Writer
Abul Rizvi
Abul Rizvi PhD was a senior official in the Department of Immigration from the early 1990s to 2007 when he left as Deputy Secretary. He was awarded the Public Service Medal and the Centenary Medal for services to development and implementation of immigration policy, including the reshaping of Australia's intake to focus on skilled migration, slow Australia's rate of population ageing and boost Australia's international education and tourism industries.
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Three immigration solutions for worker shortages from Victorian and NSW business lobby
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and Business NSW have proposed three immigration solutions to address worker shortages. Continue reading »
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Migrant Farm Worker Policy – Where to now?
Policy and administration of migrant farm workers will be one of the new Government’s biggest immigration challenges. Continue reading »
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Partner visas – another Dutton scandal
Under Dutton, the Department of Home Affairs just ignored the law. Continue reading »
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Tripartite bargain on Immigration Policy
Given current skill shortages and how gummed up the visa processing system has become, the new Government will need a focussed strategy on what needs to be fixed first. Continue reading »
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If I were the Minister for Immigration policy in the next parliament
Why do business lobby groups prefer governments recruit skilled migrants? Continue reading »
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Why only bridging visas to Biloela family?
Interim Home Affairs Minister Jim Chalmers has granted the Murugappan family bridging visas to enable the whole family to return to Biloela ‘while they work towards resolution of their immigration status’. Continue reading »
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Exploited Pacific Island workers applying for asylum
One of the symptoms of exploitation in the Pacific Access Labour Migration (PALM) Scheme is the number of workers who run away from their employer and then apply for asylum. Continue reading »
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Morrison misleads again on migration
On the 160,000 migration program in 2021-22, the Australian Financial Review reports that Morrison said “we’re not even going to get close to that cap (sic) in the short term because we are seeking to rebuild the program, re-open the lines of people being able to come to Australia”. Continue reading »
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Morrison Government’s high risk visa switch for migrant meatworkers
We are on a very slippery slope with these visas towards the slavery-like conditions that have existed for migrant workers in North America and Europe for decades. Continue reading »
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If I were the Minister for Immigration policy in the next parliament
Under the Morrison Government we have seen the biggest wave of asylum seeker applications in Australia ever – at over 100,000. Coming by air it is almost twice as big as the fourth wave under the Rudd/Gillard Governments. Continue reading »
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Immigration of Nurses and Doctors
Australia must fix the design of employer sponsored visas to make them easier, faster and cheaper to use while increasing penalties for employers who misuse these visas. Continue reading »
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Home affairs misleads Senate on Djokovic case
The responses Home Affairs officials recently gave to Senate Estimates on the Department’s handling of the Novak Djokovic case were a mixture of smoke and mirrors overlaid by outright misinformation. Continue reading »
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Smoke and mirrors: Afghans neglected in Australia’s humanitarian program
Far from holding out a helping hand to Afghans left stranded by the withdrawal of foreign troops, Australia has been even less generous than normal. Continue reading »
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Djokovic case highlights need for change in how we check vaccination status
With international travel ramping up, changes to passenger visa checks should already be in place — and could’ve prevented the Djokovic debacle. Continue reading »
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Morrison’s doubletalk exposed again in Djokovic farce
The public is white hot with anger at Djokovic’s conduct. Even so, allowing him to stay and play tennis remains the best option for the government. Continue reading »
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Whether running immigration or being PM, Morrison fiddles the books
Using income tax receipts to offset departmental spending undermines good government. But that doesn’t faze this government. Continue reading »
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Australia’s incoherent visa system needs urgent repair
Strong jobs growth will hinge on high levels of net migration, so the next government must act to streamline the system and fine-tune the settings. Continue reading »
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Why Australia was not better prepared for the Covid pandemic
There was a significant shift in government thinking on border closures and quarantine between earlier outbreaks and the arrival of COVID-19. Continue reading »
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Our migration program: many questions with no answers
Consultations with the public on immigration have been rendered meaningless, and Home Affairs appears unable to provide any detail on its plans. Continue reading »
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Government’s brazen disregard for non-discriminatory migration program
By fast-tracking migration for Hong Kong passport holders, the government is abandoning its long-time non-discrimination principle. Continue reading »
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Scott Morrison’s half-hearted U-turn on electric vehicles
Without the vision to invest in electric vehicles and transport technology, Australia is setting up its young people for a very limited future. Continue reading »
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The overseas student and immigration nexus: Where to now?
As the government faces pressure to bring overseas students back into the country, if it wants a high-quality education sector it should be wary of those only interested in maximising student numbers and short-term profits. Continue reading »
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Asylum seeker scam continues to drive down migrant workers’ rights
After sitting on the August 2021 report on asylum seekers for around a fortnight, Home Affairs Minister Alex Hawke at last allowed the report to be made public at the end of September. Continue reading »
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Agriculture industry condemned to becoming a growing centre for exploitation and abuse
The Senate report on temporary migration makes many excellent recommendations, but also misses opportunities. Continue reading »
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The Americanisation of Australia’s agriculture labour market
Minister Littleproud will know that like their counterparts in the USA, farmers in Australia have become increasingly accustomed to using asylum seekers and the rapidly growing cohort of unsuccessful asylum seekers for cheap and easily exploitable labour. Continue reading »
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Too little, too late: Morrison’s Afghanistan failures
‘Too little, too late’ is one of the Morrison Government’s defining characteristics. Continue reading »
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Dutton’s and Pezzullo’s citizenship hypocrisy
The in-coming minister’s briefing prepared by long-standing Departmental Secretary Mike Pezzullo was inevitably going to be more significant for what it didn’t highlight than what it did. Continue reading »
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RBA Governor’s wages-immigration bomb and how he got it wrong.
RBA Governor Philip Lowe’s speech last week on the Labour Market and Monetary Policy set off a frenzied debate on the impact of immigration on wages. Continue reading »
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An Agricultural Visa Would Change Australian Society – for the worse
After years of resisting creation of an Agricultural Visa, Prime Minister Morrison has announced we will now have an Agricultural Visa for farmworkers from the 10 ASEAN countries. This may be the final step in Australia becoming a low skill guest worker country, something we had resisted for decades. The article below has been republished Continue reading »
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Blink and the boats will restart the Government says, but that is nonsense
The Government excuses its cruelty to the Biloela family by wrongly asserting that the boats bringing asylum seekers will start again . Over the past 6-7 years, the Government has presided over the biggest labour trafficking scam and abuse of Australia’s asylum system in our history. As a result of that scam of asylum seekers Continue reading »