The ALP and current migration problems

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Created on Wednesday, 21 August 2013 15:07

Written by Editorial staff

The Australian Labor Party seems to be having some problems at the moment, as Liana Allan - treasurer of Migration Alliance - has pointed out in a number of recent blog posts.

The following examples may be of some interest to migration agents currently working in Australia.

For a start, Matt Thistlethwaite, who was the Senator of New South Wales, announced his resignation on August 9, 2013.

Ms Allan said that Mr Thistlethwaite had actually taken the time to speak with some migration agents in Australia, and admitted she was sad to see him go as a result of recent struggles between the Australian Labor Party, the country's unions and "in-house wars for power".

"Things must be pretty bad in the Labor camp if they can't even prevent senators resigning weeks out from the election," she said.

In addition to this, more and more boats carrying asylum seekers keep arriving on Australia's shores.

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service released multiple statements on Monday (August 19), which revealed that a number of boats - or "irregular entry vessels" had been spotted off the cost of Christmas Island.

One had approximately 200 people on board.

It was also revealed that boat capsized in the same location on yesterday (August 21), and five people may have lost their lives.

Despite all of this, the Brisbane Times reported yesterday (August 21) that Minister of Immigration Tony Burke said the government's Papua New Guinea "resettlement policy" was doing its job.

Ms Allan said that sending asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea was not a solution.

The government has put into practice legislation which states that people who arrive by boat without valid migration visas will be subject to "regional agreements" with Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

This legislation came into effect on July 19, 2013, and means that such people are not allowed to set up camp in Australia.

Finally, Ms Allan revealed that some of Australia's union workers have been speaking with her on Twitter about their current campaign, which condemns the current 457 immigration visas program.

She said this campaign was all about "conning the Australian public into thinking that 457 visa holders are in some way responsible for the lack of apprenticeships currently on offer in Australia".

Unswayed by this argument, Ms Allan stated that "perhaps the real reason [for the limited number of apprenticeships] is that there is not enough incentive to do a trade anymore".