Australia must restore its ‘marquee’ reputation

Australia has lost its reputation as a marquee destination, and while the tide is turning, the managing partner of Mazars’ Sydney office says there’s still work to do. Speaking on this week’s Accountants Daily podcast, Matthew Ashley said the firm’s internal mobility programs were integral to the way it operates, but staff relocating to Australia needed reassurance about freedom of movement. “I think COVID-19 in Australia — its perception from the rest of the world — has created some issues. We’re no longer that marquee destination that everyone wanted to go to,” he said. “That’s starting to change now that [we’re] seeing that borders have remained open for a lot longer than they were, but it’s still an issue we need to address a little bit. “If we are going to address this skill shortage, it definitely needs to be a big focus on making Australia that destination. We need to look at our migration policies. How do we make Australia that real marquee place that everyone around the world wants to go and work in?”