2026 MG 4 spied: Two-car strategy firming for small EV segment
Images taken by CarExpert reader Lindsay in Canberra show a camouflaged, right-hand drive version of the new MG 4 previewed in China in March.
"We have taken our evaluation of this new model to the next stage in our process. It is under serious consideration to join alongside our award winning MG4 range to best match technology to the evolving needs of Australian drivers and lifestyles," said an MG Motor Australia spokesperson.
"The much loved current MG4 is not going anywhere. Further testing will be completed before a decision is reached around this new model in Australia."
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
While this new model has confusingly been revealed as the new MG 4 in China – where the existing MG 4 is no longer available – it's almost certain to wear a different nameplate here.
In late June, MG parent SAIC Motor applied to trademark the name MG 4 EV Urban with IP Australia.
MG said earlier this month that no decision had been made to use this name.
However, of the MG trademarks SAIC Motor has filed over the past five years, all bar one – the QS Plug-in Hybrid – has subsequently appeared on a vehicle in local showrooms.
The MG 4 will be officially launched in China on August 5, 2025.
MG previewed the new MG 4 in March as its first global vehicle of 2025, but didn't show off its interior until later.
Video clips and images published by MG on Chinese social media have shown off a minimalist interior in a shade of beige, featuring a large and free-standing, landscape-oriented touchscreen and digital instrument cluster.
A single row of buttons sits below the touchscreen, while in China at least it'll offer MG's new 'cockpit system', which was developed with smartphone brand Oppo but also supports Huawei and Apple devices, allowing voice-activated commands, gesture-based navigation and smartphone mirroring.
There's still much that is not known about the vehicle, though MG Motor Australia confirmed earlier this year that it is based on a different platform to the rear/all-wheel drive Modular Scalable Platform that underpins the existing MG 4 and new MG S5 EV small electric SUV.
A Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) filing, shared by Car News China, revealed the new MG 4 measures 4395mm long, 1842mm wide and 1551mm tall on a 2750mm wheelbase.
That makes it 108mm longer, 6mm wider and up to 47mm taller than the current MG 4, on a 45mm longer wheelbase.
Technical specifications in the filing are reportedly limited, though a single electric powertrain comprising a 120kW electric motor is listed, along with a kerb weight of 1485kg.
The new hatch uses a 70kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
Despite featuring a front bumper and tail-lights inspired by the flagship Cyberster electric sports car, the new hatch is much more softly styled than the existing MG 4 that's no longer offered in China but remains popular in markets such as Australia and Europe.
The softer styling is complemented by new pastel green and purple exterior finishes, though MG has also shown off a bright red MG 4 on Weibo with black stripes.
The current MG 4 may not have been a hit in China, but in the first half of 2025 it was Australia's fifth best-selling EV.
MG delivered 2268 examples, making it more popular than the Dolphin (1337) despite a sales drop of 18.2 per cent from the same period last year.
MORE: Explore the MG 4 showroom
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
MG could release a second small electric hatchback in Australia, giving it yet another rival for the likes of the BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora.
Images taken by CarExpert reader Lindsay in Canberra show a camouflaged, right-hand drive version of the new MG 4 previewed in China in March.
"We have taken our evaluation of this new model to the next stage in our process. It is under serious consideration to join alongside our award winning MG4 range to best match technology to the evolving needs of Australian drivers and lifestyles," said an MG Motor Australia spokesperson.
"The much loved current MG4 is not going anywhere. Further testing will be completed before a decision is reached around this new model in Australia."
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
While this new model has confusingly been revealed as the new MG 4 in China – where the existing MG 4 is no longer available – it's almost certain to wear a different nameplate here.
In late June, MG parent SAIC Motor applied to trademark the name MG 4 EV Urban with IP Australia.
MG said earlier this month that no decision had been made to use this name.
However, of the MG trademarks SAIC Motor has filed over the past five years, all bar one – the QS Plug-in Hybrid – has subsequently appeared on a vehicle in local showrooms.
The MG 4 will be officially launched in China on August 5, 2025.
MG previewed the new MG 4 in March as its first global vehicle of 2025, but didn't show off its interior until later.
Video clips and images published by MG on Chinese social media have shown off a minimalist interior in a shade of beige, featuring a large and free-standing, landscape-oriented touchscreen and digital instrument cluster.
