SSI welcomes Prime Minister’s call to unlock Australia’s untapped skills

Speaking at the FECCA 2026 National Conference yesterday, Prime Minister Albanese highlighted the importance of making better use of the skills already within Australia’s communities and workforce.

“One practical and meaningful measure is to more readily recognise the skills and qualifications people have. That is why as part of this year’s budget the government announced an $85 million investment in skills recognition reform,” he said.

“I want every Australian to be able to add to our country and feel proud of what they bring and to maximise that.”

The Prime Minister’s comments follow sustained advocacy through SSI’s Activate Australia’s Skills campaign, which is an alliance of more than 130 organisations calling for faster, fairer and more affordable recognition of overseas skills and qualifications.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis AM said the Prime Minister’s comments were a welcome acknowledgement of one of Australia’s greatest untapped sources of talent and productivity.

“We welcome the Prime Minister’s recognition that Australia needs to make better use of the skills and experience of people who are already here,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

“At a time when employers are struggling to fill critical vacancies, hundreds of thousands of overseas-trained professionals already in Australia are working below their potential, including qualified doctors, nurses, engineers and teachers whose overseas qualifications and experience are not being fully recognised.

“This is an extraordinary waste of human potential, a missed opportunity for our economy and a loss for communities that desperately need these skills.”

In his remarks, the Prime Minister referenced SSI’s Activate Her Skills research, developed in partnership with the Australian Multicultural Women’s Alliance, which found more than 340,000 migrant and refugee women are working below their level of skills and qualification due to costly and confusing licensing processes.

The research also found that migrant women are 20 per cent more likely than migrant men to have their skills underutilised, and that prohibitive fees and lengthy skills recognition processes disproportionately affect migrant women.

Ms Roumeliotis said the Prime Minister’s recognition of the problem, alongside the government’s $85 million investment, represented important progress, but further structural reform was needed to unlock the full benefits.

“We know the skills are here. We know the jobs are here. What we need is a system that connects the two, while upholding the high standards Australians expect,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

“The government’s commitment to consult on a skills recognition commissioner to oversee and continually improve the system is an important next step, and should be progressed as a priority. It would be a game changer.

“A skills recognition commissioner would bring greater transparency and accountability to a fragmented system, identify unnecessary costs and delays, and drive continuous improvement in how overseas skills and qualifications are recognised. Getting this right means more nurses caring for patients, more teachers in classrooms, more skilled tradespeople building homes and more qualified workers helping Australian businesses grow.

“For too long, Australia’s approach to skills recognition has left talented people on the sidelines, while industries face persistent workforce shortages. The Prime Minister has identified an opportunity that could deliver enormous benefits for Australia.

“We look forward to working with the Australian Government to build a skills recognition system that is faster, fairer and more affordable, so that migrants and refugees can contribute at their full potential and all Australians can share in the benefits.”