OPERATIONAL REPORTS

• The Authority held over 120 stakeholder events, including meetings, conferences and presentations, across Australia and internationally.
• The advisory board met four times.
• Media releases resulted in publicity through ethnic newspapers, radio and television.
• There was an increase in the number of languages in which information products are published.
• The communications strategy was evaluated.

The Authority has sought to strengthen its program of stakeholder engagement through visiting community and consumer groups, meeting with professional bodies and publishing articles relevant to the profession. Through regular meetings with significant stakeholder groups the Authority is seeking to broaden communication of its role and function and provide opportunities for feedback to inform the development of its strategic direction and policy initiatives. The program has included meetings, conferences and workshops with professional associations, providers of continuing professional development activities, community groups, registered migration agents, departmental staff and electorate officers.

Other engagements include staff presentations to students undertaking the Graduate Certificate in Australian Migration Law and Practice and staff at migrant resource centres, community-based organisations and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. The CEO made presentations at a number of conferences for the migration advice profession, including those run by the Law Council of Australia, the Migration Institute of Australia and Migration Alliance.

The Authority has continued to support registered migration agents by communicating information and developing products to help them achieve higher professional standards and improve service to their clients.

In response to interest from stakeholders, and in recognition of the benefits for the Authority and the profession of working through issues together and resolving matters wherever possible, the Authority has commenced a program of regional stakeholder visits. The CEO and senior staff visited Alice Springs and Adelaide and met with local registered migration agents, settlement services providers and Department of Immigration and Citizenship staff. The visits have led to a greater understanding of issues affecting regional areas and the profession generally. Registered migration agents have been invited to express interest in further visits that will be scheduled into the continuing regional consultation program in 2013–14.

Stakeholders are regularly consulted about new initiatives being considered by the Authority. Consultation can be either by inviting submissions on papers posted on the website or face to face. Consultations with stakeholders and registered migration agents have been undertaken on issues including:

The Authority also maintains dialogue with the NZIAA, the regulator of licensed immigration advisers in New Zealand. The most recent meeting was held on 7–8 March 2013 in Auckland. Issues of mutual interest such as integrity, professional standards and operational matters were discussed.

The Authority has explored further opportunities for international cooperation through involvement in the Five Country Conference, where an informal working group was established, and also through engagement with the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants concerning the challenges faced by countries with similar regulatory schemes.

In 2012–13 the Authority undertook an evaluation to assess the effectiveness of its communications strategy. Objectives of the evaluation included ascertaining the degree to which stakeholders found the Authority’s communications tools and information products useful and informative. The evaluation also gauged options for further communications improvements. Methods used to gather data for the evaluation included surveys of registered migration agents and consumers, interactions with stakeholder groups, monitoring of website usage and requests for hard-copy information publications.

Feedback received shows that the communications strategy has been effective. The work the Authority has undertaken to build relationships with stakeholders and adopt more consultative processes has been key to this achievement.

Analysis of the evaluation data suggests that information is more accessible when available electronically, and that consumers prefer to access information via the internet rather than in hard copy. The Authority is seeking to increase availability of electronic information and reduce reliance on printed material, which is resource intensive and quickly becomes outdated. It is encouraging the public to download information or publications they need from the website.

Key themes emerging from the evaluation that may assist communication outcomes include:

Other communications initiatives implemented by the Authority in 2012–13 include:

The most popular communication products were the Consumer guide and Your rights. Both documents are available online and have been translated into 31 languages. Apart from English, the most popular languages have been Persian, Russian and Arabic. There has also been a substantial uptake of the newly translated documents in the African languages. The YouTube video Using a registered migration agent continued to be popular, with 5492 downloads throughout the year. This video is available in nine languages, including English.

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The CEO newsletter was published on the Authority’s website and distributed electronically to registered migration agents three times in 2012–13. The newsletter enables the CEO to engage in direct dialogue with registered migration agents and provides a useful vehicle for keeping the profession informed of policy initiatives, legislative changes, and code of conduct and disciplinary matters. In 2012–13 the newsletter also featured:

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In 2012–13 the Authority issued two media releases regarding registered migration agents whose registration was cancelled on the basis of conduct issues.

The first media release, issued in August 2012, related to a registered migration agent who was found to have concealed financial benefits from clients and was managing professional relationships and personally acting in a manner that conflicted with the interest of his clients. The benefits received from commissions that were concealed from the clients provided the registered migration agent with an incentive to act in a manner that was detrimental to the clients’ interests and prevented the registered migration agent from personally performing several fundamental obligations under the code of conduct. Following this matter, the CEO of the Authority was interviewed by SBS radio.

