00:03Penny Hung has become one of the locals in Bailing Up.
00:07I think for my personality, I prefer the country's life.
00:12The Taiwanese national has worked at one of the southwest town's few cafes for years.
00:19In the Bailing Up, it's very special because in here, the people, they're very caring.
00:24Having already used her working holiday visa, she's trying to secure a future in Australia.
00:31In a region struggling to retain hospitality staff.
00:35She's just become one of the mainstays of the business and it's hard to get them in a small town
00:41this size.
00:42But the cost of sponsoring Ms Hung is too high for this small business.
00:47And the minimum wage has risen faster in recent years due to higher inflation.
00:52When the original income was about $50,000, that was very doable for a small business.
00:58So it's kind of, it's a bit of a kick in the guts as far as immigration goes and sponsorship.
01:05While the federal government has delayed the announcement of a migration overhaul,
01:09the government says it will prioritise onshore applicants already in Australia in a bid to cut net overseas migration.
01:16Obviously that is good news for people, skilled migrants who are already in the country.
01:22Fact is though that processing times are very long at the moment.
01:26But employers are worried further changes will make it harder to find workers.
01:31The alternative is not there.
01:33That's what's, that's what is going to happen in some cases.
01:36You know, whether it's hospitality or, or other industries,
01:39they don't necessarily have an alternative to these people.
01:42A community keen to hang on to reliable workers.
01:46...
01:48How does it, or other industries still happen,
01:49that they don't have to be involved in a business.
01:49...
01:51...
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