A single row of buttons sits below the touchscreen, while in China at least it'll offer MG's new 'cockpit system', which was developed with smartphone brand Oppo but also supports Huawei and Apple devices, allowing voice-activated commands, gesture-based navigation and smartphone mirroring.
There's still much that is not known about the vehicle, though MG Motor Australia confirmed earlier this year that it is based on a different platform to the rear/all-wheel drive Modular Scalable Platform that underpins the existing MG 4 and new MG S5 EV small electric SUV.
A Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) filing, shared by Car News China, revealed the new MG 4 measures 4395mm long, 1842mm wide and 1551mm tall on a 2750mm wheelbase.
That makes it 108mm longer, 6mm wider and up to 47mm taller than the current MG 4, on a 45mm longer wheelbase.
Technical specifications in the filing are reportedly limited, though a single electric powertrain comprising a 120kW electric motor is listed, along with a kerb weight of 1485kg.
The new hatch uses a 70kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
Despite featuring a front bumper and tail-lights inspired by the flagship Cyberster electric sports car, the new hatch is much more softly styled than the existing MG 4 that's no longer offered in China but remains popular in markets such as Australia and Europe.
The softer styling is complemented by new pastel green and purple exterior finishes, though MG has also shown off a bright red MG 4 on Weibo with black stripes.
The current MG 4 may not have been a hit in China, but in the first half of 2025 it was Australia's fifth best-selling EV.
MG delivered 2268 examples, making it more popular than the Dolphin (1337) despite a sales drop of 18.2 per cent from the same period last year.
MORE: Explore the MG 4 showroom
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
MG could release a second small electric hatchback in Australia, giving it yet another rival for the likes of the BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora.
Images taken by CarExpert reader Lindsay in Canberra show a camouflaged, right-hand drive version of the new MG 4 previewed in China in March.
"We have taken our evaluation of this new model to the next stage in our process. It is under serious consideration to join alongside our award winning MG4 range to best match technology to the evolving needs of Australian drivers and lifestyles," said an MG Motor Australia spokesperson.
"The much loved current MG4 is not going anywhere. Further testing will be completed before a decision is reached around this new model in Australia."
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
While this new model has confusingly been revealed as the new MG 4 in China – where the existing MG 4 is no longer available – it's almost certain to wear a different nameplate here.
In late June, MG parent SAIC Motor applied to trademark the name MG 4 EV Urban with IP Australia.
MG said earlier this month that no decision had been made to use this name.
However, of the MG trademarks SAIC Motor has filed over the past five years, all bar one – the QS Plug-in Hybrid – has subsequently appeared on a vehicle in local showrooms.
The MG 4 will be officially launched in China on August 5, 2025.
MG previewed the new MG 4 in March as its first global vehicle of 2025, but didn't show off its interior until later.
Video clips and images published by MG on Chinese social media have shown off a minimalist interior in a shade of beige, featuring a large and free-standing, landscape-oriented touchscreen and digital instrument cluster.
A single row of buttons sits below the touchscreen, while in China at least it'll offer MG's new 'cockpit system', which was developed with smartphone brand Oppo but also supports Huawei and Apple devices, allowing voice-activated commands, gesture-based navigation and smartphone mirroring.
There's still much that is not known about the vehicle, though MG Motor Australia confirmed earlier this year that it is based on a different platform to the rear/all-wheel drive Modular Scalable Platform that underpins the existing MG 4 and new MG S5 EV small electric SUV.
A Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) filing, shared by Car News China, revealed the new MG 4 measures 4395mm long, 1842mm wide and 1551mm tall on a 2750mm wheelbase.
That makes it 108mm longer, 6mm wider and up to 47mm taller than the current MG 4, on a 45mm longer wheelbase.
Technical specifications in the filing are reportedly limited, though a single electric powertrain comprising a 120kW electric motor is listed, along with a kerb weight of 1485kg.
The new hatch uses a 70kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
Despite featuring a front bumper and tail-lights inspired by the flagship Cyberster electric sports car, the new hatch is much more softly styled than the existing MG 4 that's no longer offered in China but remains popular in markets such as Australia and Europe.
The softer styling is complemented by new pastel green and purple exterior finishes, though MG has also shown off a bright red MG 4 on Weibo with black stripes.
The current MG 4 may not have been a hit in China, but in the first half of 2025 it was Australia's fifth best-selling EV.
MG delivered 2268 examples, making it more popular than the Dolphin (1337) despite a sales drop of 18.2 per cent from the same period last year.
