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Is that a light at the end of the tunnel?
The announcement by the Hon. Senator Michaelia Cash that there will be an independent review of the OMARA is timely given the five year gestation period on the campaign being run by Migration Alliance through the persistent lobbying efforts of Liana Allan.
It is great to have a government in place that is actually interested in engaging with members of the public, this profession and which hears and responds to stakeholder concerns. My experience of the former government was that they weren't interested, and any suggestions were sent to DIBP to be smothered at birth.
As far as I'm concerned, the timing could not be better as I laboured my way through the simplified online registration process on the OMARA web-portal.
From it's inception the MARA in all of it's incarnations including the self-regulated model administered by the MIA, has comprehensively defaulted into a complex, unregulated and largely unresponsive "Authority".
The default to complexity for an entity set up to register and regulate RMAs could on one view be an outstanding success. Having regard to the evidence which shows a highly compliant profession. The spending of registration fees in excess of $5 million per annum to regulate 5,000 plus RMAs is monumental overkill for an organisation that can identify, on average about 12 persons who are not 'fit and proper persons'.
The taking up of high rent premises with views of Hyde Park in Sydney and the huge salary bill all point to an organisation that honestly believes it is delivering acceptable outcomes all under the broad umbrella of consumer protection.
I believe that there is a need for a regulator but that it must be independent and not staffed with officers of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) who simply do not have the expertise to regulate the profession. The case for an independent regulator also excludes the inherent conflict of interest of having a membership organisation regulate and sanction it's own members.
I think that the self-regulation experiment which saw the MIA do the dirty work is deeply unsatisfactory because it creates a perception of bias. The idea of "Chinese Walls" or "Two Hats" has no place in this regulatory regime.
It must be independent, it must be robust and it must not act at the direction of DIBP, membership organisations, corporates or consumer advocates.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel but there is still a lot of heavy lifting to do. I am thrilled and delighted to see this initiative by the current government.
Finally, one word to Liana, "Thanks".
As you are all aware, the next big issue as far as MA is concerned is the elminination of unregistered practice through amendments to the statutory scheme.
Comments
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
There is more to come. "Protecting and Preserving the rights of migration agents"
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014Thanks a lot!
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014Thanks to Christopher and Liana for leadership
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Thanks very very much for all the work and efforts you are doing for the profession. Cannot thank you enough.
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Thank you Liana and Christopher.
Cheers -
Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Liana I know how hard you worked on this but I want to remain annonymous. I a big fan of your work, blogs, efforts and I think you should be the leader of our profession. Finally Office of the MARA in spotlight.
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Thank you Liana and Christopher. For the past 20 years I have watched and grown with the profession. The most traumatic period, if were to call it traumatic, is the period when elitism a subtle form of racism infected the MIA wearing the MARA hat, under the stewardship of people like Steven Sinclair and Co. The infamous IELTS requirement for repeat registration is the best evidence of hidden form of racism displayed by MIA Board members wearing pin stripped suits scuttling around with crafted leather briefcases, while inflicting fear and anxiety on us poor souls. There were few who dared to cross swords with these elitist and they are the brave souls who were vindicated in the end. In setting up a new independent regulatory body we hope history does not repeat itself. In passing it cannot be left unsaid that in my experience, the present OMARA is more benign and gentle than the power drunk MIA-MARA. Any seconders?
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Wednesday, 25 June 2014
@Robert K Chelliah
“the present OMARA is more benign and gentle than the power drunk MIA-MARA…”
Not sure about the present OMARA being more benign and gentle, but the MIA-MARA was an utter disaster!
The current ridiculously exorbitant repeat registration fee was also the brainchild of the MIA/MARA – a legacy they left for all of us to bear year after year, even after its demise!
Hope this will be addressed in the upcoming review. -
Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Liana and Christopher - thank you for your efforts and solid leadership in my interests and in the interests of my industry colleagues.
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Further, the professional support for Agents took a new pathway on the day Christopher resigned in disgust from the MIA-MARA Board , over the issue of IELT requirement. From that day a new saviour and advocate was born to ruffle the subservient, compliant MIA. We now have a true strong advocate for the interest of the Agents, not a wimpy subservient professional body called MIA.
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
O my God! Finally the issue has been acknowledged. Thank you Chris and Liana for all your efforts.
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Start putting together all the evidence you may have about the way the OMARA runs the show.
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
It is very important to protect the interests and rights of migration agents. Agents are often abused unreasonably, and their rights are ignored.
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Good Job, Thanks Liana and Christopher.
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
urgent reform required of unaccountable /incompetent staff .The huge rent being paid for that office , staff salaries and general incompetence cannot be tolerated any longer ....this is OUR money being wasted .
Where do we send our submissions Chris/Liana ? -
Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Thank you Liana and Christopher for all your efforts .
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
And isn't this about time! It has been extremely worrying that a DIAC [at that time] staffer who refused a visa for one of my clients,and was subsequently rebutted by MRT as incompetent and not understanding the legislation was later given a role in OMARA. I could only imagine the effects of the same incompetence and poor judgment extending to any complaint made against me or any other RMA. Why are we not afforded a similar forum for all those obviously sub-standard case officers? Why is DIBP not charged a fee for every adverse MRT finding, thus ensuring some form of responsibility for its judgments? This would greatly reduce the number of cases at MRT and hold case officers to some level of accountability.
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Tuesday, 24 June 2014
We all hope in a better work environment for us all. Your work and dedication to our industry appeared sometimes idealist, sometimes a bit off track, but always genuine and honest.
Keep up the good work and let us all hope, not only in an independent, but in an intelligent outcome of all this.
cheers,
carol
PS: By the way, when do you organise the CPD's this year? -
Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Thank you Liana & Christopher. Indeed you have vindicated the concept of Peter Principle, which is a corollary of Parkinson's Law.
Peter suggests that "in time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties" and that "work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence".
Rather than seeking to promote a talented "super-competent" junior employee, Peter suggested that an incompetent manager may set them up to fail or dismiss them because they will likely "violate the first commandment of hierarchical life with incompetent leadership (namely that) the hierarchy must be preserved".
PS: Any similarity to the aforesaid is purely coincidental.
Immigration blog
Liana/Christopher, you are both a lifesaver.
Excellent job!