Australian Computer Society and Immigration Policy

Intrigue, whispers greet immigration study
By Sam Varghese
Comment
May 2, 2005 - 12:00AM

The Australian Computer Society appears to have shot itself in the foot by doing something it thought would give it greater credibility - releasing a policy on immigration.

The ACS policy, released on Friday, was informed by studies it had commissioned from labour market consultant Bob Kinnaird and Access Economics. The former's report has been the subject of speculation ever since the ACS said it would not be releasing it in full.

Last year Mr Kinnaird produced a similar report for the ACS which was not released either. The ACS says this was because it considered the findings incomplete and commissioned him to update it.

The ACS is now sitting on the latest report. Speculation has arisen that this is because several of Mr Kinnaird's recommendations will affect the ACS itself, if adopted.

Strangely, for a report whose contents should be known only to two parties, there is a great deal out in the open, with leaks taking place even before the ACS released its immigration policy. The first report was leaked to government sources soon after the ACS decided not to release it in full.

One recommendation by Mr Kinnaird is that 457 visas - meant for senior staff for up to four years - for IT personnel be obtained directly by prospective employers. This would not be welcomed by the IT recruitment industry.

That the ACS policy is backed by the recruitment industry is evident from the fact that Penny Coulter, president of the IT Contract and Recruitment Association and director of IT recruiter Aristotle Corporation, was at the announcement on Friday.

Ms Coulter is not an ACS office bearer. An ACS spokesperson said her presence indicated ICTRA's support for the ACS immigration policy.

ACS president Edward Mandla says Mr Kinnaird's report is not being released in full due to legal problems; both the ACS and Mr Kinnaird hold joint copyright on the report in Australia and only a version which is agreeable to both parties can be made public here.

The ACS, he says, does not agree with all of Mr Kinnaird's recommendations; hence it could not release the report as submitted. Mr Kinnaird, for his part, had sent the ACS a legal notice to ensure that an edited version, with which the ACS was comfortable, was not released.

However, it appears to be only a matter of time before a full version of the report finds its way into Australia from abroad. The IT industry in several developed countries is facing problems similar to those in Australia and Mr Kinnaird's research would be of interest in such countries.

Mr Kinnaird has suggested that three years of study be required before a student is deemed to have obtained a professional IT qualification. At present, the ACS standard is 18 months.

If this were implemented, it would mean more expense for students coming to Australia with a view to permanent settlement and numbers may drop. Bob Birrell, director of the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University, has said that, since the Federal Government changed its policy in 2001 to allow students to change their status and obtain permanent residence without leaving the country, a large number from the Indian sub-continent who had taken up courses in Australia.

The universities had reacted "nimbly" to this change of policy by devising courses so that they could attract such students and supplement their income, Mr Birrell said.

While the stalemate over Mr Kinnaird's report continues, the ACS is set to take its policy to the Federal Government this week or the next. It will be interesting to see if the report is leaked to the Government, as it was last year.

source : www.smh.com.au