Call for a fair unbiased visa treaty between Australia and PNG

We do have to be realistic. Australia is a rich country and PNG is (according to the social index) a poor country. We only have to look at how many Daru's are sneaking across the border into Torres Strait and living illegally on T.I. or in Cairns, willing to leave their home country in search of a better life to know that a relaxed visa policy will certainly result in more PNG's overstaying in Australia.
Even PNG also makes it very difficult for citizens of India, Bangladesh, China and other poor(er) countries trying to come here in case they might overstay. Even genuine businessmen from those countries find it nearly impossible to make business trips to PNG without help from somebody in PNG to sponsor them for a visa.
So it's not surprising that both Australia and PNG have strict visa rules for people applying from "poorer" countries who are at risk of overstaying.
However there is a difference between strict and unreasonable.
In this day and age Australia should be able to find a more valid way of assessing the overstay risk of individual visa applications without asking applicants to supply their family tree and copy of their bank balance. In reality the Australian High Commission visa processing officers have no way of verifying the family tree anyway because PNG does not have computerised records of its citizens like Australia does, and the visa officers don't have to time to ring up all the relatives and enquire if they really exist. And we all know that you can qualify for the bank balance criteria by asking a friend or relative to transfer K5,000 into your account so you can print out your balance to attach to your visa application and then transfer the money back to your friends account. The bank balance criteria disadvantages those of us who are due to receive money prior to travel (eg travel allowance or holiday pay) that is not in our account at the time we have to lodge the visa application.
What the AHC really needs is a simpler system of differentiating between genuine applications from PNG's trying to visit Australia for shopping, Visiting Friends and Relatives, business and conference trips etc as opposed to those who might be simply trying to get in the door so they can disappear into society and become illegal residents. Support letters from employers, family members, sponsors in Australia etc should be given more weight and visa officers should ring the people who issue the covering letters to verify them. As an Australian citizen running a business here in PNG I have written support letters for numerous employees and friends planning genuine trips to Australia and although all the applications were approved, nobody from the AHC ever rang me up to verify that I had really written and signed those letters.
A simpler system that makes it quicker and easier for genuine travellers to get visas will have great economic spinoffs for Cairns and Brisbane which are the popular destinations for PNG travellers.
These economic benefits will outweigh any small increase in overstays.
The Australian Immigration Office really needs to do a cost/benefit analysis on this. A Cairns travel company recently reported that a $100,000 conference in Cairns was cancelled and rebooked in Singapore because the attendees and spouses could not get Australian visas in time. If you multiply this by 1000 you might get a reasonable estimate of the amount of business that Cairns shops, hotels, airlines etc are missing out on now that nouveau riche Papua New Guineans are saying "maski Australian visa is too hard we will go to Singapore for shopping trip".
Further, as an Australian I am SOOO embarrassed about the bitchy attitude of the visa staff at the Australian High Commission, both the PNG and Aussie staff. They will never smile, they will never ask you politely about your documents, they will never volunteer useful information they just treat you like an inconvenience. Don't worry people it's not racism it's just plain old bad manners and snobbery. I am a white Australian and they treat me exactly the same shitty way when I stand in the line to a lodge an application on behalf of one of my PNG staff travelling to Australia. On the other hand as soon as you arrive in Australia the public servants like Customs officers and airport staff are very helpful and friendly (in a professional way). Shouldn't it be the other way round? AHC staff are the face of Australia in PNG but my god what an ugly face they present to potential tourists and business people from PNG.
But it's no use for PNG's to complain to the AHC from this end because they will always say they are just implementing policy (although the snobby attitude of the staff is surely not policy). I really think it's up to Australians like me working in PNG and running businesses in PNG to write to our MP's back home to put pressure on the Australian Minister for Immigration to review the policy and implement a more realistic visa application system.

Thank goodness for this petition and thanks, my poor mother has to get a medical and travel insurance each time she travels (she travels 3 times a year) to australia you would think a 1 year multiple would make a bit sense but no she pays for a visa, medical,and travel ins. each of those times and its not cheap believe me.

