DIMIA Annual Report 2001-02
OVERVIEW OF PERFORMANCE OF ADMINISTERED ITEMS FOR OUTCOME ONE
STATUTORY SELF-REGULATION OF MIGRATION AGENTS
Objective
To ensure the satisfactory self-regulation of the migration advice industry.
Description
Since March 1998, the migration advice industry in Australia has been regulated under statutory self-regulatory arrangements detailed in Part 3 of the Migration Act.
Under these powers, the Migration Institute of Australia has been appointed as the industry regulator, known as the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA).
The core functions of MARA include the registration of migration agents, complaints handling and the application of sanctions against migration agents who have breached the Migration Agents Code of Conduct (Schedule 2 of the Migration Agents Regulations).
DIMIA coordinated the 2001-02 Review of the Statutory Self-Regulation of the Migration Advice Industry, which will be finalised in 2002-03.
The Review distributed a discussion paper and invited submissions from key stakeholders, including industry bodies and government agencies, and also from the public. An External Reference Group assisted in the process.
At 30 June 2001, there were 2,773 registered migration agents. During the program year, 310 complaints were received and 305 were finalised.
$2.715m. was budgeted against this item in 2001-02. The final appropriation was $2.380m.
Key results
- the number of registered migration agents grew from 2,429 at 1 July 2001 to 2,773 at 30 June 2002.
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE SECRETARIAT FOR INTER-GOVERNMENTAL CONSULTATIONS (IGC) ON ASYLUM, REFUGEE AND MIGRATION POLICIES
Objective
To facilitate the exchange of information and promote consultations and development of innovative policy approaches on refugee, asylum and migration issues.
Description
During 2001-02 Australia contributed $0.132m. toward the administrative costs of the IGC.
The IGC is an informal, non-decision-making forum established in 1985 (with an independent Secretariat established in 1991), to provide an avenue for participating governments to exchange information and consult and develop innovative policy approaches on refugee, asylum and migration issues.
The IGC currently comprises 16 participating countries in Western Europe, North America and Australia.
IGC activities include information exchange, maintenance of databases and the production of various authoritative reports (such as those on asylum procedures, temporary protection, return, and trafficking).
The IGC also facilitates formal liaison between high-level officials from participating States through an annual Full Round of Consultations and at least one Mini Full Round a year (the latter focussing on specific issues of concern at the time).
There is also a number of IGC Working Groups and Workshops on specific issues.
These meetings provide valuable opportunities for executive-level officials who work on these issues to exchange information and ideas with colleagues in other participating states.
Working Groups have regular (annual or biannual) meetings and currently comprise Country of Origin Information, Data, Return/Transit, and Smuggling/Trafficking.
Workshops are one-off meetings, which concentrate on specific areas of interest. During the year there were Workshops on Technology, Asylum, Immigration Security, Immigration Programs and Pre-Removal Detention.
In addition to Australian representation at these workshops and working groups, Australian delegations also attended Full Round Consultations meetings in Geneva in November 2001 and Oxford in June 2002.
These meetings provided Australia with an opportunity to explain recent immigration policy and legislative changes.
Key results
- the IGC has provided a forum for Australia to work on issues affecting all destination countries. For example, in 2001-02, the IGC ran workshops dealing with immigration programs, security issues surrounding immigration, asylum decisions and return.