{"id":23455,"date":"2026-09-10T12:51:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T02:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/?p=23455"},"modified":"2026-09-10T12:51:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T02:51:29","slug":"how-could-the-points-test-be-reformed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/points-test-co-the-duoc-cai-cach-nhu-the-nao\/","title":{"rendered":"How Could The Points Test Be Reformed? What Did Different Stakeholders Say At The Australian Parliamentary Hearing?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n \n
\n \n
\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n
\n Rate the post<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

On 21 August 2026, the Joint Standing Committee on Migration held a public hearing as part of the Inquiry into the Value of Skilled Migration to Australia. One of the key issues raised was whether Australia\u2019s Points Test for skilled migration should be reformed to better identify applicants who are more likely to contribute successfully to the Australian labour market<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It is important to note that these are not new policy settings. However, the views presented by organisations participating in the hearing highlight several possible directions for future reform.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"How
How Could The Points Test Be Reformed?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joint Standing Committee on Migration<\/strong>: Is the Points Test helping Australia select the right candidates?<\/span><\/p>\n

During the hearing, the Chair asked whether the Points Test could be reformed to more accurately identify the strongest candidates with the skills Australia needs, while also making the system more responsive to the needs of businesses and applicants.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Committee also raised the situation of Temporary Graduate visa holders who are already working in areas experiencing skills shortages: could there be a more streamlined pathway for this group to transition into skilled migration rather than having to move through multiple visa stages?<\/span><\/p>\n

Business Council of Australia<\/strong>: Greater focus on \u201clabour market outcomes\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Representatives of the Business Council of Australia (BCA) said the Points Test remains a critical part of independent skilled migration, but argued that it should be more clearly geared towards labour market outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the BCA, the assessment of applicants could place greater emphasis on factors such as:<\/span><\/p>\n

- Australian work experience<\/span><\/p>\n

- Actual employment in Australia<\/span><\/p>\n

- Salary income, considered as a possible indicator of the likelihood of achieving positive labour market outcomes in the future<\/span><\/p>\n

This does not mean that salary will necessarily become a points-tested factor. The BCA only raised salary income as one possible factor that could be considered as part of future Points Test reform.<\/span><\/p>\n

The BCA also suggested that the Points Test could play a greater role in assessing Australian graduates.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, rather than simply recognising that an applicant has completed an Australian qualification, the system could also consider whether the person:<\/span><\/p>\n

graduated in an area of skills shortage + gained work experience with an Australian business.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the BCA, these factors could provide a clearer indication of whether an applicant is likely to achieve strong outcomes in the Australian labour market.<\/span><\/p>\n

Australian Computer Society<\/strong>: Not just \u201chow many years of experience do you have?\u201d but \u201care your skills still current?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From the perspective of the Australian Computer Society (ACS), one issue with the current Points Test is that it still relies heavily on a \u201clegacy framework\u201d centred on the duration of experience, relevant industry exposure and education.<\/span><\/p>\n

ACS cho r\u1eb1ng y\u1ebfu t\u1ed1 \u201ccurrency\u201d \u2013 t\u00ednh c\u1eadp nh\u1eadt c\u1ee7a k\u1ef9 n\u0103ng c\u1ea7n \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c coi tr\u1ecdng h\u01a1n.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u0110\u1ea1i di\u1ec7n ACS \u0111\u01b0a ra m\u1ed9t g\u00f3c nh\u00ecn r\u1ea5t \u0111\u00e1ng ch\u00fa \u00fd: vi\u1ec7c m\u1ed9t ng\u01b0\u1eddi c\u00f3 b\u1eb1ng \u0111\u1ea1i h\u1ecdc t\u1eeb 20 n\u0103m tr\u01b0\u1edbc c\u00f3 th\u1ec3 kh\u00f4ng quan tr\u1ecdng b\u1eb1ng vi\u1ec7c h\u1ecd \u0111\u00e3 l\u00e0m g\u00ec trong 5 n\u0103m g\u1ea7n \u0111\u00e2y, \u0111\u00e3 c\u1eadp nh\u1eadt k\u1ef9 n\u0103ng ra sao v\u00e0 c\u00f3 th\u1ec3 ch\u1ee9ng minh r\u1eb1ng m\u00ecnh s\u1eb5n s\u00e0ng tham gia v\u00e0o \u0111\u1ed9i ng\u0169 nh\u00e2n s\u1ef1 hi\u1ec7n t\u1ea1i hay kh\u00f4ng.<\/span><\/p>\n

ACS argued that \u201ccurrency\u201d - how current a person\u2019s skills are - should be given greater importance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Australian Information Industry Association<\/strong>: Both \u201ccurrency\u201d and \u201crelevancy\u201d matter<\/span><\/p>\n

The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) agreed with this view and further emphasised \u201crelevancy\u201d - how relevant a person\u2019s skills are to the current labour market.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the AIIA, the technology sector changes rapidly. An occupation or specialist skill that is relevant when a person begins their permanent migration process may no longer accurately reflect market demand by the time the visa is granted.<\/span><\/p>\n

The system therefore needs to be more flexible and dynamic so that it can better respond to developments in AI and emerging specialist skills that Australia needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Notitia<\/strong>: Qualifications on paper do not always reflect practical capability<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same IT and digital sector roundtable, representatives of Notitia provided an employer perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n

The company said that some occupation classifications in the technology sector are already outdated compared with the realities of the current market. It also noted that, in recruitment, applicants with multiple qualifications but limited practical experience are not always the strongest fit for a role<\/span><\/p>\n

Notitia said employers are increasingly placing greater value on skills such as:<\/span><\/p>\n

critical thinking, communication, empathy, design, conflict resolution and project management - in other words, the ability to apply knowledge effectively in a real business environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Notitia did not directly propose a new Points Test framework, but its comments support the broader discussion that skilled migration may need to place greater emphasis on practical capability and the relevance of an applicant\u2019s skills, rather than relying primarily on qualifications and years of experience.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ng\u00e0y 21\/08\/2026, Joint Standing Committee on Migration t\u1ed5 ch\u1ee9c phi\u00ean \u0111i\u1ec1u tr\u1ea7n trong khu\u00f4n kh\u1ed5 Inquiry into the Value of Skilled Migration to Australia. M\u1ed9t trong nh\u1eefng n\u1ed9i dung \u0111\u00e1ng ch\u00fa \u00fd \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c \u0111\u01b0a ra th\u1ea3o lu\u1eadn l\u00e0 li\u1ec7u h\u1ec7 th\u1ed1ng Points Test d\u00e0nh cho skilled migration c\u00f3 c\u1ea7n \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c c\u1ea3i c\u00e1ch \u0111\u1ec3 l\u1ef1a ch\u1ecdn […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":23457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[199],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tin-tuc-moi-nhat"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23455"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23458,"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23455\/revisions\/23458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skilldirect.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}