Committee of Economic Development of Australia CEO Melinda Cilento says the Albanese government’s new migration strategy is heading in the “right direction” and the changes will be “good for business”.

The Albanese government has announced a new visa system, which aims to grant visas in seven days to highly skilled workers in areas with worker shortages, cracking down on the use of student visas as a back door entry for employers looking to import low-skilled workers.

This change comes amid growing public concern about the record rate of arrivals, which hit 510,000 last year as students and other travellers returned after COVID lockdowns.

“I think the strategy is an important one and laying out the long-term direction for migration in Australia,” Ms Cilento told Sky News Australia.

“I think there has been a lot of work that has gone into it, a lot of consultation, and broadly, I think it is heading very much in the right direction.

“The changes in the establishment of the skills and demand visa … will be good for business.”