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

Whether running immigration or being PM, Morrison fiddles the books

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.

Australia's incoherent visa system needs urgent repair

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.

Why Australia was not better prepared for the Covid pandemic

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.

Our migration program: many questions with no answers

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.

Government's brazen disregard for non-discriminatory migration program

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.

Scott Morrisons half-hearted U-turn on electric vehicles

Scott Morrisons 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.

The overseas student and immigration nexus: Where to now?

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.

Asylum seeker scam continues to drive down migrant workers' rights

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.

Agriculture industry condemned to becoming a growing centre for exploitation and abuse

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.

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.

Too little, too late: Morrison's Afghanistan failures

Too little, too late is one of the Morrison Governments defining characteristics.

Dutton's and Pezzullos citizenship hypocrisy

Dutton's and Pezzullos citizenship hypocrisy

The in-coming ministers briefing prepared by long-standing Departmental Secretary Mike Pezzullo was inevitably going to be more significant for what it didnt highlight than what it did.

RBA Governors wages-immigration bomb and how he got it wrong.

RBA Governors wages-immigration bomb and how he got it wrong.

RBA Governor Philip Lowes speech last week on the Labour Market and Monetary Policy set off a frenzied debate on the impact of immigration on wages.

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 from a previous entry on Pearls and Irritations on 14 November 2018.

Blink and the boats will restart the Government says, but that is nonsense

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 Australias asylum system in our history. As a result of that scam of asylum seekers coming by air there are currently over 27,000 unsuccessful asylum seekers living in the community.

Australia's facile immigration policy debate

Australias immigration policy debates over the past 30 years have largely consisted of the usual suspects trotting out the usual lines.

People movement during Covid and emergence of a growing and permanent underclass

People movement during Covid and emergence of a growing and permanent underclass

While Prime Minister Morrison initially told temporary entrants in Australia to go home, relatively few followed his instruction. His Governments new message to these people is to stay and work in largely unskilled jobs. This ignores the long-term consequences of a growing and permanent underclass that will have to be dealt with after the election.

People movement implications of deteriorating Australia-China relations

Over the past 35 years, people movement between Australia and China increased at an extraordinary rate. The deterioration of Australia-China relations, which has now been locked in by comments about war with China by new Defence Minister Peter Dutton (as well as the drums of war comments by his former Secretary Mike Pezzullo) and Chinas indefinite suspension of the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue, will reverse that trend for the foreseeable future.

New Ministers Andrews/Hawke keen to make their mark on asylum seeker debate

New Ministers Andrews/Hawke keen to make their mark on asylum seeker debate

New Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews and new Immigration Minister Alex Hawke will be keen to stamp their mark on the asylum seeker debate a debate that has won the LNP many elections and led to the promotion of relevant ministers, including Morrison and Dutton.

What will Frydenberg forecast for the budget in the 2021 Intergenerational Report?

What will Frydenberg forecast for the budget in the 2021 Intergenerational Report?

Australias first four Intergenerational Reports made very different long-term forecasts of Australias budget balance and level of government debt driven largely by different assumptions of the real rate of economic growth. What will Josh Frydenberg forecast in his 2021 Intergenerational Report after forecasting budgetary nirvana in his 2019 ten year budget plan?

Why wont Morrison accept his responsibility for quarantine?

Why wont Morrison accept his responsibility for quarantine?

WA State Premier McGowan has again called on the Commonwealth to accept its responsibility to develop national dedicated quarantine facilities as Australia has had for much of its past. But there appears to be little to no chance of that happening.

Asylum policy in UK and Australia a tale of two nations

Asylum policy in UK and Australia a tale of two nations

In these two nations, the backlog of asylum applications and that of refused asylum seekers who have not departed is remarkably similar (see Table 1). But debate on the matter in the two countries is very different.

Proposed English language testing of Australian sponsors and partners

In the 2020 Budget, former Acting Immigration Minister Tudge announced the Government would introduce English language testing for partner visas that is when an Australian sponsors their non-Australian partner to become an Australian permanent resident.

An immigration agenda for new home affairs minister Andrews

An immigration agenda for new home affairs minister Andrews

Peter Duttons transfer to Defence Minister and appointment of Karen Andrews as the new Home Affairs Minister provides her with an extraordinary array of Dutton inspired problems she could readily fix.

So many questions for Home Affairs

How did a backlog of around 100,000 partner visa applications develop when the Migration Act clearly states it is illegal to limit the number of partner visas? When the Department of Employment undertake a systemic investigation into the 22 deaths of seasonal worker visa holders? Why have we significantly tightened legal criteria for all other skill stream visas yet the Global Talent Independent visa has almost no meaningful legal requirements? So many questions the new immigration minister Alex Hawke should ask the Department of Home Affairs.

'I don't hold a hose, mate': for overseas students Morrisons hands-off approach was writ large

From June last year, the Morrison Government increased the number of offshore student visas even though it knew these people had little to no chance of entering Australia while the pandemic rages around the world. Why would it do this?

What if Australias fertility rate keeps falling?

The ABS recently released births data for 2019 noting a very sharp fall in fertility to the lowest in our history. This was no surprise now that the Government had at last stopped forecasting a sharp rise in fertility.

