The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has detailed a range of reforms to the government’s skilled migration policy to alleviate the severe skills shortage in the country’s minerals industry.
The MCA submitted several recommendations to the bipartisan Australian parliamentary committee on migration’s inquiry into the value of skilled migration to Australia.
The recommendations include streamlining pathways for migration by aligning intake with verified industry needs and fast-tracking permanent resident routes to attract and retain global talent.
MCA also recommended eliminating structural barriers by cutting processing delays and simplifying requirements, empowering states and territories through flexible regional compacts, and embedding clear residency, family and settlement supports.
MCA CEO Tania Constable said Australian mining was facing a severe skills shortage, which threatens Australia’s ability to take advantage of growing global demand for critical minerals.
“Mining is facing a workforce crunch as demand for talent intensifies while nearly half of mining engineers are expected to retire within the next decade, yet hundreds of foreign engineers living in Australia are forced to drive Ubers or accept other work below their level of expertise for a living,” Constable said.
“Without skilled migration, mining labour shortages, especially in critical and hard to fill specialised roles, would put project timelines, export earnings, and the broader national economy at risk.”
Skilled workers are already in demand in the infrastructure sector, while Australian mining cannot find enough people to fill critical roles, including mining, geotechnical and processing engineers.
“While Australia’s skilled migration intake is intended to align with industry needs, responsiveness is weakened by slow updates, credential barriers, and settlement constraints,” Constable said.
“The lesson for Australia is clear: a more agile and targeted skilled migration system will secure the skills that drive innovation, lift productivity and reinforce the nation’s position in the global economy, particularly in mining where leadership is critical to long-term prosperity.”
