'Driving me insane': restaurateur slams migrant debate

The French-born restaurateur moved to Australia in 1991 as a qualified chef after a chance encounter with Australian tourists who convinced him to travel two years earlier.

"I just really embraced being an Australian. I became an Australian ambassador."

Mr Bitton began working in Sydney at a five-star hotel restaurant off Circular Quay before working his way up to opening his own chain of restaurants.

His long-running cafe in the city's eastern suburbs operates off the back of a multicultural workforce which he said fosters a sense of community.

"So when you see now the policy about immigration and how they make it hard ... it's embarrassing," he said.

The government, coalition and One Nation have each announced different policies to slash migration and rethink the role of international students and tradespeople in the economy.

Labor's plan includes a redesign of the skilled migration points test so housing construction trade qualifications carry the same point value as a university degree.

Visa applications already prioritise a number of sectors including construction, healthcare and resources under a ministerial direction which took effect in September.

While Mr Bitton has weathered the introduction of the GST, the global financial crisis and COVID-19, he said the culture in Australia around hospitality meant the shortage of chefs and waitstaff was impossible to fill without migrants.

"Australians don't want to be in the hospitality industry. They do it when they're going to uni ... but this is not in their blood,'' he said.

"Like European, we are proud to be a waiter, or we're proud to be a chef. Go to any restaurant, cafe, your coffee, your food will be cooked or made by immigrants.

"And then we make it so hard now for people to stay in this country. It's driving me insane."

It has reignited calls from the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association for the hospitality sector to be included in the list of sectors that prioritises visas.

"No matter what migration policy that the current or future governments land on, they need to face the reality that chefs and cooks and restaurant managers from overseas are one of the most in demand skilled workers in Australia," association chief executive Wes Lambert said.