NSW is pushing the federal government to fast track visas for foreign workers to address the chronic shortage of skilled workers as businesses desperately seek staff.
NSW Treasurer Matt Kean has written an opinion piece in The Australian newspaper ahead of his appearance at a budget estimates hearing on Monday, urging the commonwealth to take urgent action to boost the supply of workers.
He suggests the commonwealth should temporarily increase the number of skilled visa places, particularly for those working as carers.
He also wants a new visa category targeting lower-skilled occupations.
"It is natural that unions will seek to limit immigrant worker numbers, but the most important voices are those of small business owners who are crying out for staff," Mr Kean wrote.
The plea comes comes ahead of the Albanese government's jobs and skills summit next week.
Mr Kean wants tens of thousands of outstanding visa applications for skilled migrants to be fast tracked as soon as possible.
"The commonwealth doesn't need to wait for a jobs summit, it doesn't need to ask the unions for permission, it doesn't need to wait for an October federal budget; it needs to make the call to start stamping passports today," he said.
"I've been briefed that there are tens of thousands of skilled workers just waiting to be approved to come to Australia and work."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday an agreement bolstering the "common interests" of employers and unions could be struck at the summit.
"What we are interested in is making sure we can have improvements in enterprise bargaining that we can focus there on productivity and we can focus on ways in which business and unions come together," he told Sky News.
"Through collaboration, you'll get better outcomes.
"So I'm very hopeful, for example, at the jobs and skills summit, that we can get agreement between employers and unions about their common interests."
