Australian engineers who were born overseas fear they could miss out on the AUKUS-inspired defence jobs boom because of restrictive United States security requirements.
Tough rules excluding people with links to certain countries mean employers may struggle even further to fill skills shortfalls in the technical professions required for the nuclear submarine procurement, construction and deployment.
More than half (59 per cent) of Australia’s engineering workforce is overseas-born, with two thirds of new engineers coming from outside Australia every year, according to Engineers Australia.
Software engineer Eric Raygan — an Iranian-born Australian citizen who has lived in Australia since 2010 — is already concerned that the increasing focus on defence and security may leave people like him behind.
While he is securely employed, he has noticed that recruiters targeting him for new jobs in the defence sector rescind their offers when they realise he was born in Iran.
“My experience has been that quite early on in the process, after the first sort of screen or two, you’re met by a barrier called the ‘ITAR restrictions’ imposed by the United States government,” he said.
“Being born [somewhere] is something you can’t really change. I have been in Australia for over a decade — for the best part of that, I’ve been an Australian citizen.”
ITAR, which stands for International Traffic in Arms Regulations, is a US law that restricts access to materials and technical data used in defence projects, known as ITAR Controlled Material.
The regulations prohibit certain dealings with “proscribed countries” and their citizens in relation to weapons, intelligence and other related technology and information.
Eva Galfi, a principal consultant at International Trade Advisors who advises defence contractors on the ITAR regulations, said they contained many exclusions.
“The ITAR looks at not only the country of birth, but the ITAR also looks at any country that a person has held citizenship of, permanent residency of, or has any close ties to,” she said.
“Those are all reasons why someone would be excluded from participating in a project that involves ITAR-controlled technology.”
Many defence contractors — including six in South Australia where the AUKUS submarines will be built — have received exemptions from anti-discrimination law and can refuse potential staff based on their nationality and country of birth.
Australian staff will also need security clearances to work on AUKUS projects.
Source: abc
