The Great Australian Brain Drain: How to Keep Talent in the Bush

Australia’s vast economic backbone, farming and mining, is as rugged and enduring as the outback itself. But these industries, rooted in remote, rural, and regional Australia, face a peculiar challenge. Instead of building local, stable workforces, they increasingly depend on fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers or participants in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme. These are good short-term and medium-term solutions, but it’s like borrowing sugar from a neighbour who lives two towns over, it works in a pinch but doesn’t solve the problem.

The real issue? A "brain drain" that siphons the brightest young minds out of regional Australia, leaving behind communities struggling to fill critical skill gaps. Fixing this problem is more than a matter of convenience, ?it’s a matter of survival for regional economies and communities. And, as the saying goes, if you want something done right, you might have to fix the government policies that keep getting it wrong.

Driving Youth From Remore, Rural And Regional Australia

The exodus begins early. Young Australians in remote, rural and regional areas often leave for cities to pursue vocational education and training (VET) or university, and return too infrequently. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), only 31% of regional Australia’s population was aged 15-39 in 2020, compared to 36% in the cities. That’s a sizeable gap, and it’s growing.

Regional Australia isn’t just losing its youth, it’s also losing its future workforce. As the National Skills Commission (now Jobs and Skills Australia ) pointed out, 77% of regional employers struggled to fill vacancies in 2022, up from 37% in 2019. That’s a worrying trend when you consider that regional Australia is already leading productivity growth in industries like agriculture, forestry, construction, and even fishing.

But how can these industries thrive when their workforce pipeline has sprung a leak?

Government Skills Training Policy Doesn’t Support The Bush

You’d think government policy would address this, right? Wrong. The Free TAFE Bill 2024 (Cth) that’s currently before the Australian Parliament sounds good on paper but has been widely criticised by major industry groups. By funnelling funding primarily to public TAFE colleges, it ignores the reality of regional and remote Australia, where independent (i.e. non-government) Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are often the only game in town.

The Business Council of Australia (BCA), the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI) , and the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) have all slammed the bill for preferencing skills funding to TAFE, despite the fact it lacks the geographic reach in remote, rural and regional Australia.? The BCA, ACCI and COSBOA argue that independent RTOs, they argue, have a much broader geographical reach and are better positioned to deliver the training regional communities need. Without their support, young people in remote areas face fewer local opportunities, pushing them toward the cities.

The government’s own Australian Universities Accord recognises the need to support rural students, proposing to lift regional university participation rates from 19.8% to 24%. It’s a commendable goal, but unless it’s paired with practical measures to keep students connected to their communities, it risks becoming another well-meaning but toothless initiative.

Bridging the City-Bush Divide

If the Free TAFE Bill 2024 (Cth) and higher education participation targets aren’t cutting it, what will? Fortunately, smart solutions already exist.

In its Regionalisation Ambition 2032, the Regional Australia Institute outlines practical solutions to tackle the regional brain drain. It advocates for localised tertiary education models with reliable digital access, enabling students to study within their communities. Building regional learning systems and forums to connect young people to their hometowns is vital, fostering sustained ties even as they pursue post-school opportunities. Financial support, through government programs or scholarships, is essential to help regional youth access further education, according to the RAI. Additionally, funding initiatives like Gap Year Coordinators in regional centres would strengthen connections and support transitions from school to higher education or training. These measures aim to equip rural, regional, and remote Australians with the resources they need to stay and thrive in their communities, addressing workforce challenges and fostering long-term growth in regional areas.

The AgCareer Start program, a pilot program funded by the Australian Government and managed by the National Farmers' Federation (NFF), is an awesome example of how to keep youth engaged in rural communities. By offering paid farm jobs, training bursaries, and tailored placements, it gives young people a reason to stay in, or even move, to rural areas.

Local Opportunities To Support Regional Communities

Stopping the brain drain isn’t just about plugging holes, it’s about creating a system where young people see opportunities, not obstacles, in the community where they grew up. Imagine a regional Australia where local education hubs thrive, where the skills training system is funded empowered to meet specific community needs, and where every young Australian has the financial and social support to succeed without leaving home.

But for this vision to become reality, we need a serious policy shift. The government must stop treating regional Australia as an afterthought. That means listening to industry groups, implementing practical solutions like those outlined by RAI, providing ongoing funding for programs run by the NFF, and supporting independent RTOs in remote, rural and regional Australia.

It also means rethinking the reliance on FIFO and PALM workers. These schemes might be necessary stopgaps, but they shouldn’t replace the long-term goal of building local, stable workforces.

A Future Worth Fighting For

Regional Australia is the heart of our nation.? Its farms feed us, its mines power us, and its people enrich us – and let’s be frank, it’s the powerhouse of the Australian economy.? But without bold action, we risk losing that heart.

Stopping the brain drain in remote, rural and regional Australia isn’t just an economic imperative, it’s a moral one. It’s about ensuring that every young Australian, no matter where they’re born, has the chance to thrive without abandoning their roots. It’s about creating communities outside the capital cities that are strong, resilient, and sustainable for generations to come.

If we don’t solve this, the capital cities are going to get even more crowded, exacerbating housing affordability for those in metroplitian areas.? Do their residents really want to spend two hours stuck in traffic just to get to a café that overcharges for smashed avo?

So here’s to a future where the bush keeps its brains, its brawn, and its brilliance. Because regional Australia deserves nothing less.

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