MORE: Explore the MG 4 showroom
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
MG could release a second small electric hatchback in Australia, giving it yet another rival for the likes of the BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora.
Images taken by CarExpert reader Lindsay in Canberra show a camouflaged, right-hand drive version of the new MG 4 previewed in China in March.
"We have taken our evaluation of this new model to the next stage in our process. It is under serious consideration to join alongside our award winning MG4 range to best match technology to the evolving needs of Australian drivers and lifestyles," said an MG Motor Australia spokesperson.
"The much loved current MG4 is not going anywhere. Further testing will be completed before a decision is reached around this new model in Australia."
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
While this new model has confusingly been revealed as the new MG 4 in China – where the existing MG 4 is no longer available – it's almost certain to wear a different nameplate here.
In late June, MG parent SAIC Motor applied to trademark the name MG 4 EV Urban with IP Australia.
MG said earlier this month that no decision had been made to use this name.
However, of the MG trademarks SAIC Motor has filed over the past five years, all bar one – the QS Plug-in Hybrid – has subsequently appeared on a vehicle in local showrooms.
The MG 4 will be officially launched in China on August 5, 2025.
MG previewed the new MG 4 in March as its first global vehicle of 2025, but didn't show off its interior until later.
Video clips and images published by MG on Chinese social media have shown off a minimalist interior in a shade of beige, featuring a large and free-standing, landscape-oriented touchscreen and digital instrument cluster.
A single row of buttons sits below the touchscreen, while in China at least it'll offer MG's new 'cockpit system', which was developed with smartphone brand Oppo but also supports Huawei and Apple devices, allowing voice-activated commands, gesture-based navigation and smartphone mirroring.
There's still much that is not known about the vehicle, though MG Motor Australia confirmed earlier this year that it is based on a different platform to the rear/all-wheel drive Modular Scalable Platform that underpins the existing MG 4 and new MG S5 EV small electric SUV.
A Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) filing, shared by Car News China, revealed the new MG 4 measures 4395mm long, 1842mm wide and 1551mm tall on a 2750mm wheelbase.
That makes it 108mm longer, 6mm wider and up to 47mm taller than the current MG 4, on a 45mm longer wheelbase.
Technical specifications in the filing are reportedly limited, though a single electric powertrain comprising a 120kW electric motor is listed, along with a kerb weight of 1485kg.
The new hatch uses a 70kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
Despite featuring a front bumper and tail-lights inspired by the flagship Cyberster electric sports car, the new hatch is much more softly styled than the existing MG 4 that's no longer offered in China but remains popular in markets such as Australia and Europe.
The softer styling is complemented by new pastel green and purple exterior finishes, though MG has also shown off a bright red MG 4 on Weibo with black stripes.
The current MG 4 may not have been a hit in China, but in the first half of 2025 it was Australia's fifth best-selling EV.
MG delivered 2268 examples, making it more popular than the Dolphin (1337) despite a sales drop of 18.2 per cent from the same period last year.
MORE: Explore the MG 4 showroom
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
The solution to Australia's skills shortage hiding in plain sight
In Australia today, like the proverbial chameleon in the crowd, there is an issue and its solution hiding in plain sight. Migrants and refugees are struggling to get jobs that befit their skills and experience. At the same time, we have a critical skills shortage. Migrants and refugees face barriers, including a lack of local experience and networks, English language proficiency or pronunciation and a lack of familiarity with Australian workplace culture and the job market. There are also difficulties and barriers, including exorbitant costs, in getting overseas qualifications recognised in Australia. These structural barriers inhibit positive migrant and refugee career outcomes. Also, employers can be reticent or unsure about hiring migrants and refugees, and mainstream employment services often are either not accessible or unsuited to migrants and refugees. Easily available statistics and research paint a picture of the effect of this situation. Migrants from non-English-speaking countries suffer persistent wage gaps, and overseas-educated migrants earn less than similarly qualified Australians, particularly those from culturally diverse backgrounds. Poor English can affect employment, with 44 per cent of migrants and refugees working below their skill level, even though 57 per cent of them hold university qualifications. And strong accents or a lack of knowledge of local industry jargon exacerbates the problem. At the same time, we know there are critical workforce shortages across a plethora of sectors. The current shortfall of GPs in Australia will rise to 3900 in 2028 and to more than 8900 in 2028; and the undersupply of nurses will rise to almost 80,000 by 2035. Engineers Australia has reported that the nation's engineering skills and labour shortage are at their highest level in a decade. And Master Builders Australia says 130,000 extra tradies will be needed by 2029 to meet the growing demand for new housing. The Commonwealth government's Jobs and Skills Australia agency has estimated that 67 occupations covered by the Technicians and Trades Workers