Migration in reverse in September 2020

Net international movements in September 2020 were negative 33,270, a reduction on the August 2020 outcome of negative 45,610.

Why Was Immigration Compliance Activity Tanking Pre-Covid?

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and his Department Secretary Mike Pezzullo are well known for their gratuitous cruelty. But does that mean they have been effective at maintaining immigration compliance and control?

Amnesty for Undocumented Workers

The ABC reports the Government is looking into an amnesty for undocumented workers to help address a shortage of farm workers.

Forecast of 2020-21 Migration and Humanitarian Program

Australian governments have always cut the immigration intake in response to a recession. The 2020-21 intake will be no different. While the Government may announce a ceiling that is not much below that for 2019-20, the actual planning level, which may well remain secret, will be well below the ceiling.

Tudges Global Talent Task Force Spin or Substance?

Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge on 4 September announced a Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce as part of the Governments JobMaker Plan. Sadly it seems Tudges announcement looks increasingly like spin over substance.

Temporary Entrants Continue to Go Home in July 2020

The Prime Ministers call for temporary entrants to go home continued to be effective in July 2020 with a net loss of temporary entrants of 34,830 in July 2020.

Australia can't rely on overseas migration anymore Mr. Treasurer

The Governments July Economic Statement forecasts net overseas migration in 2020-21 will be around 31,000 the lowest since 1975-76 and a dramatic contrast to the fanciful levels of net overseas migration forecast in the 2019 Budget.

Covid Driving Down Onshore Asylum Applications

Closure of international borders has reduced the onshore asylum application rate but we still have almost 87,000 asylum seekers in Australia, the vast bulk of whom are from countries where asylum claims are not likely to be strong.

Can we rely on the PMs forecast economic boom?

Scott Morrison says Australias economy will have to expand by 3.75% per annum for the next five years to recover from the corona virus recession.

Population ageing in Australia and Japan

Australia and Japan are demographic polar opposites.

ABUL RIZVI. Forecast of Net Overseas Migration for the Decade of 2020s

The Prime Minister says the coronavirus crisis will drive net overseas migration in 2020-21 down by 85% of its level for 2018-19. But what would net overseas migration average during the decade of the 2020s under current policy settings?

ABUL RIZVI. Is population ageing affecting Australias economic performance?

ABUL RIZVI. Is population ageing affecting Australias economic performance?

A lower fertility rate and lower NOM for the foreseeable future will mean that Australia will age much more rapidly than forecast in the 2015 Intergenerational Report and in the 2019 Budget.

ABUL RIZVI. Global Talent Independent Visa: Permanent residence in a week or two

The new Global Talent Independent (GTI) visa provides a direct permanent residence for highly skilled professionals in high growth sectors. According to the Department of Home Affairs, processing times range between two days and two months with many being decided within a week or two.

ABUL RIZVI: Australias struggles with skilled temporary migration

Kristina Keneally argues that when we come out of the current crisis we should aim for a lower level of temporary migration to make sure Australians get a fair go and a first go at jobs. Scott Morrison says cutting skilled temporary migration would hurt the economy. Who should we believe?

ABUL RIZVI. Morrison and Dutton wash their hands of the plight of overseas students?

Australias international education industry has boomed over the past 20 years. Now that it has all turned to tears, can Morrison and Dutton continue to wash their hands of the plight of overseas students they encouraged to come to Australia?

ABUL RIZVI: Coronavirus and Australias Population and Economic Directions

The coronavirus crisis brings to an end 20 years of high migration to Australia. On current policy settings, net migration in 2020 and 2021 will be close to zero, if not negative. Australia is looking at the biggest turning point in its population history - bigger than the Great Depression.

ABUL RIZVI.Who are the missing 473,000 temporary entrants?

Minister Tudge says there were 2.17 Million temporary entrants in Australia in early April 2020. He explains that 1.697 million of these are NZ citizens, students, tourists, working holiday makers and skilled temporary entrants. But who are the remaining 473,000?

ABUL RIZVI. The plight of temporary entrants

For Sujith, Priyanga and their two children, winter is coming as it is for so many temporary residents.

ABUL RIZVI. We need to keep migrants in Australia during coronavirus recession

If the government does not act to stop the coronavirus recession from forcing migrants out, then Australia will be far more economically vulnerable. BecauseAustralia is a migrant settler nation, recessions here have special characteristics.

ABUL RIZVI.- Job-keeper allowance a gun to the heads of over 1 million temporary entrants

The job keeper allowance is a massive tourniquet for the Australian economy and society. But for over 1 million temporary entrants, the allowance is a gun to their head.

ABUL RIZVI: The Ruby Princess how could this have happened?

The Ruby Princess, along with a number of other cruise ships that arrived in Australia around the same time, will go down in Australian history as a super spreader of disease and death.

ABUL RIZVI. Possible population projections in the forthcoming 2020 Intergenerational Report

Treasurer Frydenberg will shortly publish the 2020 Intergenerational Report (IGR) Australias fifth such document. It's as close as we get to a long-term plan (usually 40 years) for the Australian population and economy.

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