The second media release, issued in October 2012, related to a registered migration agent who allowed their agency to be managed by an employee who was not registered to give immigration assistance and who fraudulently obtained large sums of money from clients.

The media releases were designed to protect vulnerable clients and raise awareness of the avenues of redress provided by the Authority. The importance of using a registered migration agent was emphasised and consumers were reminded to check whether their agent is listed on the register of migration agents available on the Authority’s website.

The CEO of the Authority was interviewed for a program on Hong Kong TV station TVB (Australia) in which the audience was provided with consumer information emphasising the importance of using a registered migration agent. Details of the matter were also published by the Australian New Express Daily.

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There were 57 recommendations stemming from the 2007–08 Review of Statutory Self-Regulation of the Migration Advice Profession. As at 30 June 2012:

The Authority continued its work towards developing and implementing interim measures for the recommendations that are dependent on legislative change.

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Following the appointment of Dialog Pty Limited (Dialog) in 2011–12, the Authority worked closely with Dialog to develop its new database and website. Both the database and the website are expected to be delivered in 2013.

When the changes are fully implemented, the Authority expects to have a robust, integrated and secure business platform underpinning improved services to registered migration agents, providers and the general public. This will allow it to refine business practices to achieve efficiencies and innovation while accommodating growth, additional functions and increased scope of responsibility.

The platform will:

It is expected that the new, more user-friendly website will improve the Authority’s service to its key stakeholders through:

To assist in the smooth transition to the new database and website, the Authority has developed internal and external communication strategies that will be rolled out before and after the ‘go-live’ date. These will include demonstration sessions for registered migration agents and CPD providers. User manuals, FAQs and information will also be made available at the relevant time.

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The Authority held a business planning day in April 2013. The session focused on priorities and strategic direction. A professional facilitator encouraged full participation and assisted staff to contribute their ideas. The initiatives elicited and priorities identified have enabled the finalisation of the Authority’s 2013–14 business plan.

The development of a strategic plan was discussed at the final advisory board meeting for 2012–13. Issues considered include a vision and mission to guide the plan, and the possible themes with which the various priorities and associated key performance indicators might align. The Authority wrote to key professional associations to canvass the issues their members would like to see addressed in the strategic plan. The Authority intends to engage with all stakeholders to further develop the priority settings within the plan. After discussion with the advisory board, a draft plan will be made available for public comment before being finalised.

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All new staff completed:

Various staff also completed training to develop and enhance skills relevant to their particular functions within the Authority. This included training on:

• good decisions—ethical decision making
• security essentials
• code of conduct
• document examination
• using Outlook
• work, health and safety laws
• giving and receiving feedback
• mediation and negotiation skills
• systems and information technology.

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As at 30 June 2013, in addition to the Authority’s 32 permanent staff positions there were six temporary positions and two contractors. Staffing levels have been temporarily increased to manage the implementation of a new IT system for the office.

Table 11 shows the distribution of staff by gender across the Authority.

Table 11: Distribution of staff by gender, as at 30 June 2013

Table 12 shows the distribution of staff by classification within the Authority.

Table 12: Distribution of staff by classification, as at 30 June 2013

Table 13 shows salary bands for all employees within the Authority.

Table 13: Distribution of staff by salary band, as at 30 June 2013

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The Authority’s website includes information on how to provide compliments or complaints about the office’s services via the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s Global Feedback Unit. All feedback is used to help the Authority identify areas for improvement.

In 2012–13 the Authority received 23 communications via the Global Feedback Unit, including complaints, compliments and inquiries. Of these:

During 2012–13 there were no new Ombudsman complaints made about the Authority’s administration. One complaint that was pending as at 30 June 2012 was finalised in 2012–13 with a finding of no administrative deficiency.

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During 2012–13 the Authority continued to closely manage probity arrangements. All staff attended probity training and conflict of interest issues were promptly addressed, an outcome that attests to the success of existing probity strategies. DLA Piper continued to provide independent advice as it was needed.

Arrangements are under way to approach the market to undertake a strategic review of the Authority’s probity arrangements. Early in 2013–14 an independent review will be conducted to provide advice on appropriate management strategies to deal with probity risks, particularly in the context of information exchange with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and other government agencies, strategic alliances and partnerships, contractual relationships and stakeholder engagement.

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The Authority adopts the purchasing policies and principles outlined in the Commonwealth Procurement Rules and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Chief Executive Instructions. These policies have been substantially complied with throughout the year.

Arrangements are under way to approach the market to undertake a strategic review of the Authority’s probity arrangements. Early in 2013–14 an independent review will be conducted to provide advice on appropriate management strategies to deal with probity risks,

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