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Community consultation forumasks, what shape should the new parental long-stay visa take?

BYUSHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

Aseriesof in-depthcommunity consultations are underway inmajor metros to drive the continuous five-year visa for parents of immigrants inAustraliaand tailor awell-managed program.Thisfollowsthe announcement of d1enew sponsored parentvisa inSeptember thisyear byAssistant ImmigrationMinister Alex Hawke, acknowledgingtheinefficienciesof the current system.

The visa,whichislikelytocome into effectinJuly2017,will offer migrant families anewwaycoreunite onthe conditiontheycontribute tothe cost.

Only available on acase-by-case basis co applicantswhohave lodged aconcurrent permanentparental visaapplication, visitingparentsof Australiancitizensand permanent residentsarecurrently allowed a continuous stayof up to12monilis.

About1,500people migrateeach yearin d1epermanentparentalvisacategory.The mrnaround time for acontributor visa, whichcosts $50,000, is two yearswhile noncontributorvisa,at$7,000 cakes 18-30 years toprocess.

In Sydney,tbe fusecommunity fonun was held atParramatra,with stakeholders frombod1 sidesof politics,government andprivate sectorsaswell ascoremigrant groupsholding formal discussionsonbroad policysettingsand specific areas.

AlexHawke,whohas badextensive consultationswith hisLabor counterpart Shayne Neumannaswell asTanya Plibersek, Deputy Opposition Leader, clarified, "This newvisadoes notseek to fit aboxothermanto facilitate familyreunion. It isaproblem that hasemergedover some decades."

"The government islookingtowork quicklyand ourintention isto make d1e visamore accessible,withouttmduly burdeningd1e system. But, we all have a stake in makingthis happen witl1inrealistic settings,"he added.

Delegates fromthe SouthAsian community,which hasseena significant spurtin migration, included DrYadu Singh (Indian Australian Associationof NS\XI), TaraChand Sharma(HinduCouncil of Australia),MaheshwaranTh.iilai-Nadesan (Saiva Manram), Bivek Thapa (Nepalese Association),Mumu Ramachaothiran and AnaganBabu (TamilArts and Cultural Association).

i\1ichael Burke, AssistantSecretary PlanningDesign andPennyRobinson, Director of FamilyPolicy(Dept.of

Immigration)were alsopresentaswere representativesfromvariousaged care and edmic disability services.

Although communitygroupshave lobbied the government for the parentvisa, steppingup online campaignsahead of federalelections, abigconcern hasbeen d1epressure onAustralia'sta..xationand healthcare system,wim predictions that significantadditionalplaces will need tobe urgentlycreated inaged care facilities to meer currentdemandalone.

Financial obligationsandlegal responsibilitiesof sponsors,bond andcosts involved,workrights- particularlyin family business settings,medicalinsurance and healthcare premiums,pre-existingillnesses, andtransportconcessionswere someissues raised.

Othermattersof consideration included acentralised applicationlodgementsystem, availabilityof onshore renewal,and methodsof preventingrortingbymigration consultants.

Age restrictions, C'\LD-specific support systems accessible tovisaholders,social isolation andmental \Velfare,safeguards againstphysical abL1se, transfer of sponsorship in eventof death, andcurring red tape were someof the other planning issues raised duringthe discussion.

Contraryto forecasts bythe Productivity

Commission,the visawill have significant indirectbenefits for Australia maccannotbe immediatelyquantified,notedTaraSharma.

"Thecommission hastmfornmately lookedatthisissue from oneprism only. Besidesencouraginggrandparentsm support families willchildcare, itallows citizenstocare for elderlyparents,asis custom in Hindutradition,"he said. "There is alotco be gainedin a financial, social andcultural context,both in shortand long term,"he added.

Highlightingthecost blowouts faced by families,particularlyin accessingspecialist healthcare services,DrYadu Singh advocated aself-sustaining,not-for-profit Medicare-style insuranceproduct,tailored specificaUy ford1e visa.A large number of visitors donotseek medical assistance becauseof the cost involved,which can putpressure on hospital system later, he lamented.

Jane Flanagan, senior researchand policy officer withthe National EthnicDisabilities Alliance,highlightedtheinequitiesind1e current system and the bias towardspeople withdisabilities thatacost-based visa structure will impose.

"Australia.isn't quite meetingits obligations around disability,particularlyin theed111ic framework," she noted.

Seekingclear defi.tution of role and sponsors,community worker BobMuller called for better supporc systems to be inplace to culmrallyengage long-term parent visaholders and prevent neglect,isolationandabuse.

AnaganBabura.isedthe issue of onshore visarenewal options, as well as a centralised online application process to avoid bureaucracyand systemic abuse by migrationagentsoverseas.

The deadline for public subnussions concluded on31 October.The government isexpectedto announce outcome of consultationsearlynextyear.