Home Affairs 1. New Regional Visas – Population Package The government will provide $49.6 million over five years from 2018-19 to introduce new visas to better support the needs of regional Australia. From November 2019, two new regional visas will be implemented - the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa and the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa, which will respectively replace the existing Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa and the Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489). The new visas will permit skilled migrants to stay and work in regional Australia for a period of five years. From November 2022, the government will also introduce a new Permanent Residence visa for regional Australia. 2. Extension of Temporary Graduate Visa for Regional Graduates From November 2021, international students will be able to apply for an additional year on a second post-study work visa if they complete a higher education or postgraduate qualification in a regional area, and live in a regional area while holding a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa. TAA has advocated since 2017 for an expansion of the Temporary Graduate visa. 3. Visa Application Charge - Uplift The government is increasing the base visa application charge (VAC) for all visa subclasses, with the exception of the Visitor (subclass 600) visa, by 5.4 per cent from 1 July 2019. There will be no increase to second instalment VACs. This measure is estimated to increase revenue by $275 million over the period from 2018-19 to 2021-22. Jobs and Small Business 1. Addressing Sham Contracting The government will provide $9.2 million over four years from 2019-20 (and $2.3 million per year ongoing) to establish a dedicated sham contracting unit within the Fair Work Ombudsman to address sham contracting behaviour engaged in by some employers, particularly those who knowingly or recklessly misrepresent employment relationships as independent contracts to avoid statutory obligations and employment entitlements. The unit will more effectively tackle sham contracting by increasing education, compliance and enforcement The government will provide $26.8 million over four years from 2019-20 (and $6.2 million per year ongoing), including $1 million over four years in capital funding, to establish a National Labour Hire Registration Scheme to protect vulnerable workers, including migrant workers. The scheme will make it mandatory for labour hire operators in high-risk sectors, such as horticulture, cleaning, meat processing and security sectors, to register with the Australian Government as a labour hire operator. The Scheme will provide visibility of businesses operating in the labour supply industry, introduce a pre-entry requirement to those operating as a labour hire business, help to reduce worker exploitation, and drive behavioural change in the industry. Treasury 1. Instant Asset Write-off – Increasing and Expanding Access The government is increasing the instant asset write-off threshold from $25,000 to $30,000. The threshold applies on a per asset basis, so eligible businesses can instantly write off multiple assets. Medium sized businesses will now also have access to the instant asset write-off. Small businesses (with aggregated annual turnover of less than $10 million) will be able to immediately deduct purchases of eligible assets costing less than $30,000 that are first used, or installed ready for use. Medium sized businesses (with aggregated annual turnover of $10 million or more, but less than $50 million) will also be able to immediately deduct purchases of eligible assets costing less than $30,000 that are first used, or installed ready for use. Medium sized businesses must also acquire these assets after budget night to be eligible as they have previously not had access to the instant asset write-off. This measure is estimated to reduce revenue by $400 million over the forward estimates period, and will take effect immediately from 7.30pm on April 2. activities, and dedicating additional resources to investigate and litigate cases. 2. Protecting Vulnerable Workers – National Labour Hire Registration Scheme This proposal does not target accommodation or licensed hospitality businesses.
April 2019 www.tha.asn.au
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