Will OMARA be cut down to size and will consumer protection prevail with the establishment of an independent immigration commissioner under the review of OMARA? This is the chance for all RMAs to provide submissions on the governance of RMAs as submissions close on 27 July 2014.

Any inquiry into a public agency suggests problems have been brewing for far too long and have come to a head. No doubt, constant calls by the Migration Alliance have been a key catalyst to the recent announcement of an independent review the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA). Now it’s the turn of RMAs to step up and make submissions to the reviewer or provide suggestions and feedback to MA’s white paper calling for an independent immigration commissioner. This will help ensure the inquiry sees OMARA for what it is and give RMAs and prospective migrants the changes they need.

OMARA has had trouble within and without since its inception: constant staff turnover; constant complaints from RMA’s of cumbersome administrative and expensive registration processes; and the overzealous scrutiny of RMAs. And the mother all its issues: being the lackey of DIBP and without independence thus begging the question:  how exactly does OMARA offer consumer protection to prospective migrants given this DIBP bias?

It is not unreasonable to expect this inquiry to cut OMARA down to size. Cruising on an annual expenditure of some $5million to administer the registration of 5000 agents, is in no uncertain terms excessive.

Perhaps one of the most damming indictments comes from Christopher Levingston’s description of the OMARA: “From its inception the MARA in all of its incarnations including the self-regulated model administered by the MIA, has comprehensively defaulted into a complex, unregulated and largely unresponsive ‘Authority’…”

The inquiry is clearly set up to consider issues such as this one. A key term of reference according to Assistant Minister of Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Michaelia Cash, who ordered the review, is to, “examine and report on the OMARA’s organisational capability and challenges, as well as the quality and effectiveness of its internal controls and governance”

OMARA’s performance will come under a potentially unforgiving spotlight in the review. The review is to be conducted solely by the prominent Western Australian Barrister, Dr Christopher Kendall. He was the sole Inquirer charged with investigating the operations and affairs of the City of Canning Council and Administration in Western Australia some years back. In that inquiry, he decided that the whole council should be sacked. No grey area there.

At its core, the reviewer has been tasked to keep in mind ‘the government’s commitment to deregulation’, consumer protection and efficiency issues. All this must point to a decision for an independent regulatory agency.

It has to be in the interest of consumer protection to have an independent OMARA. RMAs often vigorously advocate the interests of prospective migrants and risk rousing the ire of a conservative and sometimes unfortunately inexperienced case officers. A DIBP biased OMARA therefore is undoubtedly fundamentally flawed.

Having campaigned for five years to get this review, Liana Allan together with Allan Hornery, Beatrice Leoncini, Christopher Levingston and Kurt Kraues have prepared a white paper aiming to properly, formally and fully voice RMAs concerns. “The white paper outlines the case for an Independent Immigration Commissioner to be appointed by the Minister and to be accountable to Parliament on an independent basis. It’s now over to RMAs provide feedback and suggestions at the earliest in order to set the records straight and be heard with one voice” says Liana Allan.

As submissions are set to close 27 July 2014, RMAs feedback must be delivered well before that date in order to be incorporated into MA’s white paper. Please send all contributions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with "IC" in the subject header. This is your chance to be heard.