The State Goverment of Queensland is calling for extension of the age limits on working visas, which has appeared as a key source of candidates for the State’s companies.

Queensland Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry, Desley Boyle, has contacted the federal Immigration Minister Chris Evans to ask that the age barriers be dissolved.

She says visitors in their 50s would be happy to reside and work in Queensland for up to a year at a time (currently, the visas are only available to those in the 18 to 30 year age bracket).

The traveller market has been a strong supplier of candidates for hospitality and rural sector employers, and widening the program would help solve Queensland’s labour shortage, she says.