Thanks Marianne, I didn't know this Bill was being put forward. A completely sensible move and well overdue, another reason to vote for Howard.

Welllllll the dirty, filthy, sleazy black hand of VESTED interest finally becomes clearer by the second. All this 'high moral ground'ism of Marriane Lee and this author is actually, about MONEY..... u know.. the dollars and cents stuff, that they obtain from who knows how many sources for working on behalf of... not would be immigrants, but THEMSELVES.......

So, I think it would be a good idea to the THEM a loyalty test, and to have them tell everyone if they are receiving money from the relatives or ethnic groups of the would be 'assylum' seekers/economic oppoortunists, I think we need a good dose of 'vitriol' from Skid marx or Redneck to better describe this issue.

How dare they wax eloquent about 'the rights of ....etc' when in reality they are using this as a tool for personal gain !

I'm writing this from Singapore, and my customer took me to lunch where I asked him about social welfare here, its pretty much ZERO and if u don't have family or a pair of hands which can work you are in big trouble unless you qualify for a small government assistance, where you are examined VERY closely to see if are eligable. There was a SEVENTY SEVEN yr old man wiping tables, shuffling around doing a great job, its amazing what people will do when there are no government handouts.

I say send migration agents here for a stint.

This Bill will force the likes of Marion Le and Mr Burnside QC to pony up the money or find another cause.

Let's see if we can find a cause that might appreciate a helping hand: the mentally ill, homeless youth, children in hospital terminal wards, drug dependent youth...... . Oh, silly me, they're Australians in need of help. That will never do.

From the transcript of public hearings, senate inquiry into the Migration Act that's happening at the moment.

“Our experience in South Australia is that the majority of migration work being done by lawyers for asylum seekers is being done free, gratis and pro bono publico by a very large number of South Australian legal practitioners, including literally half the South Australian bar, who give their time for nothing to put forward to the courts, in a proper manner, cases which they believe are of merit. We are not aware, as a society, of any one of those persons spending their time free, gratis and for nothing putting forward cases which they think do not have merit.”

Many refugee lawyers work pro bono, or out of community legal centres for peanuts. The lawyers who've definitely made money out of this have been the ones employed by DIMIA at huge hourly rates.

Have a look at the inquiry submissions, http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/migration/submissions/sublist.htm

Thanks Shoshana. I was going to point out that Dickie's concern is for the removal of pro bono representation for asylum seekers.

For the benefit of those who suggest (disgracefully) that refugee advocates are in it for the money:

"Pro bono, is a phrase derived from Latin meaning "for the good". The complete phrase is pro bono publico, "for the public good". It is a term used to designate legal or other professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment, as a public service." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_bono

What this Bill apparently proposes is that refugee advocates who are already working for no fee, may become personally liable for administrative and legal costs incurred in representing their clients i.e. the Minister wants to be able to penalise those who have the temerity to assist people to assert their rights under law.

That is hardly the "the dirty, filthy, sleazy black hand of VESTED interest", is it?

Rather, it is yet another attempt by this government to abrogate our human rights responsibilities. It is nothing less than shameful.

Mahatma, 'migration agents'..... working for peanuts ? I hardly think so.

Vested interest is not always 'monetary'... it can be in other forms. Pro Bono work..... will also have a 'payday' of some form or another.

The only disgrace here is that there are those who would assist economic opportunists to insult our migration laws by going around the system, and by passing THROUGH countries where they have 'assylum' specifically to get 'here' in preference to 'other' places.

Assylum is about 'safety' not 'better economic opportunities' ..that . There is nothing in the UN charter that I've read suggesting that 'better econimic opportunities' or, to 'hook up with extended family' in Australia' are grounds for preferential treatment under the migration act or the Charter which they so disgracefully flout.

I'm all for assylum, but under the terms of reference of the charter, not some well meaning but misguided sentimentalism which will undermine our own political and social stability which is what happens when we lose the power of control over who and when and why people come to live here.

The unrelenting efforts by certain '5th column' elements in our society to undermine our social system and migration laws is more of a disgrace.