category are in chronic and long-term shortage, representing about one-third of all skills shortages across the country. These shortages are pushing up construction costs and are worse in rural and regional areas, many of which are vulnerable to natural disasters. The boom in renewable energy, data centres to support AI and major infrastructure projects as well as our aging populations and increased demand in care sectors mean these shortages are neither short term nor geographically limited. Making matters worse is global competition for skilled migrants, competition between states within Australia for workers with critical skills and the leakage of skilled workers from regional areas to the cities. But this situation is also an economic opportunity for Australia. Better harnessing the skills and experience of migrants would deliver economic dividends through addressing professional workforce shortages, boosting productivity and reducing the overall cost of creating the professional workforce we need. This is evidenced in some simple numbers. It costs Australia anywhere from $180,000 to $500,000 - including Commonwealth Place Supported funding - to produce a registered doctor. For overseas trained medicos, that figure is around $28,500 - and it could be lower with more streamlined qualifications recognition. Better utilising migrant and refugee skills would also deliver a social dividend through the better integration of newcomers into the community, thus bolstering social cohesion and further supporting disadvantaged cohorts of migrants and refugees. To do this, we need to address the three pillars of the problem: providing access to gap training and qualification recognition; preparing people for Australia's workplace culture and environment; and addressing employer attitudes and bias toward international skills. Practically, this provides a collective approach to reduce the cost and simplify the processes for requalification and qualification, with clearly communicated pathways. We need to support employers to be more confident about overseas-trained staff through incentives and programs to address discrimination. This includes our looking at our recruitment practices and critically assessing whether they are a barrier to accessing migrant talent. We need to support migrants and refugees with job readiness training initiatives, such as the Skilled Professional Migrant Program delivered by my organisation, AMES Australia. Recently, we commissioned an economist to run the numbers on the effect of a national rollout of the program, a scheme that has a proven record of supporting migrants and refugees into jobs commensurate with their skills and qualifications. The paper, produced by Dr Ian Pringle, found utilising the skills and experience migrants and refugees bring with them could benefit Australia's economy by as much as $10 billion over five years. It found that supporting new arrivals to re-establish their professional careers in Australia could generate more than $2.5 billion in extra tax receipts as well as an extra $8 billion in earnings circulating in the economy over five years. What's more is that the extra access to skills could also produce a 10 per cent spike in productivity. The skills gap is an issue that has evolved again and again over time. Historically, Australia's response has been a siloed approach when what we have is an economic problem that needs a systemic all-of-the-economy response. It's a problem that we have identified but failed to properly pin down and solve over decades. That's the reason why Australia needs a national and integrated initiative to harness the skills of migrants and refugees, while reaping the economic and social benefits that it would bring before that chameleon changes its colour and disappears into the crowd again. In Australia today, like the proverbial chameleon in the crowd, there is an issue and its solution hiding in plain sight. Migrants and refugees are struggling to get jobs that befit their skills and experience. At the same time, we have a critical skills shortage. Migrants and refugees face barriers, including a lack of local experience and networks, English language proficiency or pronunciation and a lack of familiarity with Australian workplace culture and the job market. There are also difficulties and barriers, including exorbitant costs, in getting overseas qualifications recognised in Australia. These structural barriers inhibit positive migrant and refugee career outcomes. Also, employers can be reticent or unsure about hiring migrants and refugees, and mainstream employment services often are either not accessible or unsuited to migrants and refugees. Easily available statistics and research paint a picture of the effect of this situation. Migrants from non-English-speaking countries suffer persistent wage gaps, and overseas-educated migrants earn less than similarly qualified Australians, particularly those from culturally diverse backgrounds. Poor English can affect employment, with 44 per cent of migrants and refugees working below their skill level, even though 57 per cent of them hold university qualifications. And strong accents or a lack of knowledge of local industry jargon exacerbates the problem. At the same time, we know there are critical workforce shortages across a plethora of sectors. The current shortfall of GPs in Australia will rise to 3900 in 2028 and to more than 8900 in 2028; and the undersupply of nurses will rise to almost 80,000 by 2035. Engineers Australia has reported that the nation's engineering skills and labour shortage are at their highest level in a decade. And Master Builders Australia says 130,000 extra tradies will be needed by 2029 to meet the growing demand for new housing. The Commonwealth government's Jobs and Skills Australia agency has estimated that 67 occupations covered by