The Daily Telegraph editorial: Rogue migration agents preying on the most vulnerable
MIGRATING to another country can be one of the most difficult things a person can do, and those who help shepherd newcomers through the process of settling in their new homes are tasked with a serious responsibility.
NSW
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MIGRATING to another country can be one of the most difficult things a person can do, and those who help shepherd newcomers through the process of settling in their new homes are tasked with a serious responsibility.
Which is why the news, reported exclusively by The Daily Telegraph, that some migration agents have been caught out allegedly abusing the system and their clients is so disturbing. The allegations are upsetting to read: In one case, a vulnerable woman with no work visa was allegedly put to work in a migration agent’s Indian restaurant and even harassed. In another, a migration agent is alleged to have submitted almost 20 concocted refugee visa applications on behalf of her clients. And in a third, an agent allegedly collected thousands of dollars in fees for an application that had almost no chance of success.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Since last January the federal government claims it has dealt with problems with other migration agents who have been fleecing would-be migrants while faking visa applications, fabricating TAFE certificates, forging signatures and in one case making up a job history linked to unoccupied residential addresses.
All of this has flow-on effects as clients and the government waste money wending their way through various appeals processes.
But more than the money involved, these are disturbing stories because the conduct of a group of migration agents hurts not only their clients but Australia’s enviably orderly system of immigration. These tales deserve to be heard as they cut to the very heart of the nation’s immigration system which, for obvious reasons, relies on a great deal of trust. They are particularly disturbing at a time when immigration is once again moving to the forefront of the national agenda.
Australia maintains a very large migration program relative to its size, and for the most part this works because both citizens and newcomers have a sense that the system is fair and well-regulated — and that those who do come to this country are dealt with honestly and fairly. Happily the government appears committed to cracking down on those who are doing the wrong thing, with a further inquiry into improper practices said to be imminent.
YOUTH WASTED ON THE YOUNG
WHERE once people typically waited until they were well into their 40s to have some sort of existential crisis of meaning, today’s over-achieving young people are feeling anxious about the reality of their lives in their mid-20s.
Experts are calling it the “quarter life crisis” and as The Daily Telegraph reports today, young Sydneysiders are facing “unprecedented levels of anxiety” over their career and life choices thanks to social media and the gig economy.
To which we say to today’s Millennials, relax — you’ve got your whole life to worry if you’ve made the right choices.
KEEPING KIDS AT HOME
STATE governments walk a tightrope when it comes to protecting at-risk children. Leaving young people in dangerous situations can, as history shows, all too often lead to tragic results.
Yet putting kids into an often chaotic foster care system is not always ideal either.
Which is why Family and Community Services Minister Pru Goward is to be congratulated for an initiative that has seen 20 per cent fewer Aboriginal children removed from their families with the implementation of a radical new counselling regimen that brings the entire extended family together to protect the welfare of the child.
Naturally there will be those who are sceptical of the numbers, and will worry that fewer removals might lead to more tragedy down the track.
But this new program appears to be motivated not by an at-all-costs agenda of keeping children at home but is rather borne of a belief that earlier intervention can work to prevent crises before they arise. It is a worthwhile effort that deserves close monitoring and, if effective, wider implementation.