Immigration Minister calls in to multicultural Macquarie Park

Australia’s Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles, called in to Macquarie Park innovation district to meet with stakeholders from across our area on Wednesday.

Minister Giles was welcomed to Thermo Fisher Scientific’s offices on Talavera Road for a tour of their innovation and productivity display centre, alongside Federal Member for Bennelong, the Hon. Jerome Laxale MP.

In a wide-ranging discussion with stakeholders - including businesses, organisations and groups - attendees flagged the need for certainty in skilled migration pathways, processing times for very skilled migrant applications (for example MedTech experts, scientists and academics) and the challenges of Australia’s family visa system for new migrants.

Minister Giles - who has been in his role since June 2022 - hailed recent reductions in visa processing times, including a 70% reduction in temporary skilled visa waiting times.

Macquarie Park innovation district is home to more than 11,000 people - 70% of who were born overseas. 47% of the local workforce was also born overseas, and more than 78% are degree qualified - emphasising the importance of skilled migration to our area.

Event hosts Thermo Fisher Scientific is a global supplier of analytical instruments, life science solutions, specialty diagnostics, laboratory, pharmaceutical and biotechnology services. The company has 87 advanced manufacturing sites across the world - including in Australia - and employs 7,000 research and development scientists globally.