the Technicians and Trades Workers category are in chronic and long-term shortage, representing about one-third of all skills shortages across the country. These shortages are pushing up construction costs and are worse in rural and regional areas, many of which are vulnerable to natural disasters. The boom in renewable energy, data centres to support AI and major infrastructure projects as well as our aging populations and increased demand in care sectors mean these shortages are neither short term nor geographically limited. Making matters worse is global competition for skilled migrants, competition between states within Australia for workers with critical skills and the leakage of skilled workers from regional areas to the cities. But this situation is also an economic opportunity for Australia. Better harnessing the skills and experience of migrants would deliver economic dividends through addressing professional workforce shortages, boosting productivity and reducing the overall cost of creating the professional workforce we need. This is evidenced in some simple numbers. It costs Australia anywhere from $180,000 to $500,000 - including Commonwealth Place Supported funding - to produce a registered doctor. For overseas trained medicos, that figure is around $28,500 - and it could be lower with more streamlined qualifications recognition. Better utilising migrant and refugee skills would also deliver a social dividend through the better integration of newcomers into the community, thus bolstering social cohesion and further supporting disadvantaged cohorts of migrants and refugees. To do this, we need to address the three pillars of the problem: providing access to gap training and qualification recognition; preparing people for Australia's workplace culture and environment; and addressing employer attitudes and bias toward international skills. Practically, this provides a collective approach to reduce the cost and simplify the processes for requalification and qualification, with clearly communicated pathways. We need to support employers to be more confident about overseas-trained staff through incentives and programs to address discrimination. This includes our looking at our recruitment practices and critically assessing whether they are a barrier to accessing migrant talent. We need to support migrants and refugees with job readiness training initiatives, such as the Skilled Professional Migrant Program delivered by my organisation, AMES Australia. Recently, we commissioned an economist to run the numbers on the effect of a national rollout of the program, a scheme that has a proven record of supporting migrants and refugees into jobs commensurate with their skills and qualifications. The paper, produced by Dr Ian Pringle, found utilising the skills and experience migrants and refugees bring with them could benefit Australia's economy by as much as $10 billion over five years. It found that supporting new arrivals to re-establish their professional careers in Australia could generate more than $2.5 billion in extra tax receipts as well as an extra $8 billion in earnings circulating in the economy over five years. What's more is that the extra access to skills could also produce a 10 per cent spike in productivity. The skills gap is an issue that has evolved again and again over time. Historically, Australia's response has been a siloed approach when what we have is an economic problem that needs a systemic all-of-the-economy response. It's a problem that we have identified but failed to properly pin down and solve over decades. That's the reason why Australia needs a national and integrated initiative to harness the skills of migrants and refugees, while reaping the economic and social benefits that it would bring before that chameleon changes its colour and disappears into the crowd again. In Australia today, like the proverbial chameleon in the crowd, there is an issue and its solution hiding in plain sight. Migrants and refugees are struggling to get jobs that befit their skills and experience. At the same time, we have a critical skills shortage. Migrants and refugees face barriers, including a lack of local experience and networks, English language proficiency or pronunciation and a lack of familiarity with Australian workplace culture and the job market. There are also difficulties and barriers, including exorbitant costs, in getting overseas qualifications recognised in Australia. These structural barriers inhibit positive migrant and refugee career outcomes. Also, employers can be reticent or unsure about hiring migrants and refugees, and mainstream employment services often are either not accessible or unsuited to migrants and refugees. Easily available statistics and research paint a picture of the effect of this situation. Migrants from non-English-speaking countries suffer persistent wage gaps, and overseas-educated migrants earn less than similarly qualified Australians, particularly those from culturally diverse backgrounds. Poor English can affect employment, with 44 per cent of migrants and refugees working below their skill level, even though 57 per cent of them hold university qualifications. And strong accents or a lack of knowledge of local industry jargon exacerbates the problem. At the same time, we know there are critical workforce shortages across a plethora of sectors. The current shortfall of GPs in Australia will rise to 3900 in 2028 and to more than 8900 in 2028; and the undersupply of nurses will rise to almost 80,000 by 2035. Engineers Australia has reported that the nation's engineering skills and labour shortage are at their highest level in a decade. And Master Builders Australia says 130,000 extra tradies will be needed by 2029 to meet the growing demand for new housing. The Commonwealth government's Jobs and Skills Australia agency has