Concerns have emerged about a ‘security statement’ Australian PM Tony Abbot is expected to release next week, according to a report on the SBS. Queensland MP Teresa Gambaro has indicated that changes are brewing that could have significant impact on the Coalition government’s support for the immigration program and multiculturalism.

The former Assistant Minister for Immigration in the Howard government, MS Gambaro said in a statement to SBS that "while it seems clear that there have been very concerning failures of process and a lack of proper diligence with security checks, we should not let these failures of process lead us to question the strengths and benefits of our migration program or our success as a multicultural society.”

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has raised the Lindt Café as an example of where lax enforcement of bail rules allowed Man Haron Monis free on bail while facing serious charges.  

Mr Abbott has detailed the areas he wanted to examine in the context of the security statement.  

"It's clear to me, that for too long, we have given those who might be a threat to our country the benefit of the doubt,” he said in a recent statement. “There’s been the benefit of the doubt at our borders, the benefit of the doubt for residency, the benefit of the doubt for citizenship and the benefit of the doubt at Centrelink...And in the courts, there has been bail, when clearly there should have been jail.”

SBS survey of some some sectors of Australia's ethnic communities leadership indicates that they were concerned that the approach could undermine support for multiculturalism in Australia while Civil Liberties groups have raised their concerns about the Government’s plan to end the so called ‘benefit of the doubt’.

 I have spoken with the National Allegations Assessment Team (NAAT) today and they have requested that if anyone has information relating to Abel Kalpinand Prasad, in the first instance please send the information using the dedicated web-form.  The Department are working on it.   If people are willing to contact the Department directly then the following information has been sent by the DIBP to Migration Alliance:

"The online form is available - https://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/forms/ssl/dob-in/index.htm

General information and links to the online form - http://www.immi.gov.au/Help/Pages/immigration-dob-in-service.aspx

• Ultimate Secure PKI Digital Signatures Technology - Secured Signing service uses digital signature technology that provides unique signing keys for each signatory. This User Based digital signatures solution seals and protects your electronic document with the first signature. The sophisticated solution automatically detects any changes made to the document, immediately invalidates the signatures, and promptly notifies all parties involved.

• Local Company and Support – Free telephone support or email.

• Best price for Registered Migration Agents

Great News

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s Annual Report for 2013–14 has reported strong financial performance despite the challenges posed by increased activity and complex operational demands. The report goes on to say that the Significant Investor visa (SIV) exceeded departmental expectations, with $1430 million being injected into Australia’s economy since it commenced in November 2012.

Austrade

In NZ, backpackers get an extra three-month stay for three months of farm work. In Australia, they get an extra year’s stay for such an 88-day work stint. This incentive and farmers’ preference to backpackers over Pacific Islanders is undermining the seasonal worker program, a study by the World Bank and the Australian National University has found.

Australia's seasonal worker program (SWP) established in 2008 as a pilot, and then in 2012 as a permanent program, is aimed to help meet the labour needs in Australia’s horticultural sector and offer labour mobility opportunities to 2,500 Pacific islanders every year.

These workers who can stay here for between 3 and 6 months have to compete with  40,000 backpackers who complete farm stints to get an extra year’s work rights in Australia.

Report author Stephen Howes believes the ready supply of backpackers and financial and administrative burdens on growers using Pacific Islander labour, such as accommodation and private health insurance costs, contributes to the lower demand for seasonal workers, according to a report by the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

He notes that "Backpackers turn up at your door, you don't have to do anything," he told AAP.

However, Prof Howes said most producers surveyed preferred using Pacific Islanders as they believed they were more reliable and harder working.