Today, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil published an opinion piece in the AFR. The topic: the upcomingmajor overhaul of Australia’s migration system。

The one relatively clear takeaway was the Minister’s statement thatthe migration reform is a major undertaking,that it will be rolled out in a methodical, step-by-step manner and is expected to take a few years to complete — or we may see some results by the end of this Labor term.This means it may not unfold as many had hoped — with a clear reform plan appearing in the May budget and some measures taking effect as early as 1 July with the new financial year.

Problems within the current migration system

Reading the piece as a whole, however,the Minister did not provide any more specific direction — or even a hint — about the reform than what had already been signalled. The current system still has problems everywhere — and they are the same old problems. The Government will continue to work towards a better balance between temporary and permanent residency.

The timing of this article is rather notable. According to the previously announced schedule, October last year was the deadline for stakeholders to lodge their submissions,with key representatives meeting in early February this year and the Government due to receive a preliminary report by the end of February. One wonders whether this public statement means the Minister has already seen the preliminary report, found the issues to be far too complex and wide-ranging, and is now asking everyone to be a little more patient.