estimated that 67 occupations covered by the Technicians and Trades Workers category are in chronic and long-term shortage, representing about one-third of all skills shortages across the country. These shortages are pushing up construction costs and are worse in rural and regional areas, many of which are vulnerable to natural disasters. The boom in renewable energy, data centres to support AI and major infrastructure projects as well as our aging populations and increased demand in care sectors mean these shortages are neither short term nor geographically limited. Making matters worse is global competition for skilled migrants, competition between states within Australia for workers with critical skills and the leakage of skilled workers from regional areas to the cities. But this situation is also an economic opportunity for Australia. Better harnessing the skills and experience of migrants would deliver economic dividends through addressing professional workforce shortages, boosting productivity and reducing the overall cost of creating the professional workforce we need. This is evidenced in some simple numbers. It costs Australia anywhere from $180,000 to $500,000 - including Commonwealth Place Supported funding - to produce a registered doctor. For overseas trained medicos, that figure is around $28,500 - and it could be lower with more streamlined qualifications recognition. Better utilising migrant and refugee skills would also deliver a social dividend through the better integration of newcomers into the community, thus bolstering social cohesion and further supporting disadvantaged cohorts of migrants and refugees. To do this, we need to address the three pillars of the problem: providing access to gap training and qualification recognition; preparing people for Australia's workplace culture and environment; and addressing employer attitudes and bias toward international skills. Practically, this provides a collective approach to reduce the cost and simplify the processes for requalification and qualification, with clearly communicated pathways. We need to support employers to be more confident about overseas-trained staff through incentives and programs to address discrimination. This includes our looking at our recruitment practices and critically assessing whether they are a barrier to accessing migrant talent. We need to support migrants and refugees with job readiness training initiatives, such as the Skilled Professional Migrant Program delivered by my organisation, AMES Australia. Recently, we commissioned an economist to run the numbers on the effect of a national rollout of the program, a scheme that has a proven record of supporting migrants and refugees into jobs commensurate with their skills and qualifications. The paper, produced by Dr Ian Pringle, found utilising the skills and experience migrants and refugees bring with them could benefit Australia's economy by as much as $10 billion over five years. It found that supporting new arrivals to re-establish their professional careers in Australia could generate more than $2.5 billion in extra tax receipts as well as an extra $8 billion in earnings circulating in the economy over five years. What's more is that the extra access to skills could also produce a 10 per cent spike in productivity. The skills gap is an issue that has evolved again and again over time. Historically, Australia's response has been a siloed approach when what we have is an economic problem that needs a systemic all-of-the-economy response. It's a problem that we have identified but failed to properly pin down and solve over decades. That's the reason why Australia needs a national and integrated initiative to harness the skills of migrants and refugees, while reaping the economic and social benefits that it would bring before that chameleon changes its colour and disappears into the crowd again. In Australia today, like the proverbial chameleon in the crowd, there is an issue and its solution hiding in plain sight. Migrants and refugees are struggling to get jobs that befit their skills and experience. At the same time, we have a critical skills shortage. Migrants and refugees face barriers, including a lack of local experience and networks, English language proficiency or pronunciation and a lack of familiarity with Australian workplace culture and the job market. There are also difficulties and barriers, including exorbitant costs, in getting overseas qualifications recognised in Australia. These structural barriers inhibit positive migrant and refugee career outcomes. Also, employers can be reticent or unsure about hiring migrants and refugees, and mainstream employment services often are either not accessible or unsuited to migrants and refugees. Easily available statistics and research paint a picture of the effect of this situation. Migrants from non-English-speaking countries suffer persistent wage gaps, and overseas-educated migrants earn less than similarly qualified Australians, particularly those from culturally diverse backgrounds. Poor English can affect employment, with 44 per cent of migrants and refugees working below their skill level, even though 57 per cent of them hold university qualifications. And strong accents or a lack of knowledge of local industry jargon exacerbates the problem. At the same time, we know there are critical workforce shortages across a plethora of sectors. The current shortfall of GPs in Australia will rise to 3900 in 2028 and to more than 8900 in 2028; and the undersupply of nurses will rise to almost 80,000 by 2035. Engineers Australia has reported that the nation's engineering skills and labour shortage are at their highest level in a decade. And Master Builders Australia says 130,000 extra tradies will be needed by 2029 to meet the growing demand for new housing. The Commonwealth government's Jobs