There have been mixed responses from prominent figures in the Wimmera's employment and education sectors to the federal government's population policy.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans to cap migration at 160,000 for the next four years, and introduce two new skilled worker visas requiring migrants seeking permanent residency to live regionally for three years.
The government's plan also involves offering new $15,000 scholarships to over 1000 students - domestic and international - to study in regional Australia every year for four years.
International students who study regionally will also be allowed to work unlimited hours for a full year after their courses finish.
Federation University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Helen Bartlett said this would attract more students to its Wimmera campus.
"It will help boost the local economies as well," she said. "Almost seven out of ten Federation University graduates go on to live and work in a regional area.
"Financial issues are one of the main reasons many of our domestic students drop out of university. Providing these scholarships will help the recipients finish their studies and make a real difference to their lives."
Campus manager Geoff Lord said enrolments had increased in Horsham in 2019, driven by the state government's FreeTAFE intiative and the popularity of the Diploma in Nursing and Certificate III in Individual Support courses.
Cautious welcome from development bodies
Acting executive director of the Wimmera Development Association Mark Fletcher said while the new worker visas could lead to an increase in skilled migrants to the region, it wouldn't be a quick fix.
"We have a settlement assistance program which is targeted to skills gaps, and we've been actively promoting the region for its job opportunities and lifestyle for a number of years," he said.
"We have had some people coming into the area to work in the health and hospitality fields, so I'll be interested to see how it changes things once we find out what the requirements are.
"A lot of it will come down to process people need to go through to get the visas. At this stage I haven't received any advice from the Department of Home Affairs on what this will be, but there is quite a time lag.
"There have to be vacancies, there have to be the right people to fill them, and I need to be confident permanent residents have been given every opportunity to apply first.
Mr Fletcher said the federal government's existing skilled migration programs also require permanent residency applicants to work regionally for three years.
He said issues with rental availability in the Horsham and Northern Grampians council areas could be a future obstacle to skilled migrants coming to live and work in the area.
Chair of the Wimmera-Southern Mallee Regional Partnership David Jochinke had similar reservations, saying incentives to bring migrants to regional areas needed to be accompanied by infrastructure upgrades.
"Things like transport and telecommunications and data, which is important for upskilling new workers," he said.
"Our road network is in a dilapidated state and needs urgent funding and we've got major blackspot issues, and the state of some of our town's schools are well below what you'd expect in urban areas."
Alexander Darling
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
