Richard Dowling (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I recently had the pleasure of meeting two international students from the University of Tasmania, Abir Khondoker and Yee Coey Hung, who are already benefiting from the Albanese Labor government's recent update to the temporary graduate visa settings. They represent exactly the kind of talent we want studying, working and building a future in Tasmania.

Six months ago the Labor government, through the efforts of assistant minister Julian Hill, made an important change to the temporary graduate visa. Hobart and surrounding postcodes are now recognised as qualifying regional areas, allowing eligible UTAS graduates to stay and work in Tasmania for an additional year after they've finished their studies. Importantly, this change brings southern Tasmanian graduates into line with the rest of Tasmania and other regional centres across the country.

Previously, graduates living in Hobart did not have access to the additional regional extension available elsewhere in Tasmania. While students studying in other regions could stay longer and build their careers, those based in Hobart missed out on that extra year. This reform fixes that imbalance and makes Tasmania a more attractive place for international students to study, work and build their careers in.

Students like Abir and Yee Coey show exactly why this matters. Yee Coey is training to become a midwife—an essential professional for Tasmanian families and one where our state faces ongoing workforce shortages in health care. Abir, nearing the completion of his degree, is undertaking a data analytics internship with the CSIRO, building skills that will support Tasmania's growing research and technology sectors. These reforms give graduates the time and certainty to build careers, contribute to our economy and put down roots in our communities. For Tasmania, that's not just good migration policy; it's a practical investment in our future workforce.