Australian Immigration Daily News

Last night Christopher Levingston, Liana Allan and Jennifer Fong from the Migration Alliance board and committee along with Glen Frost and Renee Zhao from PwC, Dina Goebel from Bupa, Stacey Martin from NAB and Karen Berkley from VETASSESS attended an Italian cooking class with the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Scott Morrison MP and his wife, Jenny.

As you will see from the images below, just for a bit of fun everyone was wearing a Migration Alliance apron.

Just came across this article and not sure if anyone has seen it before and it is now 'old news', but I felt that it was something that needed to be covered.   It is a story on Chris Bowen and his treatment of a Hazara he ordered back to Afghanistan.

This is the type of government we have had to deal with for a while now and this is indicative of the contempt shown for these Hazara visa applicants by the previous Immigration Minister.

The point I would like to raise is why did it have to take an Australian court to dictate to Bowen what is and what is not acceptable?

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2013L01534/Explanatory%20Statement/Text 

BRENDAN DARCY

Migration Alliance members might be interested to learn that His Excellency Baron Waqa MP, President of Nauru and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd have signed a Memorandum of Understanding relating to the transfer of people to Nauru, assessment of their claims and other issues in relation to the transfer of people to Nauru.

The release has been made via the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website and is dated 12 August 2013.  The details available on the DFAT website are things such as a peamble, interpretations, objectives to combat people smuggling. 

People who will be transferred to Nauru for processing have travelled irregularly by sea to Australia (normally called irregular maritime arrivals - IMAs), or have been intercepted by Australian authorities in the course of trying to reach Australia by irregular maritime means.  They must then be authorised by Australian law to be transferred to Nauru and must have undergone short health, security and identity checks in Australia.

Dear Colleagues,

I refer to the following email received by a member of Migration Alliance from the Office of the MARA setting up an appointment to:

“As discussed, the Office of the MARA will be undertaking a range of outreach and monitoring activities in Melbourne next week. As part of this, we will be visiting a number of randomly selected agents to review and discuss their current practice, any issues or challenges that they are facing, and how we as a regulator may be able to provide help and support.”

I have some reservations about these ‘random’ visits which take 2 hours to “review and discuss their current practice”.

I note the generous offer to provide ‘help and support’.

OMARA has a history of using these outreach and monitoring activities to conduct a ‘soft audit” of the RMA’s practice.

Given that we are talking about the Regulator and the pronouncements of the CEO with respect to the role of the OMARA as a regulator rather than some outreach service I think the key words here are the combination of words “outreach and monitoring’.

I am very sceptical as to what that means particularly if the component described as “monitoring” is  not on a ‘without prejudice” basis.

In other words, RMA’s need to be very protective of their legal rights and the lack of power of the regulator absent the specific invocation of a statutory power to enter upon their business premises and to start looking through client files and other records maintained by the RMA.

There is in my view, no power to conduct “outreach and monitoring” visits at your office which will take 2 hours.

If you agree to such a visit then you permit the entry upon the premises of officers of a statutory authority who may wish to review confidential client records and other materials which may traverse your client’s privilege to privacy, confidentiality etc.

The OMARA is not independent of DIAC and if I had received such an invitation I would say that I am unavailable as  am washing my hair!

I think if this is what the OMARA wants to do then they should discuss it with MA and sort out exactly what they are up to. 
 
Check out the email:

From:

"Aileen ZHENG" <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. >

To: Deleted

Cc:

"Louise LAZZARINO" <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. >

Sent:

Thu, 8 Aug 2013 07:16:38 +0000

Subject:

Meeting with the Office of the MARA [DLM=For-Official-Use-Only]
For-Official-Use-Only

Dear Mr Deleted

Thank you for your time on the telephone today.

As discussed, the Office of the MARA will be undertaking a range of outreach and monitoring activities in Melbourne next week. As part of this, we will be visiting a number of randomly selected agents to review and discuss their current practice, any issues or challenges that they are facing, and how we as a regulator may be able to provide help and support.

As discussed, I propose to visit your office at  DELETED. I will be visiting with Louise Lazzarino, Assistant Director, Registration and Client Services, and as you have suggested, would like to meet with both you and your colleague Mr DELETED. The meeting would take no more than 2 hours.

I thank you for agreeing on the phone to meet with us, and understand that you may need to further discuss your availability on the day with your employer. We are happy to communicate directly with your employer if there are any questions.

I look forward to your further reply and to meeting you on     DELETED August 2013.

Kind regards

Aileen Zheng
Monitoring and Complex Case Officer
Registration and Client Services
Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority
Telephone: 02 9078 3504
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

No cooperation without consultation.  It's simple.  The Office of the MARA have not consulted with stakeholders and are off on a jaunt of their own.  If you have received an invitation and you don't want to do it let me know and I will help you refuse the Office of the MARA nicely.  Anyone who wants a template letter to get them out of having to go through a 'random audit' with the OMARA please contact me.  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.