Tony Abbot’s policy of scrapping non-contributor parent visa is cruel and is a second ‘Stolen Generation Blunder’. This negates the apology publicly extended in 2007 for the first Stolen Generation Blunder. Australia is committing the same mistake again and has not learnt from the past. The government should rethink over this and keep this category of visa.
Parents don’t come here only physically but dispose of their properties back home and bring over the sale proceeds to help jack up the Australian economy, along with their life experience that ultimately enriches the country of their migration.
There was a long wait of 13 years for non-contributory parent visa, that itself was a long wait but there was a hope, that now has turned into despair. Though the contributory category does bring some cash immediately the non-contributory category does the same over a period of time and in a more inclusive way, by disposing of their properties overseas.
Parents do help in keeping the young work force in the job market when they do the child minding. If there is no one at home to take care of the children the young parents will be sitting home idle looking after their off spring as the child care costs are almost equal to their earnings otherwise.
New Skilled Occupation List (SOL)
Chefs, bricklayers and wall and floor tilers will be added to the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) from 1 July 2014 to help meet the needs of the Australian economy, as announced recently by the Minister for Trade and Investment, the Hon. Andrew Robb, and the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash.
Minister Robb said the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA) works independently of government to provide annual recommendations on the composition of the SOL to ensure it responds to Australia’s changing skill needs. This is inline with AWPA analyses and evidence to get the balance right between labour market, education and training, migration and general economics and demographics.
The addition of chefs to the SOL shows that the occupation is in short supply. This will adversely affect that particular unscrupulous section of entrepreneurs who have been operating businesses solely funded and operated by the workers (on 457 visa) themselves, misusing the 457 visa and exploring the vulnerable.
I am not sure where they will get the bricklayers and tilers as there are no such qualifications offered in countries targeted to get the migrants from. Probably plenty of dubious such colleges will mushroom overnight in India to supply that demand. There are plenty of such trained workers in India but they do not have any formal education and English proficiency.
Published in Indian magazine, Sydney
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