Australia’s failure to fully use the skills of its permanent migrants is an “enormous waste” for the economy, former Treasury Secretary Martin Parkinson has warned, calling for urgent action in the May budget to free up this talent.
Nearly half of all permanent migrants were working below their skill level, Parkinson said in a Wednesday address.
The former senior public servant led a review of migration for the Albanese government, presented in 2023 and concluding that the migration program, including permanent and temporary arrivals, was not fit for purpose.
