Skilled Occupation
List (SOL) 2015-16
Tracking Code:
SKP4DP
Name
Individual *
MR XIN CHEN
Organisation
University Of Southern Queensland Law School
What are the industry/industries and ANZSCO occupation/s that you or your
organisation represents for the purposes of this submission?
Industry
Professional
Occupation
The three dropdowns below accord with the ABS ANZSCO classification of occupations.
Selections are required at the ‘Occupation Group’ 2-digit level and at the ‘Occupation Unit (4-digit)’
level, but can also be made down to the Occupation (6-digit) level depending on the occupation/s
to which your submission relates.
Additional occupations can be selected by way of the ‘Add item’ button.
For each occupation selected, please indicate whether your advice is to Include, Exclude, or is
Neutral (other) with respect to the 2015-16 SOL. The rest of the form can be used to provide
evidence/reasons to support your recommendations. Attachments can also be added after clicking
the 'Submit' button.
Item 1
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Occupation Group *
Legal, Social and Welfare Professionals
Occupation Unit *
Solicitors
Occupation
Solicitor 271311
Summary advice for 2015-16 SOL *
Include
Exclude
Neutral
Item 2
Occupation Group *
Business, Human Resource and Marketing Professionals
Occupation Unit *
Intelligence and Policy Analysts
Occupation
Policy Analyst 224412
Summary advice for 2015-16 SOL *
Include
Exclude
Neutral
Item 3
Occupation Group *
Business, Human Resource and Marketing Professionals
Occupation Unit *
Advertising and Marketing Professionals
Occupation
Marketing Specialist 225113
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Summary advice for 2015-16 SOL *
Include
Exclude
Neutral
Are there any occupations that you represent where there is evidence of imbalances
in the demand for and supply of skills in the medium-to-long term? *
I think the solicitor( ANZSCO 271311) is under-supply particularly in Regional Australia and need
to be included in the next financial year SOL list.
Research confirms that[1]:
• Demand for professional services to Australian RRR areas is generally greater
than supply.[2]
• There is a significant population decline in many RRR areas.[3]
• At the end of June 2008, 78% of all solicitor practices were located in capital
cities. Capital city practices accounted for 81% of all persons employed in
solicitor practices and 88% (or $12.9b) of fee income from the provision of
legal and legal support services.[4]
• At the end of June 2008, 51% (or 213) of community legal services were
located outside capital cities. Aboriginal legal services had 87% (or 75) of total
offices located outside capital cities. Legal aid commissions had 54% (or 45)
of total offices located outside capital cities. Community legal centres had
36.8% (or 93) of total offices located outside capital cities.[5]
• Only 11% of employees in RRR areas in Australia are professionals,
compared to 23% in metropolitan areas.[6]
The issue of recruitment and retention of young legal practitioners is of particular concern
and has been the subject of extensive discussions by a number of the Law Council’s
Constituent Bodies, for example the Country and Suburban Law Association Conference
held by the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) in 2007, the South Australian Law Society’s
Country Lawyers Forum held in 2008 and the Conference of Law Societies in March 2008. [7]
It is believed that the Federal, State and Territory Governments would be receptive to
policy reforms relating to the recruitment and retention of legal practitioners in RRR areas.
At the 2020 Summit held on 12th and 13th April 2008, the welfare of Australian rural
communities was identified as a key priority area. The group which dealt with rural issues
has recommended building on the strengths and contributions of rural communities and
development of strategies for the efficient provision of infrastructure and services outside
metropolitan areas as key focus areas. This is consistent with the view that the Australian
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government may be more receptive to considering policy initiatives from legal and other
professions in their attempt to recruit and retain professionals in RRR areas. [8]
-------------------------------[1] http://www.lawcouncil.asn.au/lawcouncil/images/LCA-PDF/a-z-docs/RRR/Discussionpaper.
pdf.
[2] Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (2000), National Inquiry into Rural and
Remote Education
(Australia): Emerging Themes; A Herrington and J Herrington, ‘Using the Internet for professional
development: The experience of rural and remote professionals’ (2006) Paper Presented at the
23rd Annual
ASCILITE Conference: Who’s Learning? Whose Technology?
[3]ABS, Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2006-2007, ABS Cat 3218.0 (2006). 5
[4]Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007-08 Legal Services Australia, June 2009, p 13. 6
[5]Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007-08 Legal Services Australia, June 2009, p 19. 7
[6]Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census.
[7]See TNS Social Research, Study of the Participation of Private Legal Practitioners in the
Provision of Legal
Aid Services in Australia, December 2006 and Urbis Keys Young, The Solicitors of New South
Wales in 2015
– Final Report, The Law Society of New South Wales.
[8] http://www.lawcouncil.asn.au/lawcouncil/images/LCA-PDF/a-z-docs/RRR/Discussionpaper.
pdf.
Is there evidence of imbalances in the demand for and supply of skills in the
medium-to-long term in non-metropolitan areas?
