THE government should reduce the level of English a skilled migrant needs to get a visa, the meat processing industry says, because many local applicants are failing pre-employment drug tests.
The industry has struggled to fill vacancies with local labour, particularly in abattoirs, and relies on skilled migrants to make up the shortfall. However, sourcing them during the pandemic has been difficult due to boarder restrictions.
Australian Meat Industry Council employment general management Ken McKell told a parliament inquiry investigating skilled migration that the government should consider reducing the English requirements for specific occupations.
At the moment, skilled migrants need a English language proficiency level 5 to qualify…
