Guest Mach Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hi guys, Ok it's go-time. I am sadly unable to give you a name, but my agent just told me that the states are meeting with DIAC tomorrow (Tuesday) on GSM priorities, and it would be a massive boost if we went onto the forums to get everyone to ring, mail, carrier pigeon and sky-write to their sponsoring states today. He felt that the state's will need to go into the meeting with a unified sense of outrage and moral commitment, or as usual they’ll get creamed by the Commonwealth playing them all off against each other. I realise that you have absolutely no reason to believe me other than I do not have form for winding people up or causing rifts on PiO, and that my thanks-to-posts ratio is pretty high. However, what's the worse thing that can happen? You remind your sponsoring state that you exist, that you have been badly treated and you are still ready to move ASAP to help them solve their skills shortages? Here's a link to the senators' contact coordinates. I'm sure a number of other senior posters on here have a list of other parties that ought to be CC:d in on any correspondence. However, I'd probably not send it to the DIAC drones, given they'll be sitting on the other end of this flaming. Parliament of Australia:Senate:Senators:Senators' Parliament House and State/Territory addresses, phone and fax numbers A few hundred or so e-mails from SS holders to each respective state ought to get the point across. Good luck! //Mach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest proud2beaussie Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Thanks for the post Mach,I actually have no reason to disbelieve you and am happy to take your agent at their word. Let's hope the states have enough intestinal fortitude to stand up to DIAC and the minister and tell them that they have got this seriously wrong and that they are damaging Australia's reputation of being a country that gives a fair go to those who want to migrate here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jamie Smith Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I've asked some of my contacts for info too, will post here if anything comes up. It might just be part of the MODL review, but here's hoping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Glenn Pereira Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 The meeting is likely to start with an openign statement as follows : "We gave you the authority to sponsor both on-shore and off-shore applicants. However the state sponsorship program has been scammed, let us have a your views how you will manage the program to avoid future "scamming". Alternatively, we will manage the program based on the list of occupations in short supply which you identify periodically. Regards Glenn Pereira Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jamie Smith Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 The meeting is likely to start with an openign statement as follows : "We gave you the authority to sponsor both on-shore and off-shore applicants. However the state sponsorship program has been scammed, let us have a your views how you will manage the program to avoid future "scamming". Alternatively, we will manage the program based on the list of occupations in short supply which you identify periodically. Regards Glenn Pereira Glenn, other than the total abdication of some States to properly monitor colleges and their links to document fakers for work experience etc, how have the States contributed to the scamming. The meeting will more likely start with "DIAC, you let the system fail through a lack of checks and balances and failure to consult with the community before making changes, then you failed to act when necessary and now you overreact. And we States are the losers. What are you DIAC going to do to ensure we States get the labour and skills we need?":mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mach Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Phew, just mailed all of them on that list... Even those outside of WA (my sponsor) as the sentiment is the same regardless of state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KatyNick Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Mach - I'm postive the information you have is true. I went to a seminar in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago and was fortunate to speak to a member of staff from WA State. She told me that WA are not taking this sitting down and that there is a meeting of the states in November in Tasmania. I bet this is the meeting!! Thank you for comfirming when the dates are. Lets all keep our fingers crossed that the States go in with their boxing gloves on (that is against DIAC not the other states!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mach Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Mach - I'm postive the information you have is true. I went to a seminar in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago and was fortunate to speak to a member of staff from WA State. She told me that WA are not taking this sitting down and that there is a meeting of the states in November in Tasmania. I bet this is the meeting!! Thank you for comfirming when the dates are. Lets all keep our fingers crossed that the States go in with their boxing gloves on (that is against DIAC not the other states!). Looks like it! If that's what WA said to you, I hope everyone makes one last e-mail push supporting your state's positions on this to seal the deal. If nothing else, our experiences give them some fresh ammunition to use in the meeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Glenn Pereira Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Jamie, Based on anecdotal evidence, students scammed the VIC States sponsorship by "purchasing" employment offer letters for $ 3-5000. Hence on 12 th Dec 2008, VIC had deleted most of the occupations and DIAC commenced an investigation on the "scam". Regards Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz2008 Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Mach - Thanks for this post, will look forward to seeing what news is leaked from their meeting. I hope and pray its a good outcome for us all. I will now get busy with my letter to my state too. Thanks again Tasha :wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyT Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Cheers Mach, just about to send SA my email. Tracey x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jamie Smith Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Jamie, Based on anecdotal evidence, students scammed the VIC States sponsorship by "purchasing" employment offer letters for $ 3-5000. Hence on 12 th Dec 2008, VIC had deleted most of the occupations and DIAC commenced an investigation on the "scam". Regards Glenn Thanks for the reply Glenn, however I'm still not 100% in agreement thta it is aGSM scam rather than an extension of the student visa scam. It was entirely within the States powers to just not sponsor students without detailed explanation, rather than take the more draconian way of deleting occupations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlino Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hi guys, Ok it's go-time. I am sadly unable to give you a name, but my agent just told me that the states are meeting with DIAC tomorrow (Tuesday) on GSM priorities, and it would be a massive boost if we went onto the forums to get everyone to ring, mail, carrier pigeon and sky-write to their sponsoring states today. He felt that the state's will need to go into the meeting with a unified sense of outrage and moral commitment, or as usual they’ll get creamed by the Commonwealth playing them all off against each other. I realise that you have absolutely no reason to believe me other than I do not have form for winding people up or causing rifts on PiO, and that my thanks-to-posts ratio is pretty high. However, what's the worse thing that can happen? You remind your sponsoring state that you exist, that you have been badly treated and you are still ready to move ASAP to help them solve their skills shortages? Here's a link to the senators' contact coordinates. I'm sure a number of other senior posters on here have a list of other parties that ought to be CC:d in