![Immigration Minister Claire O'Neil unveiled the report that will shape future migration policy. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong Immigration Minister Claire O'Neil unveiled the report that will shape future migration policy. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/37sRjZccYfaNxXbGxARzun2/604671c1-ea6a-4b34-9ad0-109c221af032.jpg/r0_0_5500_3667_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
FOR decades Australia has unsuccessfully tried to entice more migrants to rural areas with regional visas that are "overly complex without clear objectives", a new government report has declared.
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The report, which will form the backbone of the government's push for a once-in-a-generation reform of migration policy, acknowledged the need to change regional migration settings, but conceded there was no silver bullet solution.
A number of permanent residency pathways require migrants to spend three years in a rural location, but the report found only 14 per cent of migrants move to the regions, while a quarter of those leave for a capital city within five years.
Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Clare O'Neil said the nation had a "vexed history" of trying to drive migration populations to the regions.
"To cut it short, this is something that Australian governments have been trying to do for many, many decades and it has tended not to be successful," Ms O'Neil said.
The main factor causing migrants to shy away from the regions was the lack of infrastructure and opportunities in regional areas.
"You cannot direct 500 migrants to go and live in a place where there are no services, nor religious institutions that they desire, and there are no schools for their children," Ms O'Neil said.
Regional Australia Institute chief executive Liz Richie welcomed the government drawing attention to a holistic approach to improve livability factors.
But she cautioned against suggesting the system was "completely broken", as international and second-generation migrants had a "powerful story of contribution in the regions".
"It is a complex and multi-faceted issue, but we need to be careful in saying rural migration hasn't worked," Ms Ritchie said.
"In many regional local government areas, around 200 of them, migration has bolstered the population, protecting the community against population decline.
"That population growth not only contributes to the economic health of those communities, it improves the cultural and societal complexity of rural communities."
The report suggested more effective outcomes could be achieved by linking migration targets to specific regional economic and community development plans, which would require cooperation with state and local governments.
Australian Tractor and Machinery Association executive director Gary Northover said the agriculture industry was hundreds of mechanics short across the country, and supported the idea of matching skilled migrants to the needs of specific regions.
"Some dealerships do take advantage of these international programs, but they don't always get the skills that they need," Mr Northover said.
"It's a today-problem and it's not something we can afford to wait five or six years. If there's a solution on the table, let's get to it."
National Farmers Federation chief executive Tony Mahar was concerned by review's recommendation to limit or even scrape the requirement for Working Holiday Makers to work on farms.
"While this measure was implemented to provide temporary relief to the industry, it has become an incredibly important source of seasonal labour for farmers," Mr Mahar said.
"Abandoning this without an alternative visa stream in place would be a disastrous outcome, deepening the farm labour crisis at critical seasonal times."
Nationals leader David Littleproud urged the government to reintroduce the Agricultural Visa, a policy the government scrapped once elected.
It would have helped alleviate the server worker shortage that regional Australia, and the entire supply chain, is currently facing, while also creating a new pathway to permanent residency," Mr Littleproud said.