By: Surinder Jain. Hindu Council of Australia.
Thankyou Minister Alex Hawke for making it easy for Hindus and others to get their parents to Australia.
Hindu Council has been making many representations to the Australian immigration office and to Immigration Minister Alex Hawke to make it easy to bring parents to Australia. We have counted following benefits of having parents of young families to visit :
- When grandparents are at home, they can look after grandchildren. This saves burden on child care facilities and saves the government a lot of money in child care subsidies.
- Mother can continue working as grandparents are at home to look after children as well as cooking and chores. Mother does not have to take time off work and does not have to rush home to pick children from child care. Australia is not deprived of trained skilled workforce.
- Women who choose to have babies get an equal opportunity to participate in work. This step removes a barrier for women to participate in work fully like other Australians.
- Future Australians being looked after by grandparents get much better care.
- When parents get old, many Hindu sons return back to India to look after their old parents. This deprives Australia of experienced skilled workforce.
The new rules will help young Hindu families in Australia, they will help reduce child care costs, they will boost skilled work force and they will provide Hindu women a level playing field against men.
Thank you once again Immigration Minister Alex Hawke and Prime Minister Scott Morrison for listening to our community and acting on it.
Parents to be classified as ‘immediate family’ for travel to Australia (sbs.com.au)
