Engineers

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (15:46): During the winter break I had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by Engineers Australia SA. I was given the opportunity to speak on a panel on the topic of migrant engineers and the challenges and opportunities for skilled migrants. It was wonderful to share the room with so many bright, engaging and diverse people and listen to their stories and experiences.

Some stories were told through laughter, others were told through tears. Each story was one of courage and resilience, but there were also stories of disappointment, stories about dealing with complex processes that need to be simplified—simplified in order to increase the participation of our skilled migrants in the workforce, stories about engaging with a system that needs improvements in order to work to its full potential.

One woman, a trained mechanical engineer, spoke about how she had to operate machinery in a factory for over two years to prove that she had the skills to advance her career. One of the speakers was an academic who dedicated her time to volunteering at her children's school to build her confidence after being knocked back from multiple jobs. She now works in a role where she uses her experience to support other women.

Others talked about the countless times they had applied and had been knocked back repeatedly, implicitly due to their visa status. The reality is that we rely on the skill set, experience and knowledge that migrant engineers bring to the sector to help our state grow. This government is pursuing a long-term prosperity plan for South Australia that will require the contribution of engineers. They will be essential to many projects, including the continuous shipbuilding program under the AUKUS agreement, the increase in the state housing stock and many infrastructure projects. These excellent projects will benefit our state and collective future.

We do not just want more engineers, we need more engineers, and if we want them to stay in the state we need to incentivise them to stay here long-term. Almost 60 per cent of engineers in Australia are born offshore. They will experience a higher rate of unemployment and take longer to find a job than their Australian-born peers. Overseas-born female engineers are even worse off, having almost three times the unemployment rate of Australian-born female engineers.

Engineers are not alone in this struggle. The Australian Bureau of Statistics found in 2020 that 57 per cent of skilled visa holders had lost two or more jobs simultaneously since arrival. A study conducted by Monash University in 2021 found that one in four migrants work in a job beneath their skill level.

I know from experience that getting here is one thing but making a life here is another. I know that, to secure a job in Australia that represents your level of expertise, you need local experience, networks and contacts. It was migrant labourers, technicians and engineers who helped to build our country during the postwar immigration. Workers who came from all different parts of the world shaped the modern state we live in, and I am confident this will be the case again.

A fair go is a value we embrace in Australia. I applaud Engineers Australia for their advocacy and the invaluable work they do to support migrant engineers, on both a professional and a personal level, to equip them with the skills they need to advance their career in Australia. I am very excited to see the valuable contribution that those skilled engineers will make to South Australia's future and to hear about the new lives they will forge in Australia. I am so happy that each and every one of the engineers who I met chose our state as their home. Diversity can only make us stronger and more resilient.