Skills assessment for 10 occupations including Electricians, will not be required for sc457 applicants from China under the FTA, a letter from Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb to his Chinese counterpart has revealed.

Under the arrangements Chinese workers will only have to show evidence of their skills and training as proof of their skill.

The letter from Mr Robb stated, “Australia will remove the requirement for mandatory skills assessment for the following 10 occupations on the date of entry into force of the Agreement:

Automotive Electrician [321111]

Cabinetmaker [3941111]

Australia’s population rose by 64,000 to 23.626 million in the final quarter of 2014, an increase of 330,200, or 1.42%, on a year ago, according to new figures from the ABS released this week. Natural increase and Net Overseas Migration contributed 44% and 56% respectively to the total population growth for the year ended 31 December 2014.

The statistics show that net migration into Western Australia has plunged by two-thirds in just the past two years, dropping from 56,300 in 2012 to 18,900 last year. Migration to Queensland has also dropped heavily, from 43,600 to 24,200. But migration to Victoria and NSW — where the economies ­remain firm — has continued at elev­ated levels, with the 69,900 ­migrants to NSW last year the highest in five years.

Australian National University demographer Peter McDonald told The Australian that, ideally, a migration program responds to swings in labour demand. “These numbers suggest it is doing just that.’

The ABS job vacancies survey, which is considered the most ­reliable measure of labour ­demand, shows continued strengthening from the weakness over much of 2013-14.

The number of job vacancies across the country is up 6.6 per cent from a year ago, with most of that growth in Victoria and NSW, while the number of vacancies in Western Australia has dropped

The Australian Government has released the first ever White Paper on Developing Northern Australia. Among the proposals is one to expand the Working Holiday Maker Visa Programme by increasing the amount of time visa holders can work in high demand areas in northern Australia.

The White Paper is a vision to unlock the great potential and opportunities of the north. It focuses on building priority roads, developing water resources, removing red tape, building a sustainable workforce and ensuring effective governance arrangements. It is anticipated that if successfully implemented the proposals could see a doubling of tourist numbers as well as international students in northern Australia in the next 20 years.

Australia’s Working Holiday Maker (WHM) Visa Programme encourages youth mobility and tourism by allowing young adults aged 18-30 years to have an extended holiday in Australia of up to 12 months, during which they can offset their travel costs by engaging in short term work. A total of 239,592 visas were granted to participants in 2013–14.

The White Paper indicates that that the government will amend the WHM Visa Programme to allow both Working Holiday (Subclass 417) and Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) visa holders to work an additional six months with one employer in northern Australia if they work in the following high demand areas in the north:

• agriculture, forestry and fishing

The first review of skills list in three years began last week, with calls to remove specific skills from the Consolidated Skills Occupation List (CSOL).

Australian Council of Trade Unions president Ged Kearney who is the only union representative on the Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration (MACSM) told The Australian that the list did not look at shortages.

“There is no rhyme nor reason for why particular occupations are on the list, and many, such as nurses, teachers, engineers and a number of trades occupations, should be removed,” she said.

MACSM advises the government on visa and policy settings to optimise the contribution of skilled migration to Australia’s productivity and economy. In effect, it determines the occupations on the skills list by advising the government which to add and which to remove.

Opposing Ms Kearney’s view was Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry director Jenny Lambert, who said the CSOL list should not be shortened as it allowed for business and regional differences.

“The list needs to be responsive,” she said.

Starkly missing from the government's first-ever round table discussion on international education last week was the issue of the regulation of education brokers. It continues to ignore warnings by the Productivity Commission that Australian institutions should reduce their reliance on agents for student recruitment.

The promotion of international education is high on the government’s agenda given that education has become the standout performer among Australia’s top export industries. With some 600, 000 students currently enrolled, it now earns $17.5 billion a year and is Australia’s third-largest export, even ahead of tourism. It is now moving into a strong growth phase, up 11.2 per cent from last year.

To help manage the growth, the government’s round table gathered about 100 representatives of the industry including education and training providers, businesses, students, community groups and all levels of government “to exchange new ideas and innovative approaches that will help make Australian international education the best in the world.”

However, according to a report in the Australian Financial Review, the round table failed to address one key issue highlighted in The Productivity Commision’s report on International Education Services: education agents.

The Commission’s report released in April this year, questioned the very extensive use of education agents by Australian universities and colleges to recruit international students.