Department Takes Services to Regional and Rural Queensland
Media Release - DPS 1/99
The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) is to extend its delivery of services in regional and rural communities in Queensland by introducing a pilot information dissemination scheme from 1 February 1999.
State Director of DIMA's Queensland Office, Christine Sykes, said the pilot scheme would run for four months and DIMA will access offices of the Queensland Government Agents Program (QGAP) to disseminate basic information on immigration matters and Australian citizenship.
The QGAP scheme is a series of one-stop government information centres for communities in regional and rural Queensland. It is managed by CountryNet, a division of the Office of Rural Communities, which is funded by the Queensland State Government.
"DIMA's rural service strategy aims to reduce the need for clients who live outside the major metropolitan centres to travel, sometimes hundreds of kilometres, to gain access to our services," Ms Sykes said.
The pilot project will run for four months in offices participating in the QGAP scheme in Beaudesert, Monto, Moranbah, Moura, Mundubbera, Stanthorpe, Yeppoon, Laidley, Cooktown, Herberton, Ravenshoe, Mt Garnet and Weipa.
"Those offices will provide information leaflets to clients on a range of matters such as migration, visiting Australia and citizenship," Ms Sykes said.
Where further information is requested or clients wish to discuss a matter with an immigration officer, QGAP officers will direct clients to DIMA's general information telephone numbers. The phone calls are charged at the cost of a local call. The telephone numbers are:
Citizenship inquiries: 131 880; Immigration inquiries: 131 881.
"The Department will evaluate the pilot project at the end of the four months to determine whether the arrangement has improved the level and accessibility of information to our regional and rural clients," said Ms Sykes.
18 January 1999
Media inquiries: Christine Sykes (07) 3360 5000