and Skills Australia agency has estimated that 67 occupations covered by the Technicians and Trades Workers category are in chronic and long-term shortage, representing about one-third of all skills shortages across the country. These shortages are pushing up construction costs and are worse in rural and regional areas, many of which are vulnerable to natural disasters. The boom in renewable energy, data centres to support AI and major infrastructure projects as well as our aging populations and increased demand in care sectors mean these shortages are neither short term nor geographically limited. Making matters worse is global competition for skilled migrants, competition between states within Australia for workers with critical skills and the leakage of skilled workers from regional areas to the cities. But this situation is also an economic opportunity for Australia. Better harnessing the skills and experience of migrants would deliver economic dividends through addressing professional workforce shortages, boosting productivity and reducing the overall cost of creating the professional workforce we need. This is evidenced in some simple numbers. It costs Australia anywhere from $180,000 to $500,000 - including Commonwealth Place Supported funding - to produce a registered doctor. For overseas trained medicos, that figure is around $28,500 - and it could be lower with more streamlined qualifications recognition. Better utilising migrant and refugee skills would also deliver a social dividend through the better integration of newcomers into the community, thus bolstering social cohesion and further supporting disadvantaged cohorts of migrants and refugees. To do this, we need to address the three pillars of the problem: providing access to gap training and qualification recognition; preparing people for Australia's workplace culture and environment; and addressing employer attitudes and bias toward international skills. Practically, this provides a collective approach to reduce the cost and simplify the processes for requalification and qualification, with clearly communicated pathways. We need to support employers to be more confident about overseas-trained staff through incentives and programs to address discrimination. This includes our looking at our recruitment practices and critically assessing whether they are a barrier to accessing migrant talent. We need to support migrants and refugees with job readiness training initiatives, such as the Skilled Professional Migrant Program delivered by my organisation, AMES Australia. Recently, we commissioned an economist to run the numbers on the effect of a national rollout of the program, a scheme that has a proven record of supporting migrants and refugees into jobs commensurate with their skills and qualifications. The paper, produced by Dr Ian Pringle, found utilising the skills and experience migrants and refugees bring with them could benefit Australia's economy by as much as $10 billion over five years. It found that supporting new arrivals to re-establish their professional careers in Australia could generate more than $2.5 billion in extra tax receipts as well as an extra $8 billion in earnings circulating in the economy over five years. What's more is that the extra access to skills could also produce a 10 per cent spike in productivity. The skills gap is an issue that has evolved again and again over time. Historically, Australia's response has been a siloed approach when what we have is an economic problem that needs a systemic all-of-the-economy response. It's a problem that we have identified but failed to properly pin down and solve over decades. That's the reason why Australia needs a national and integrated initiative to harness the skills of migrants and refugees, while reaping the economic and social benefits that it would bring before that chameleon changes its colour and disappears into the crowd again.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Labor's international student backflip a 'farce', as economist claims Albanese government 'selling migration and work rights'
MacroBusiness Chief Economist Leith Van Onselen has claimed the Albanese government's backflip on international students will add to the already 'massive' number of migrants seeking permanent residency, favourable labour laws and work rights. The Albanese government announced on Tuesday a 'sustainable' increase of 25,000 additional international student places for 2026, bringing the National Planning Level to 295,000. Mr van Onselen branded the government's announcement 'ridiculous' and argued the 'farce' would contribute to a decline in university standards. 'Australia has the highest concentration of international students in the world… the government needs to get the numbers down,' he told 'We've diluted teaching standards massively, there's cheating scandals and soft marking. 'The integrity's been shot, the government should be focusing on a far smaller number of high skilled, high quality students. We're scraping the bottom of the barrel. (The government) should be going for the best of the best.' The MacroBusiness economist claimed 'enrolments are at a all time high' not because of the standard of Australian degrees, but because of Australia's work rights and potential access to permanent residency. 'We're not selling education, we're selling migration and work rights,' he said. 'If you took away Australia's work rights and permanent residency, none of them would come. Perhaps a small number would come to learn, but most are coming to work and gain permanent residency.' A joint statement put out by Education Minister Jason Clare and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said all international education providers will receive at least their current allocation next year, with the Australian Tertiary Education Commission to oversee future growth in international student numbers from 2027. 