Corrupt politicians keep pilots on skilled shortage list

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Australia’s corrupted ‘skilled’ visa system has been exposed again, this time by the airline industry which are still allowed to employ foreign pilots under the guise of ‘skills shortages’ while 40% of local pilots have been forced to find work outside of the industry:

Rapidly expanding airline Regional Express could ­recruit foreign pilots for its new routes from Sydney to Melbourne and Brisbane despite 40 per cent of local captains and first officers still being out of work.

The Singapore-controlled airline is currently seeking dozens of pilots to fly the six 737s it is adding to its fleet.

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.