You thought 2021 was hard

You thought 2021 was hard?  For anyone working in the public service in Australia, 2022 will be even harder.

A hint of some of the troubles ahead for public administration came with the Novak Djokovic visa shambles.

According to former Immigration department deputy secretary Abul Rizvi, our visa system was world class 20 years ago but is now a laughing stock. While in no way endorsing Djokovic’s views on vaccination, Rizvi is critical of the failings in public administration involved with his visa, saying “it would never have come to this if Home Affairs and Border Force had been on the ball”.

Visa administration should be apolitical, rules-based and at arms-length from government.