'International education is an incredibly important export industry for Australia, but we need to manage its growth so it's sustainable,' Mr Clare said. 'International education doesn't just make us money, it makes us friends.' Mr Clare said the Albanese government was increasing international student intake in a way which supported 'students, universities and the national interest'. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Labor was maintaining the 'integrity of the migration system' while supporting a 'strong international education sector'. 'We are making sure student visa processing supports genuine education outcomes and our strategic priorities - including increasing provision of student accommodation,' he said. In March, Mr van Onselen wrote some domestic students had been 'forced' to help non-English-speaking students complete their courses through group assessments. 'Some tutorials have even been conducted in foreign languages, degrading the experience for local students,' he said, telling some students have claimed to have been subjected to tutorials delivered entirely in Mandarin. The economist also pointed to a 2024 Guardian article which revealed Australian academics were being pressured to pass hundreds of students suspected of plagiarism and other forms of cheating to maintain revenue streams. He claimed the government's media release on Tuesday was loaded with 'political spin' and was 'loose with the truth' about the 2026 planning level increase being eight per cent below the post-COVID peak. The eight per cent figure related to the flow of international students, which Mr van Onselen said was below the 'tidal wave' of commencements after Australia's borders reopened at the end of the pandemic. As a share of population, international students have doubled since 2012 when they made up 1.5 per cent. 'What it means is the numbers are going to keep growing, the total stock of international students is going to rise,'Mr van Onselen said. According to the Department of Education, in the year-to-date to April there were more than 794,000 international student enrolments, which Mr van Onselen said was up 105,000 since the pre-COVID peak. 'It's a disaster and hasn't boosted productivity,' he said. 'We've had 20 years of massive migration, no one can say this has made the economy or standard or living better, it's made it worse. 'They talk tough before the election and now with their stomping mandate they've gone back to their big Australia approach.'
Sky News AU
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- Sky News AU
Miners erupts over major renewables projects as AMEC calls for national coordination to solve battles over land access
Renewable energy projects seeking exclusive access to large swathes of land are 'sterilising resources in the ground' by denying mining groups access, an industry leader has warned. The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies commissioned a report highlighting mounting tensions between the mining industry and the tidal wave of renewable energy projects as they compete for access to the same land. AMEC's report calls for a 'coordinated' approach to accessing land and for the same pieces of land to be accessed by multiple industries where appropriate. The association estimates Australia's land mass would need to be double its current size to deliver exclusive rights to all land users, which includes agriculture, mining and pastoral industries such as poultry farming and livestock grazing. AMEC's chief executive Warren Pearce said players behind renewables projects were vying for exclusive use of the land to avoid what they perceived as 'inconvenience or potential interference'. He noted the mining, agriculture and pastoral industries had historically faced challenges over land access and established practices that enabled each sector to co-exist on the same land. 'That can happen with renewables too,' Mr Pearce told Business Now. 'Renewable projects are absolutely huge. They are massive land users. Think about the size of wind farms. To build a mine is going to take up less than one per cent of that wind farm. 'It's quite easy to imagine that windfarm going ahead with having that little bit excised out.' Mr Pearce said renewable project developers were seeking exclusive tenure and certainty of land access and would 'often cut out' other land users. 'We're seeing expiration projects extinguished before they begin without any real certainty that the renewable project will ever be built or invested in,' he said. 'That's a real problem. We're sterilising resource in the ground before we find out if they're there or not.' Contributions from Australia's major land-based industries – which added $493b to the economy in 2024 – are under threat from these practices, according to the AMEC-commissioned report. The report stressed that a 'coordinated national policy response' can turn the 'emerging crisis' into an 'opportunity for cooperation'. Mr Pearce said each state and territory has a different approach to managing land access, creating difficulties for land management. 'One of the things that's concerning is you've got major global renewable proponents talking to multiple state and territorial governments, but with only the investment capital to invest in one project,' he said. 'We're actually locking up land without any idea whether these projects will move forward because the states and territories aren't talking to each other. 'We need coordination. We need a national response.' Mr Pearce's comments come as about a dozen green hydrogen projects have either failed or been delayed over the past year. One Australian project from Andrew Forrest's Fortescue recently went under, while energy giant BP last month scrapped a $54b project in Western Australia.