on any correspondence. However, I'd probably not send it to the DIAC drones, given they'll be sitting on the other end of this flaming. Parliament of Australia:Senate:Senators:Senators' Parliament House and State/Territory addresses, phone and fax numbers A few hundred or so e-mails from SS holders to each respective state ought to get the point across. Good luck! //Mach Hi Mach, Many thanks for the news! Couple of senators in the SA, and no time to sort out who's who and doing what, just wondering if there are implications in mailing every single one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mach Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hi Mach, Many thanks for the news! Couple of senators in the SA, and no time to sort out who's who and doing what, just wondering if there are implications in mailing every single one. Very good point. I guess it depends on the angle and tone-of-voice of the correspondence. Mine very much placed the future welfare of the state at the centre of the argument rather than "Boohoo, give Mach his visa". I spent the better part of five hours last night writing a core draft and then customising it for each state and senator. Plus it is unlikely these will go directly to the senators themselves. I'd be surprised if they didn't have an army of flunkies to screen their public e-mail addresses as they are too busy to sift through Viagra spam and letters from deposed Nigerian royalty wanting to loan their bank accounts. To that end, I'm sure most of my mails will be disregarded by those not involved in the process. But if one or two get forwarded to the right people attending the meeting... Well, that's got ot be better than the states' representatives going in there and getting the old "divide and conquer" from DIAC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mach Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 First reply. And the winner is... Senator John Faulkner's office thanking me for my e-mail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stillwaiting79 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 would we be able to get the results/details of this meeting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlino Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 would we be able to get the results/details of this meeting? Maybe if we know someone or know someone who knows someone who has his/her head in the meeting, we could get the low down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest proud2beaussie Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Maybe if we know someone or know someone who knows someone who has his/her head in the meeting, we could get the low down I think that may be the only hope,otherwise I suspect that we will be treated like mushrooms-kept in the dark and fed bull****. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlino Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I think that may be the only hope,otherwise I suspect that we will be treated like mushrooms-kept in the dark and fed bull****. If not for Mach giving us a heads up on this meeting, we'd still be fungi kept in the dark... I've noticed it's been quiet for some time, post 23/9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mach Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 If not for Mach giving us a heads up on this meeting, we'd still be fungi kept in the dark... I've noticed it's been quiet for some time, post 23/9. Haha love the mushroom analogy. It really does feel that way sometimes. I think the quiet and rampant speculation has been the unbearable fall-out of 23/9. Despite the eleventh hour nature of this meeting, I'd dare say that a great deal of the upcoming changes to 175/176 program are already set, it's just we'll have to wait to hear about them until December/January. Hopefully this meeting is more than just a courtesy from DIAC, and there is still some wriggle room left to cut the states and us sponsors some slack. I'd imagine there is a degree of leeway available to the state sponsorship system, and that the solution DIAC has will in some way go towards placating the states. But being politics, you never know if the payoff will be exactly related to the issue at hand, for example, it might well be some other area of local governance they get compensated for (if they get compensated at all). One thing that strikes me as a plus is that it isn't in the Government's best interest to mess the states around too much going into an election year. But let's not jump to conclusions á la the PiO Mushroom Farm meets the West Wing! I'm certain we'll eventually get some feedback on how the meeting went through our agent friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McKlaut Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Maybe if we know someone or know someone who knows someone who has his/her head in the meeting, we could get the low down I think the only reliable news will apper on the DIAC's web page. Untill that time it would be just guessing, unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Hi All I reckon that there might be some fairly heated exchanges of the Frank & Fearless variety. However I reckon that Glenn Pereira is right. I reckon that Canberra intend to instruct the States how to proced - and probably to order them to process CSL applications only until further notice. This is not about assisting the State Governments. It is about trying to ensure that the Rudd Government gets a second term in office, I suspect. Jamie - once the offices in Melbourne were raided last November or whenever it was in connection with the alleged Student visa scams, VIC announced pretty rapidly that they would not accept State sponsorship applications from trade skills applicants who had been studying for their new trades in VIC. VIC said these applications would not be dealt with until after the outcome of some type of review. I remember wondering whether they intended to apply that to overseas tradies as well? Cheers Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diz Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Dear Daniel Thank you for your email. The Government of Western Australia will participate in a meeting in November with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to put a position forward that making State and Territory sponsored skilled applicants with occupations although not critical but still in demand wait until 2011 or 2012 to have their visa finalised is basically making the State sponsored program irrelevant and having very little influence in attracting skilled migrants. The State will reiterate that sponsored applicants not on the CSL must be given a degree of priority and have their visa finalised within 12 months cutting the time lag so that they can arrive sooner and fill the occupations in demand, at the time they are in demand. I empathise with you. We have received many e-mails with the common theme of disappointment and bewilderment to the changes introduced by DIAC. Regards State Migration Centre Government of Western Australia Small Business Development Corporation 553 Hay Street, Perth WA 6000 phone: +618 9220 0254 or +618 9220 0279 | fax: +618 9221 1132 www.sbdc.com.au www.migration.wa.gov.au This is the reply I received from WA yesterday in response to asking them what on earth was going on with state sponsored applicants shunted after 23rd September announcement and if they were happy to wait for their 'skills in demand' to be put off until at least 2012. hopefully they will be fighting our corner in the meeting whenever it takes place and hopefully bring enough pressure to bear to make a difference. fingers crossed Donna x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ScottishSteve Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Hope so. Doesn't make sense having the State Sponsorship if it means very little. I still think the states should be given a quota of max amount of people they can bring in per year and let them sort out who they want/need Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest garynhelen Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Thanks for sharing that e mail response. It does give a little hope that things could be changed soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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