Roger Cook wants ‘more tradies’ in WA after skilled migrant list rolled out welcome mat for yoga instructors

Premier Roger Cook is under pressure to intervene on the skilled migrant list, after the Federal Government failed to include key trades but rolled out the welcome mat for yoga instructors. Mr Cook said on Wednesday that he has not been briefed on the Commonwealth’s Core Skills Occupation List — but agreed WA did not need more yoga teachers. The list that was released on Tuesday also included dog trainers, beauty therapists and jewellery designers. But Master Builders Australia says 15 roles needed in construction missed out, including crane operators, drillers, bulldozer and excavator operators. Shadow Housing Minister Steve Martin accused Labor of being “undercut” by union influence to block skilled migrants. “Despite the housing crisis which in WA is particularly hampered by workforce shortages they’ve failed to do the right thing again,” Mr Martin said. “Premier Cook needs to take responsibility for this too. “He’s set up an embassy in Canberra, he’s saying the Prime Minister ‘gets’ WA but there’s no proof of that here. “They’ve now announced a scheme to attract workers to WA for $10,000 each. Together with sweetheart deals on Metronet to drive up costs, WA families are paying the price for Labor’s inability to say ‘no’ to the CFMEU.” Mr Cook said tradies should be the focus of skilled migration. “We want more tradies, we want more building and construction workers,” he said. “I haven’t been briefed on the workforce shortages in relation to yoga instructors, I do understand that there’s a range of industries that are suffering from workforce shortages at the moment. “The one I’m most focused on is in building and construction. “We know that health services is another area where we have workforce shortages . . . hospitality as well actually, we do need chefs.” Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the omission of heavy machinery operators from the Federal Government’s list left the industry “perplexed.” The MBA argues that crane, hoist and lift operators, drillers, bulldozer or excavator operators and other heavy machinery specialists are urgently required to tackle the national housing crisis and meet the Government’s target of building 1.2 million new homes within the next five years. “You can’t build a house, schools, hospitals or roads without crane, bulldozer and excavator operators, who have not made the cut,” Ms Wawn said. “There is ample evidence to suggest they are in shortage,” particularly crane operators, she told the West, adding that the Government’s decision was “counter-intuitive” to actual demand. While the industry’s focus was on finding domestic rather than migration solutions to meet shortfalls, it was struggling to recruit new workers on home turf, she said. Ms Wawn said the country needed a “cultural shift” to change negative perceptions about careers in construction. The Federal Housing Ministry has introduced fee-free TAFE courses for more than 35,000 Australians to take up construction related courses, and an additional $90 million skills package to support 20,000 vocational training places linked to the housing and construction sector. A Home Ministry spokesperson said that limits to the Core Skills Occupation List “ensures that workers coming to Australia through mainstream skilled migration are highly skilled” and would be paid above the CSOL threshold of $73,150, making them less vulnerable to exploitation. The Government would further evaluate how to develop a more regulated stream for lower paid workers “in consultation with State and territory governments, unions, businesses,” the spokesperson said. However, the MBA has countered that crane operators earn an average income of $118,000 and bulldozer operators earn on average over $100,000. It is understood that 353 Temporary Skill Shortage visas were granted in machine-related occupations including crane, hoist and lift operators in the 2023-24 program year.