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.
Abul's recent articles
11 September 2023
Will number of temporary entrants in Australia continue to rise?
At end July 2023, there was an all-time record 2.554 million temporary entrants in Australia. The crucial policy question is whether that will be a peak or whether the number of temporary entrants in Australia will keep rising? If the latter, what will that mean for the number of temporary entrants in immigration limbo unable to secure permanent residence and unwilling to depart?
4 September 2023
How I decided to vote in the upcoming Voice referendum
With the date of the Voice referendum now having been set for 14 October, all households will have received a pamphlet outlining the Yes and No case. Australians should understand that these pamphlets have not been officially fact checked. An attempt at fact checking the two cases by The Guardian is worth reading but I found that insufficient.
18 July 2023
Treasurys net migration forecasts and the big Australia furore?
In May this year, Treasury created a furore when it announced net migration in 2022-23 would be 400,000 a level Australia has never experienced.
11 July 2023
Donald Trump Junior vs Novak Djokovic: A tale of two visas
While both Donald Trump Junior and Novak Djokovic were granted visas to enter Australia, the stark difference in how the two cases were managed highlight the difference in approaches of the Albanese and Morrison Governments to controversial visitors.
25 June 2023
Asylum seekers Labors Achillies heel
While the boom in unsuccessful on-shore (ie non-boat) asylum applications started in 2015 when Peter Dutton was Home Affairs Minister, as time goes by it will be Dutton and the Murdoch press that will try to make it Labors Achillies heel.
12 June 2023
Can the Pacific Engagement Visa deliver positive outcomes?
Earlier this year, I wrote on the potential risks of the new Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) that will provide a lottery-based pathway to permanent residence for nationals of Pacific Islands and Timor Leste.
31 May 2023
Have we turned a corner on growth in asylum applications?
Since international borders re-opened, asylum applications at the primary stage steadily grew from a low of around 618 in February 2022 to 1,786 in March 2023. While this was well below the peak in 2017-18 of around 2,500 per month, it would have been worrying the Albanese Government given the entry of the Coalition and Murdoch press into the public debate on asylum numbers.
23 May 2023
On borrowed time: Pezzullo proves he does not understand immigration
In his opening statement to the recent Senate Estimates hearing, Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Secretary Mike Pezzullo again proved he does not understand immigration policy or administration.
18 May 2023
Are we on track for net migration of 400,000 in 2022-23?
In the May 2023 Budget, Treasury caused a big Australia furore by increasing its net migration forecast for 2022-23 from the 235,000 it published in the October 2022 Budget to 400,000.
12 May 2023
What should we make of the 2023-24 Migration Program planning levels?
The Government has announced the 2023-24 migration program will be set at 190,000 places in headline terms a 5,000 place reduction on the 2022-23 migration program.
8 May 2023
Is Treasury driving the Big Australia debate?
As the two major parties continue to debate which of them is pursing a policy of big Australia, Treasury has quietly forced both of them to accept its preferred long-term net migration target of 235,000 per annum net migration, that is the difference between long-term arrivals and departures, is the key driver of Australias population.
2 May 2023
Will Labor restore immigration compliance activity?
One of the many appalling consequences of establishing the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), and transfer of immigration compliance functions to Australian Border Force (ABF), was an extraordinary cut back in immigration compliance activity.
25 April 2023
Why provide a faster pathway to Australian Citizenship for NZ Citizens?
Anthony Albanese has in essence reversed the Howard Governments 2001 changes to rules around NZ citizens living in Australia and their access to Australian citizenship.
21 April 2023
What to look for in a Migration Strategy
Home Affairs Minister Clare ONeil will shortly (possibly on 27 April) release a new migration strategy. This follows a review of the migration system led by former Secretary of PM&C Martin Parkinson and a review of visa integrity by former Police Commissioner Christine Nixon.
2 April 2023
Why was there a blow out in net migration?
This front-page story in The Australian on the blow out in net migration has created a frenzy of finger pointing, most of it ill-informed.
20 March 2023
Asylum cases in Australia for first time exceed 100,000
In February 2023, the number of asylum cases in Australia for the first time exceeded 100,000.
9 March 2023
Independent occupational shortage body for employer sponsored visas would not work
This editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald suggests an independent body should determine which occupations are in shortage for employer sponsored visas rather than using labour market testing. That would be a mistake.
27 February 2023
How will we know the migration system has been fixed?
The Minister for Home Affairs, Clare ONeil, has declared Australias migration system is broken. It is unstrategic. It is complex, expensive and slow. It is not delivering for business, for migrants, or for our population.
