Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has made it clear in recent weeks that she is all for “moving Australia forward.” Gillard’s speech to the Lowry Institute confirmed her support for a sustainable and skilled population growth in Australia acknowledging that this “has always been a part of Australia’s story.”

Gillard herself immigrated to Australia from Wales over forty years ago, along with her older sister and parents. “I arrived here aged four, the guest of a generous nation,” she noted during her speech to the Institute. Gillard grew up as a Welsh immigrant in the city of Adelaide, and is proud of her family’s achievements in the country she has now risen to govern.

The Prime Minister has publicly addressed many issues surrounding skilled migration, indicating she understands Australia’s economy needs skilled labour from overseas, and that she intends to support that need by continuing to create opportunities for skilled migrants. In particular, she noted that many regional areas of Australia required skilled labour in large numbers, stating that many such areas “...are crying out for more people – skilled workers to fill job vacancies in occupations like mining, health and aged care and community services.”

The new Prime Minister contends that Australia’s main immigration needs lie in skilled labour, recruited specifically for certain occupational vacancies in the Australian job market.  Prospective migrants wanting to immigrate to Australia under the General Skilled Migration program can therefore rest assured that the new Australian Prime Minister recognises their value to the Australian economy as well as Australia’s need for their expertise.