,墨尔本和悉尼的人口压力会有所缓解。”

‘Crying out for workers’: Five regional areas to receive new migrants

By Eryk Bagshaw

June 5, 2019 — 12.01am

The Morrison government will divert migrants to key areas, establish a dedicated fast-rail office and push back against Treasury’s reliance on immigration to boost economic growth and tax revenue.

In his first interview since being elevated to cabinet, the Minister for Population, Alan Tudge, said immigration had played a key part in the May 18 federal election result - with outer suburban areas in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane backing the Coalition to deliver fewer migrants and increased infrastructure.

Population Minister Alan Tudge in Melbourne.

Mr Tudge said five regional areas will be named as the focus of council and business sponsorship arrangements designed to take population pressures off the east coast by pulling more skilled migrants into the regions.

South-west Victoria, Adelaide, regional South Australia, far-north Queensland and Kalgoorlie-Boulder will all receive “Designated Area Migration Agreements” that will allow councils and business peak bodies to sponsor categories of workers.

Mr Tudge also named Dubbo in NSW as an area that was “crying out for workers”.

“One of the skill shortages they have in far-north Queensland are Chinese-speaking scuba instructors,” he said. “That is not going to be on a national skills shortage list, but it is a really important role to cater for a booming tourism industry up there.”

Figures from the Department of Home Affairs show non-regional skilled migration visas have risen every year under the Coalition, while those dedicated to the regions dropped from a high of 20,510 in 2012-13 to 10,198 in 2016-17.

Mr Tudge’s shift into the Treasury portfolio will bridge the divide between Treasury and Infrastructure planning that has characterised the past decade of population policy.

It coincides with the establishment of a Population Centre of Excellence within the department to temper Treasury’s focus on revenue and examine social and economic factors in immigration.

Despite the aim, budget figures show more than 270,000 temporary and permanent migrants will arrive in Australia in 2019, up from 259,000 last year. The figure is 40,000 more than was forecast in last year’s budget, representing a 15 per cent blow out.

“It is always a balance between economic growth and at the same time recognising that there are significant pressures on our big cities,” Mr Tudge told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

“The issue isn’t necessarily the overarching growth figure for Australia. The issue is the distribution of that growth.”

Population pressures - particularly on infrastructure - were “very important matters” for people at last month’s federal election, Mr Tudge said.

“As soon as you get into middle and outer suburbs, people are really feeling the growth pressures that we have had in Melbourne, Sydney and south-east Queensland. In many cases the infrastructure has not kept up. A lot of our campaign was outlining plans to not only deal with population pressure but also massively increase infrastructure.”

Mr Tudge said Treasury’s all-in-one population centre, which will bring together migration data from multiple departments, will get “cracking as quickly as possible” once funding begins from July 1.

“The ambition is to map out the population growth with the services and infrastructure required much more tightly than we have done in the past,” he said.

Mr Tudge said a ramp up in construction timelines could see some of the $30 billion in funding allocated to infrastructure in the April budget accelerated if state governments want to see projects delivered quicker.

Only 30 per cent of the $30 billion allocated in April is due to be handed out over the next four years.