Aftermarket secures seat at national skills table as migration debate returns

Australia’s automotive aftermarket has won direct representation on the national body that shapes workforce training, even as the industry confronts familiar frustrations over skilled migration policy.

Lesley Yates, director of government relations and advocacy at the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), has been appointed to the 16-member Automotive Strategic Workforce Advisory Panel (SWAP) for the 2026–27 term. The panel advises on skills, training and workforce development across the automotive sector.

The Mining and Automotive Skills Alliance (AUSMASA), which oversees the panel and works with industry to keep training products aligned with changing technology and job requirements, said the organisation had received a strong response to its call for panel members.

“By actively involving industry representatives in our SWAPs, our training products can be more flexible and responsive to employers’ evolving needs, ensuring learners enter industry with relevant and future-ready capability,” said AUSMASA chief executive Gavin Lind.

Why the aftermarket needs a voice

AAAA chief executive Stuart Charity said the appointment reflected the association’s focus on remaining present in national discussions that directly affect the industry’s future workforce.

“As technology, diagnostics and vehicle platforms evolve at an unprecedented pace, it’s important that the independent aftermarket is represented in the forums shaping tomorrow’s workforce,” Mr Charity said.

“Lesley brings deep policy expertise and practical industry understanding. Her appointment ensures the voice of independent repairers and suppliers remains strongly present in national training and workforce planning.”

The AAAA’s participation in the Automotive SWAP complements its broader advocacy on skills shortages, electric vehicle capability, advanced driver assistance systems and the right to repair.

Industry estimates suggest the sector could face a shortfall of around 40,000 technicians by 2030, a gap that industry groups argue cannot be closed through domestic training alone in the short term.

At the same time, the industry has consistently argued that Australia must grow its own talent pipeline, noting that skills shortages are a global challenge and that relying solely on migration risks shifting workforce pressures across borders rather than solving them.

The appointment also reflects growing cooperation across traditionally competing parts of the automotive sector, with manufacturers, dealers, independent repairers and suppliers increasingly finding common ground on workforce and training challenges that affect the entire industry.

“Being at the table matters,” Ms Yates said.

“This panel will help ensure Australia’s automotive workforce is equipped for the realities of modern service and repair – from advanced driver systems to electric vehicles. I’m looking forward to contributing on behalf of the aftermarket.”

Another inquiry, familiar questions

In separate commentary published by the AAAA, Ms Yates addressed skilled migration policy, responding to the launch of a parliamentary inquiry into the ‘Value of Skilled Migration to Australia’.

The Joint Standing Committee on Migration is examining the economic, social and cultural contribution of skilled migrants.

Ms Yates questioned why successive governments continue to review skilled migration while leaving longstanding practical barriers largely unresolved.

“On paper, it is all very positive,” she wrote. “The terms of reference talk about skilled migration driving productivity, filling skills gaps, boosting economic growth and enriching our culture. All things most of us would nod along to.”

The policy intent, she argued, often clashes with on-the-ground experience, particularly for small and medium-sized automotive businesses attempting to sponsor skilled workers.

Complexity at workshop level

Feedback from employers is remarkably consistent, according to Ms Yates.

“In automotive, we hear the same thing over and over again from employers: ‘We tried to sponsor someone, and it was so complex and expensive we’re not sure we’d ever do it again.’”

She outlined the cumulative burden faced by smaller workshops: visa fees, migration agents, paperwork, delays and the risk that sponsored employees may be lured away by larger employers after arrival.

“We’re effectively saying to small businesses: ‘We need you to help solve the skills crisis … but you’re going to have to navigate one of the most complicated systems in government to do it.’”

Training and migration

The renewed inquiry comes as migration has returned to the centre of Australia’s political debate, with both major parties signalling reductions in overall intake following post-pandemic peaks.

Permanent skilled migration remains a priority category, but housing and infrastructure pressures have sharpened public scrutiny.

Ms Yates acknowledged the importance of domestic training but warned against treating skilled migration as a policy failure.

“Our skills crisis is here now. Skilled migration is not an alternative to training; it is a bridge between the workforce we have and the workforce we need,” she said. 

“Maybe it is time to drop the pretence that using skilled migration is a sign of failure. It is a pragmatic reality.”

As part of its engagement with the inquiry, the AAAA made a submission incorporating feedback from workshops and employers about their experiences with the system.

“If we are going to keep reviewing skilled migration, let’s at least make sure the people who rely on it – and struggle with it – are front and centre in the conversation,” Ms Yates said.

Workforce capability and skills development are among the topics to be discussed by Lesley Yates at Wire & Gas 2026 in Brisbane from 31 July to 2 August.