REGIONAL Development Minister Simon Crean has rejected calls for greater reliance on migrants to plug skills gaps on resource projects in northern Australia, and urged instead a focus on training indigenous workers.
His comments followed the inaugural meeting of the Northern Australia Ministerial Forum in Darwin, where Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Henderson raised the need for more skilled migrants to meet the projected labour demand, The Australian Financial Review.
Mr Crean said the forum resolved to review the region's infrastructure priorities, with a view to maximising investment from mining tax funds.
The forum would also devise a beef strategy for the region, broadening the industry beyond live exports, which have taken a hit since the introduction of new restrictions in the key export market of Indonesia.
