I was an #Australian #migration officer before #immigration became exclusion, before the Border Protection Bill, before Nauru. When the spirit was to invite people in, not keep them out - good people, loved ones, & those in need of protection.
I understood (& applied) migration
I understood (& applied) migration
2/
rules as a silent contract with Australians, who accepted & welcomed foreigners, knowing & trusting that procedures & numbers were a balance of needs & requirements, a give & take. A system that argued its case year after year, wooed for support, accountable to all.
rules as a silent contract with Australians, who accepted & welcomed foreigners, knowing & trusting that procedures & numbers were a balance of needs & requirements, a give & take. A system that argued its case year after year, wooed for support, accountable to all.
3/
Where rules were clear & fair, & so were services. Not once have I had a case of refusal that did not have a reason I couldn't explain, & those denied entry might not have liked, but understood it & why it made sense.
It's been painful to see immigration hijacked, usually by
Where rules were clear & fair, & so were services. Not once have I had a case of refusal that did not have a reason I couldn't explain, & those denied entry might not have liked, but understood it & why it made sense.
It's been painful to see immigration hijacked, usually by
4/
populists, usually for their own benefit, not the country's. Prejudice & (often false) ideas have replaced information & knowledge of the system. Ignorance cheers bad laws.
I miss the time when migration was based on numbers AND humanity. It wasn't perfect. But it was better.
populists, usually for their own benefit, not the country's. Prejudice & (often false) ideas have replaced information & knowledge of the system. Ignorance cheers bad laws.
I miss the time when migration was based on numbers AND humanity. It wasn't perfect. But it was better.
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