TTF calls for working holiday visa age limit to be raised to 50

Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) Australia has called for the working holiday visa age cut-off to be lifted to 50 years to provide a wider range of skilled workers and professionals to industry.

With the Federal Government conducting a migration review to find ways of addressing worker shortages across Australia, TTF Chief Executive, Margy Osmond wants the working holiday visa age cut-off - currently available to people 35 years and under - to be lifted to provide a wider range of skilled workers and professionals.

Speaking on ABC Radio, Osmond advised that Australia could get more benefits out of the program by lifting age eligibility rules to 50, stating that such a change "opens up to a marketplace of people who have different skills and perhaps more professional skills that we could use within the (tourism) sector."

Osmond (pictured) said other countries were amending their migration schemes to encourage workers and Australia should do the same, adding "we need to be a bit more creative in terms of how we fill (jobs).”

Federal Immigration Minister, Andrew Giles noted that visa backlogs had been slashed ahead of the summer holidays, explaining that each working holiday visa was prioritised and finalised in less than one day, with 120,000 offshore backpackers approved ahead of Christmas.

Minister Giles explained "by ramping up processing in the department of Home Affairs and hiring over 400 extra staff, I’m proud to say that we have now processed over four million visas since coming to government.

“This has made a huge difference to the lives of Australians reconnected with loved ones before Christmas and to addressing skills shortages.”

Minister Giles said changes to the working holiday program would allow backpackers to work with a single employer for the length of their visa.

However, Osmond said rules requiring backpackers to work in the agriculture sector for three months to extend the length of their visa should be expanded to other industries.

She added "not everybody wants to work in the agricultural sector, important as it is, but we would like to see a few more options and a recognition of how difficult times are.

“We certainly wouldn’t want to make life any more difficult for the agricultural sector, we’re simply raising it as a thought process ... (for) other sectors that similarly had skills shortages who could be included in this structure.”