13 February 2023
Overseas student policy: too important to get wrong
Overseas students are a key source of export income and a tool of Australias soft diplomacy. Whether for good or bad, they have also become a major funding source for university research.
31 January 2023
Legacy boat arrivals: Is a decade of policy paralysis about to be addressed?
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says the Government will shortly announce a humane resolution to the situation of 31,000 legacy boat arrivals who have been living in Australia for over a decade.
16 January 2023
Are allegations of bogus asylum claims valid?
Hannah Dickinson, an asylum lawyer from the Asylum Seeker Rights Centre, is reported in The Canberra Times to have rubbished suggestions people are seizing on huge backlogs of asylum applications to lodge bogus claims for protection.
9 January 2023
Interpreting Treasurys latest population statement (Part 1)
Treasurys December 2022 Population Statement has received more media attention than any of its previous statements. This is predominantly due to Treasurer Jim Chalmers promoting the statement extensively in contrast to his predecessor who largely treated these statements as business as usual.
2 December 2022
Overseas students visa criteria a new approach needed
One of the most important issues the Migration System Review must address is the overseas student visa system and associated pathways to permanent residence.
17 November 2022
Denying trafficking not the way to protect the Asylum system
Hannah Dickinson from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) has penned an article in this Journal that is full of distraction and denial of the massive labour trafficking scam that started in 2014-15. That approach does nothing to help genuine asylum seekers nor help the over 70,500 unsuccessful asylum seekers currently living in Australia with no rights and no protections.
14 November 2022
Abuse of Australias asylum system grinds on
While we await a government decision on the 31,000 legacy boat arrivals in Australia, asylum applications from people arriving by air continued an inexorable rise to 1,448 in October 2022.
11 November 2022
A migration system for Australias future
A three-member panel to review Australias migration system former PM&C Secretary Martin Parkinson, academic Joanna Howe and businessman John Azarias - has been set the task of producing a holistic strategy that articulates the purpose, structure and objectives of Australias migration system to ensure it meets the national interest in the coming decades.
3 November 2022
Is the Pacific Engagement Visa Australias first climate change humanitarian visa?
The new Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) has more similarities to a humanitarian visa than a labour supplementation visa at 3,000 permanent resident places per annum, it could be Australias first climate change humanitarian visa.
30 October 2022
The link between immigration and recessions
If Australia experiences a major economic slowdown in 2023-24 and a weaker labour market, what would happen to migration and recently arrived migrants?
19 October 2022
How will our stretched housing market cope with surging immigration?
Respected ABC commentator Alan Kohler has recently raised this issue in an article provocatively titled Labors immigration and housing policies are an explosive combination.
7 October 2022
Massive shortage of early childhood teachers demands skilled migration reform
Increased availability of high quality and affordable early childhood education is central to the Albanese Governments strategy to increase labour force participation rates, particularly participation of women.
22 September 2022
Asylum Seeker Policy Where to now?
One of the most complex and controversial issues the Albanese Government will deal with during the current budget process will be asylum seeker policy.
28 August 2022
The Jobs Summit and our labour shortages
There is little doubt Australia is facing a huge labour shortage.
7 August 2022
Working holiday makers crucial to tourism industry
The working holiday maker program is a crucial part of Australias tourism industry. They not only spend significantly as tourists, they also provide the labour that enables many tourism operators to remain in business. Many go onto become permanent residents as part of the skill stream of the migration program.
28 July 2022
Demographic future of China, the USA and India
Much has been written of the 21st century being the Chinese century in contrast to the 20th century being the American century.
20 July 2022
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.
7 July 2022
Migrant Farm Worker Policy Where to now?
Policy and administration of migrant farm workers will be one of the new Governments biggest immigration challenges.
29 June 2022
Partner visas another Dutton scandal
Under Dutton, the Department of Home Affairs just ignored the law.
21 June 2022
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.
12 June 2022
If I were the Minister for Immigration policy in the next parliament
Why do business lobby groups prefer governments recruit skilled migrants?
30 May 2022
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.
19 May 2022
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.
18 May 2022
Morrison misleads again on migration
On the 160,000 migration program in 2021-22, the Australian Financial Review reports that Morrison said were 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.
13 May 2022
Morrison Governments 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.
10 May 2022
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.
21 April 2022
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.
28 March 2022
Home affairs misleads Senate on Djokovic case
The responses Home Affairs officials recently gave to Senate Estimates on the Departments handling of the Novak Djokovic case were a mixture of smoke and mirrors overlaid by outright misinformation.
24 January 2022
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.
19 January 2022
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.
11 January 2022
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.