If so, can you indicate in what part of Australia and the number in the occupation in over or undersupply.
In Darling Down area Queesland post code 4350, there is not so many practising solictors in that
regional area and the number of solicitors in Darling Downs are under-supply.
See report by Law council of Australia at http://www.lawcouncil.asn.au/lawcouncil/images/LCAPDF/a-z-docs/RRR/Discussionpaper.pdf.
Are there any occupations which require formal licensing or registration
arrangements in order to practice/perform in this occupation?
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For example:
• Midwives are required to register with the nurses board in their state or territory
• Panelbeaters are required to be registered or certified with the state Motor Vehicle Repair
Industry Authority
Solictors are required Registration or licensing issued by the state law societies in Australia.
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Product+Lookup/1220.0~First+Edition,+Revision
+1~Chapter~UNIT+GROUP+2713+Solicitors.
Is it expected that your employment sector will be impacted by any medium-to-long
term trends which will impact upon demand and/or supply (excluding costs
associated with training, labour hire, and international sponsorship)?
Please provide evidence (e.g. data source, policy document) which substantiates
these claims.
For example:
• New benchmarks for childcare centres mandate increased staff-to-child ratios and higher
qualification standards for childcare workers.
I do not think the employment sector will be adversely impacted by any long term trends which
will impact upon demand.
See report by Law council of Australia at http://www.lawcouncil.asn.au/lawcouncil/images/LCAPDF/a-z-docs/RRR/Discussionpaper.pdf.
Please provide any other information you consider relevant evidence to support your
submission
For example, you may know of some independent studies about your occupation that supports
your advice to us.
See report by Law council of Australia at http://www.lawcouncil.asn.au/lawcouncil/images/LCAPDF/a-z-docs/RRR/Discussionpaper.pdf.
See report by AWPA at http://www.awpa.gov.au/our-work/labour-market-information/skilledoccupation-list/Documents/2013SummarySheets/2713Solicitors.pdf.
See report by Law council of Australia at http://www.awpa.gov.au/our-work/labour-marketinformation/skilled-occupation-list/Documents/2014%20SOL%20Submissions/30%20-%20Law%
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20Council%20of%20Australia.pdf.
See report by Law Council of Australia at http://www.awpa.gov.au/our-work/labour-marketinformation/skilled-occupation-list/Documents/2014%20SOL%20Submissions/30%20-%20Law%
20Council%20of%20Australia%20(supporting%20document%201).pdf.
Would you like to make any additional comments on the SOL?
At the end of my comments, I do strongly recommend the Department of Industry to include the
occupation of Solicitor (ANZSCO 271311) on the SOL in the following financial year.
From my observation in the southern regional Queensland,Lawyers in RRR(Reginoal Remote
Rurual) areas of Australia are experiencing increasing difficulty in attracting
and retaining suitable staff, which is having a direct impact on the ability of the legal
sector to service the legal needs of these communities.
The Law Council conducted a survey in March 2009 of practitioners in RRR areas to
gather data on lawyers working in these areas, including information on the extent of
the employment problem, retirement and succession planning. [1]
The survey was released in July 2009 and includes the following findings:
(a) 43% of principals surveyed nationally indicated that their practice did not have
enough lawyers to service their client base;
(b) a large number of legal practitioners, many of whom are sole practitioners, will
retire in the next five to ten years;
(c) 42% of the legal practitioners who responded to the survey do not intend to
practise law in five years’ time;
(d) principals of country firms are extremely worried about the future of the
profession in their regions (in particular, the principals who responded to the
survey cited succession planning as their biggest concern, followed by
concerns about attracting additional lawyers to the firm and about attracting
lawyers to replace departures);
(e) 30% of the younger lawyers surveyed (aged 20-29 years) indicated they only
intended to practise in their area for under two years; and
(f) practitioners working in RRR areas undertake a significant amount of legal aid,
pro bono and other unpaid voluntary work, so a shortage in the number of
lawyers in these communities will seriously impact access to justice.[2]
-----------------------------------------------------[1] http://www.awpa.gov.au/our-work/labour-market-information/skilled-occupation-list/
Documents/2014%20SOL%20Submissions/30%20-%20Law%20Council%20of%20Australia%20
(supporting%20document%201).pdf.
[2] Ibid.
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Please provide the name, position and contact details of a person within your
organisation who is willing to be contacted if any further information or follow-up is
required.
Name *
MR XIN CHEN
Position *
STUDENT
Contact details *
PO BOX 338
Darling Heights
QLD 4350
All information, including name and address details, contained in submissions will be made
available to the public on the Department of Industry website unless you indicate that you would like
all or part of your submission to remain in confidence. Automatically generated confidentiality
statements in emails do not suffice for this purpose. Respondents who would like all or part of their
submission to remain in confidence should provide this information in an email to SOL@industry.
gov.au . Legal requirements, such as those imposed by the Freedom of Information Act 1982, may
affect the confidentiality of your submission.
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