CANBERRA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A comprehensive review has called for major reform to fix Australia's "broken" migration system.
The federal government on Thursday released a report from the review, which found that Australia's migration system is outdated and does not meet the country's current or future skills needs.
It warned that "tinkering" with the system would not work, instead proposing major reforms to attract the best workers, drive economic growth and protect against exploitation.
"The migration system is neither fast nor efficient and is often perceived as unfair," the 200-page report said.
"Users, current and potential migrants and businesses find the system unnecessarily complex and difficult to navigate at all levels."
It said that 1.8 million guest workers in Australia are encouraged to be "permanently temporary" due to caps on permanent migration, causing harm to Australia and migrant communities.
The authors, led by former senior public servant Martin Parkinson, said not enough is being done to retain international students after they graduate from Australian institutions.
"Various student and temporary graduate visa settings inhibit students' opportunity and ability to show they can succeed in the Australian labor market," it said.
Without immediate intervention, it said Australia was at risk of falling behind in the global race for highly-skilled migrants.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil pledged to fix the system in a speech to the National Press Club.
"Our migration system is suffering from a decade of genuinely breathtaking neglect," she said.
"That cannot continue. Because we face big national challenges that migration can help us resolve. Our economy is stuck in a productivity rut, and Australians are suffering because of it. Migration can help us change that." ■