#11: - Re:  

 The GG of Australia went on a private trip when the incident occurred. It was not an official trip. Sir Micheal was on an official diplomatic trip and was the head of a sovereign state that time. I am sure there may be a separate protocol for that arrangement than for the general public.

#51: Aussie in PNG - Be realistic 

 This is a very sensible and mature comment.

PNG and Australia have had long relationship and Australia should have some liniancy towards PNG citizens. Australia benefits tons out of PNG in terms of harvesting natural resources and HR and it should have some kind of arrangment like what NZ does to the Polynisian Island country.

Australia needs to change their policy and treatment towards PNG people.

Fair enough.

Agree, wanbel...

We need this petition to get every attention it needs. So let's do it.

I think this is a racist policy and Australia needs to review it. I call on Gillard and Rudd to please change this policy because it portrayes a bad image of Australia and the Australian people.

I believe this has been happening for quite a while now, and has to stop. We must be always fair and we as Papua New Guineans have always shown them respect whether we are in their country or ours.....and I believe fairness can only build a nation.

PNG is Australia's closest neighbour, Australians travelling to PNG do not apply for Visa until at the airport where they are issued.

Australia should reciprocate the gesture. We have been with them ever since they came here and yet they still give us the "keep your distance" treatment.

Family have been travelling between PNG and Australia for well over 35years..our children were only babies when we started travelling and now they are ages between 29-35years old. Now those babies are adults and have famlies of their own, who want to travel to see other families members who are Australians.Never ever have we over stayed or got deported or have police records in PNG or Australia.Despite this we still get GRILLED over everything from our personal bank statements, such as how much is in the bankaccount and to have photocopies of such given to them,and we have !! But it leaves you wondering whether its all a racist activity or what!Makes me so upset,frastrated and angry over such inhuman treatment.

PNGeans need to stand up and be heard loud and clear. Deuteronomy 31:6

#51: Aussie in PNG - Be realistic

Well,have you and the Australians living and working  and running your businesses in Papua New Guinea tried doing exactly as you have suggested to tried to pressure your local members to do something about this ediotic system where
by they treat us as criminals.My family have been travelling up and down (35years or more) ever since they were in their nappies and still they want to know how much we have in our bank account,how much our relatives in Australia  have. Now  these babies have now have children of their own and they want to travel.In all those 30 years and over we have never ever over stayed,we dont even have police records in PNG or Australia.Something is total wrong with Australia's visa policy towards Papua New Guineans...may I sugget is a racist policy?
But if certain number of Papua New Guineans have gone feral  and disappeared into the wider Australian society than deal with those feral ones and not hold every other genuine Papua New Guinea travellors to Australia as hostage.Why only a few feral ones have done the runner and Australia holds 6.9 million other Papua New Guineans as accomplices..!!!!!

 

It is so unfair we have to pay alot of money and most of the time our visas get rejected and they come to our country and just walk in freely and pay K100 and there in. PNG government start thinking about that. Treat them the same way there treating us. We are all the same people only the skin colour is different!!!!

We give Australians Visa on arrival. Why cant they do the same for us.

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About time we don't need visas between Australia and PNG, what for, we all sisters.

Australia is internationally renown as the world's most racist country which is reflective of the greatest mistreatment and underestimation of indigenous australian aborigines rights, suppression and standing in community. This same mentality has been applied to PNGns but lucky they we demanded independence. They better relax those rules orelse PNG to divert our foreign policy to Asia/China.

I see this as racial discrimination. I respect only the Jews who are Godly choosen people on earth where my Lord Jesus Christ tribally orginated from. All other races are equals in the eyes of Jesus our Lord.

Think Christain!

 

FOR RACISM !!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is typical of Australia's continuing racist treatment of PNG. Time for our govt to reciprocate in kind-see how they like that when we shut them out!!!!

Just signed. Ta.