Federal Government reverses decision to remove scientific professions from MLTSSL
The Federal Government has reversed a previous migration decision that had threatened South Australia’s science research sector.
The government’s previous decision to remove scientific professions from the skilled occupations’ list had put foreign workers in South Australia and the State’s aspiration of becoming a global medical research capital in jeopardy.
Life scientists, biochemists and microbiologists were scrapped from the Federal Government’s migrant skilled occupations list after a decision to replace 457 visas – a decision that has now been reversed.
The move has been welcomed by Australian Medical Research Institutes Association president Tony Cunningham, who said the new list had put Australian science at a huge strategic disadvantage.
He said, “We are delighted the Government has listened to the sector and has restored core medical research occupations to the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skill List (MLTSSL),” he said.
With these roles now back on the skilled occupations list, South Australia universities and SAHMRI can again recruit leading researchers from overseas.
The next update by the Federal Government is due to take place in January 2018.