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ACAPMA PETROLEUM INDUSTRY REPORT international students are likely to delay their return until the start of the university year in early 2023. While the federal budget contained some measures to address the national workforce shortage, these measures were primarily aimed at increasing worker skills through apprenticeship and TAFE courses. Yet much of the current worker shortage relates to unskilled workers, so these measures will do little to solve the current problems being experienced in petrol-convenience and other retail industries. All of this begs an obvious question: what can be done to address the worker shortages that many Australian businesses are experiencing now and will likely experience for at least the next 12 to 18 months? Part of the solution lies in relaxing the current cap of 20 working hours a week for international visa students who are in the country now While this has been done for some industry sectors, such as hospitality, the restriction needs to be applied to all international visa students. Failing to do this risks making some industry sectors more attractive to these workers than other industry sectors, despite all sectors experiencing shortage of workers. An additional strategy involves tackling the shortage of affordable rental accommodation in regional areas with policies that seek to discourage or prevent land/property banking by capital city investors. This should relieve pressure on rental accommodation and make it easier for workers to relocate to the jobs that are going begging in regional Australia. ACAPMA is currently lobbying federal and state governments to remedy this issue. In the meantime, it’s likely that fuel businesses will continue to suffer from significant lack of applications for unfilled jobs and/or be forced into decisions around opening hours that are not in anyone’s interest. JOIN ACAPMA ACAPMA IS A NATIONAL INDUSTRY BODY REPRESENTING FUEL DISTRIBUTORS AND FUEL RETAILERS IN AUSTRALIA ACAPMA Membership includes access to a range of benefits: • ADVOCACY: on behalf of the industry • EMPLOYMENT & COMPLIANCE: advice, support health check audits, template documents & representation (including unfair dismissal) • TRAINING: and recognition schemes focused on standardised online safety and compliance training for employees in fuel retail, transport & contractor roles • EVENTS: by the industry, for the industry • NEWS & INFORMATION: updated daily online and delivered to your inbox every Friday About Mark McKenzie Mark McKenzie is the CEO of the Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association (ACAPMA). He holds formal qualifications in engineering (BEng) and business (MBA). He has 30 years of varied experience in private- and public-sector roles, with much of this time spent addressing strategic issues and public policy for the road transport, conventional fuels, and alternative fuels industries. Email Mark at markm@acapma.com.au, or for more information visit acapma.com.au. About ACAPMA First established in 1976, ACAPMA is the peak industry association representing the interests of most businesses that comprise the downstream petroleum sector in Australia. Membership of the association ranges from large corporations to small family-owned businesses, including fuel wholesalers, fuel distributors, fuel retailers, petroleum contractors and petroleum equipment suppliers. For further information about the nature of petroleum marketing in Australia, contact the ACAPMA Secretariat on 1300 160 270, or email assist@acapma.com.au. EMPLOYMENT ADVOCACY EVENTS TRAINING INFORMATION ACAPMA 1300 160 270 communications@acapma.com.au MAY/JUN, 2021 CONVENIENCE WORLD 71