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Immigration Daily News Immigration department head hints that 'Australia is full’
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Immigration department head hints that 'Australia is full’
Various commentaries on the speeches of the new head of Australia’s Immigration department, Michael Pezzullo, suggest that Australia will be looking to tighten immigration policy and possibly make it more difficult for foreigners to obtain permanent residency.
Michael Pezzullo is reported to have encouraged his staff to change the way they think about the department’s role and to question whether the “waves of settlement” in Australia’s past would or should endure, according to a report in The Australian.
In an Australian day speech to his staff he reportedly said, “…we should increasingly reframe our national self-understanding and speak more of engaging with the world, and not just settling our land. The vestiges of insularity and living ensconced in our sheltered land, far from our ‘home’, have passed away…
“More than settlement, we should look to become Australia’s gateway to the world, and the world’s gateway to Australia. On occasions, at times of heightened threat such as caused by terrorism or pandemics, we will need to act as the gatekeepers and, as necessary, man the ramparts and protect our borders" said Mr Pezzullo.
Tony Kevin, Emeritus Fellow at Australian National University recently wrote on the website, the conversation.com that the Australian government is in the throes of a major recasting of traditional immigration and border security doctrines and institutions. The changes are being led ‘quietly’ by its new head, Mr Pezzullo who he says has hinted that “Australia is now essentially full.
“The ‘original mission of 1945 to build the population base’ has been accomplished. Now the focus is on short-term in-and-out flows as the national interest demands” observes Mr Kevin.
Mr Kevin says that there are large gaps with Mr. Pezzullo’s doctrines. It is particularly harsh towards asylum seekers who arrive independently at Australia’s maritime borders and adds that, “[Mr Pezzullo] has no words on Australia’s international good citizen role, its responsibility to protect abroad and not contribute to wars that trigger new refugee flows, or our responsibilities to observe international conventions on the law of the sea and maritime search and rescue.
“Pezzullo’s concept of borders as flexible spaces risks sanctioning illegal activities abroad by the Navy and other agencies to disrupt and forcibly turn back on-water asylum seekers. Where do family reunions and the Special Humanitarian Program fit into the new hard-nosed immigration framework?”
“There has been almost no public discussion of these far-reaching changes in doctrine and organisation. However, these developments will significantly change Australia,” Mr. Kevin warns.
Comments
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Tuesday, 03 February 2015'On occasions, at times of heightened threat such as caused by terrorism or pandemics, we will need to act as the gatekeepers and, as necessary, man the ramparts and protect our borders" said Mr Pezullo.-I fully agree! I don't see anywhere in the article where Mr Pezullo will make it more difficult for foreigners to be permanent residents. He makes no mention of limiting the skilled migration or employer sponsored program. If he is targeting potential terrorists then I don't see how any patriotic Australian would disagree with him.
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Tuesday, 03 February 2015Maryanne,
The gate keeper mentality is all pervasive at DIBP.
Every approval may lead to a flood gates being opened and us all being inundated. this under siege metaphor engenders, in my view, a default to refusal, just in case.
As an RMA I am completely in favour of DIBP being paranoid and refusing all and sundry as it will keep me busy.
I would have thought that the Secretary of the Department in an Australia day message should be enjoining his 1300) staff to behave with fairness first and foremost, to carefully and genuinely consider all applications, to not abuse the character provisions, to not construe in every case that PIC4020 should apply but to give all candidates a proper and genuine consideration of their case on its merits.
The call to arms and the manning of the parapets is paranoid and retrogressive.
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Tuesday, 03 February 2015I think it is more about keeping the high-risk groups out - eg Risk Tier 4 +
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Tuesday, 03 February 2015
Hi Chris
I have as much disdain for the gatekeeper mentality as you do but there is nowhere in the article which mentions limiting business migration or skilled migration. He is referring specifically to high risk groups and mentions the terrorism threat which despite protestations by the Left is a very real one. I too would also like to read the transcript to ensure that my reading of his speech is correct and not taken out of context. If he targets legitimate businesses and skilled migrants with good character and essential skills then I agree to the call to arms but until then I do agree with him keeping these people out of my country. -
Tuesday, 03 February 2015
I would say that it's a lot of the above PLUS a very lucrative business for the Department. Just imagine - an increagly expensive process, only accessible by those who have the means to pay the fees and employ professionals to do the work AND a horde of unsuspecting and potential temporary/PR entrants being duped into believing that they can lodge applications themselves based on the info on the website - an invalid visa will provide a refund (for now) but a refused visa does not... Without having to do much, the system itself is stacked to raise funds and actively assit in improving the bottom line, whichever way the penny drops...
Call me cynical but the recent 50% hike on partner visas was not designed to bring in more funds to employ more case workers, it's about making money... temporary entrants are an easy source of assured income across the board - for the Department whose business IS people, and for all the secondary and tertiary beneficiaries of migration, including the ATO, the economy and the local industry.
Rules can be changed as many times as required; tightening temporary and permanent residency rules, 'protecting' unsuspecting Australians from the potentially evil machinations of overseas partnersl, limiting sponsorships, benefitting over and over again from a settled migrant population by increasing the waiting time for Parent/last remaining relative/carers/etc visa applicants three-fold (most of which will die or drop off without ever making it TO the queue or time of decision); all the while our own industry continues to be targetted and regulated.
Migration is a significant part of our economy and in such times of fiscal problems resulting from questionable budgets, the focus is on control and the tighening of the screws. I'm not suggesting it doesn't need to be tweaked from time to time but many changes of late have no leg to stand on, including legislation to act on instances which we cannot EVER control , other than putting suspicious-looking people on house arrest, withhold their passports and restrict their movements because we cannot deport them.
I think we're the Jimeny Crickets who get squashed from time to time or slowed down by being audited, investigated or cautioned for raising concerns and utilizing our amazing intellect and collective skills to point out stuff-ups and how to fix them... And yes, I don't mind being an increasingly busy cricket, although it 'bugs' me to no end knowing why this is. -
Tuesday, 03 February 2015
0ops 13000 staff...anyone got a link to the speech?
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Tuesday, 03 February 2015
In my view 'protect, defend and protect again'.
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Wednesday, 04 February 2015
Hi Chis,
Think this is what you want. Reflections on Australia Day: Settlement of the nation and beyond
Address to staff see http://www.immi.gov.au/about/speeches-pres/reflections-on-australia-day-20150126.htm -
Wednesday, 04 February 2015
i dont understand please
Immigration blog
Is there a transcript available of this speech?