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Immigration Daily News OMARA's public relations failure: Calls itself the wrong name in videoAustralian Immigration Daily News
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OMARA's public relations failure: Calls itself the wrong name in video
The office of the MARA have sent out an email to the profession titled 'Update from the Office of the MARA CRM:0033861' on Thursday March 27th at 5:20 pm. Within it is the following information:
Raising consumer awareness - New video
(Note from me: the video is not new it was uploaded to Youtube last year in December 2013)
One of the roles of the Authority is to ensure that consumers are aware of their rights. Of course an important way they can look after their own best interests is to use a registered agent. We have released a YouTube video called Do you need help applying for an Australian visa? This is available through the news carousel on the homepage of our website and encourages people to choose only registered migration agents. You may wish to place a link to this video on your own webpage if you have one. Here is the link: https://www.mara.gov.au/news-and-publications/news/videos/
By increasing community knowledge of the registration scheme, we will not only provide a better service to consumers, but help discourage the use of unregistered agents.
We are looking at new ways to communicate with the public to increase awareness of registered migration agents. When the new website was launched, alerts were sent via Twitter and Facebook. We have also posted a blog on the department’s website to raise consumer awareness of the importance of only using registered migration agents, and of how to check registration details on our website.
Regards
Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (NOTE FROM ME: NO NAME OR POSITION NUMBER PROVIDED - BREACH)
What strikes me as most unprofessional is that the presenter in the video doesn't say the name of the Authority correctly. It is the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. It is not Office of Migration Agents Registration Authority. I suggest the OMARA re-do the video and get the presenter to get the name right. I think the least they can do is get the name of their organisation correct. Not a hard ask given the huge fees we pay annually. Given the amount of scrutiny they put us under as migration agents, right down to obsessing over interest on a clients' account, the least the OMARA could do is get their own name right on an official video.
Once again the Office of the MARA can't help but add a sentence in their presentation which reminds the public they can complain about migration agents. They go on to give out a number where people can complain about unregistered agents but nothing actually happens to unregistered agents. Eddy Kang is still out there. Received a call from the ABC's Lateline two days ago asking me for more information and asking me if I know 'why nothing's been done by DIBP'?
I sent an email to Rebecca at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Here are my questions to the Office of the MARA in response to their news:
Comments
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Friday, 28 March 2014I think these issues are important:
-MARA finding more effective ways of communicating their message to the public.
-MA helping MARA on the above point.
-persuading MARA to support registered migration agents and consumers by actually doing something about unregistered agents, and advocating legislation that gives them the power to do something.
The issue of their getting their name wrong in a video is not a great look, but I don't think we need to die in a ditch over it. You make a good point about the cost to produce the video - maybe it's the cost that prevents them from fixing it up?
I don't know how to tell if this blog entry is viewable by the wide public not, but I'd hate to think what MARA would think if they saw this post.
I'm hoping that MA will try and work together with MARA to improve. If we want MARA to help us, then we need to help MARA in a respectful way. Constructive criticism helps, but I don't think that harsh criticism encourages MARA to go out of its way to help MA.
You no doubt have experience with liaising with MARA, and I've been an RMA for only a few months, so I could be wrong about this. I just think that a lubricant works better on squeaky gears than sand does. -
Friday, 28 March 2014
Colin
Having been in the industry since 1997 I can tell you now, after trying to deal with OMARA the nice way for years and years on end and getting burned, in my view they only understand a few messages:
1/ Legal pain
2/ Public shame
3/ Money loss through their own negligence
4/ Political embarrassment and accountability
Lubricant works better on squeaky gears so long as the gears are actually functioning in the first place. Sand works when you want to stop the gears from destroying the entire car and sending it off the road through lack of proper function -
Friday, 28 March 2014
They need IELTS. Need to know the use of 'Articles' and 'grammar' in English langauge when it is used professionally .... ?
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Friday, 28 March 2014
This facebook account is probably an auction house !
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Friday, 28 March 2014
It is an auction house selling tools. Thank goodness O'MARA has a lot of tools.
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Friday, 28 March 2014
I agree with Colin.
The focus of the story seems to be that a presenter left the word "the" out of the name.
It would be a waste of money redoing the video for that. -
Saturday, 29 March 2014
I feel the video is very Australia focused in alerting members of the public to avoid unregistered practice etc, which is great, but what about alerting vulnerable members of the public offshore, where migration companies can give Australian migration advice without being penalised. We in the UK have our fair share of companies who claim their company is regulated by MARA or use the MARA logo of an agent based in Australia, yet the client never gets to speak to the agent, essentially being advised by sales teams who have 'picked up' some knowledge along the way? Shouldn't MARA extend the video to include a warning of this unregulated practice, or better still stop it! Thank you Liana for highlighting this issue in your current campaign.
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Saturday, 29 March 2014
Jason
It's a waste of time for us agents to get everything right according to the demands of the Mara. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. The focus of the story is not about the word 'the'. If you read the story it was more about the issues liana raises re their PR strategy and that it's not effective and maybe not even started?
Jason did you read it?
Bob
Immigration blog
What creative direction did the OMARA provide in the production and marketing of this video?Perhaps, a copy of the OMARA meeting minutes could be requested and made available on social media, so all Registered Migration Agents can collaborate their feedback and assist OMARA be a cost effective and fair public servant.