21 October 2005 -- The Department of Foreign Affairs today warned the public against illegal recruitment and employment-related problems in Australia after it received report from the Philippine Embassy in Canberra on a number of complaints from victims of this illegal activity.

Philippine Ambassador to Canberra Cristina Ortega said that such problems are starting to emerge since the skills shortage in Australia was publicized. According to the Ambassador, the Embassy has proposed to Australian officials how the Philippines and Australia could undertake joint training of skills that may be useful for both countries. "It seems that the illegal recruiters are two steps ahead of us," she said.

Take the case of nurses, which are reportedly in acute shortage in New South Wales and other rural areas in Australia.   Ambassador Ortega explained that Philippine-trained nurses may not be registered and hired even when they have extensive experience in the Philippines or overseas, particularly in non-Commonwealth countries. Because of non-equivalency of qualifications between the two countries, Philippine-trained nurses are required to undertake bridging courses which could take between six to twelve months.

In view of the uncertainty of and the costs involved in acquiring the needed qualifications after recruitment and deployment to Australia, Ambassador Ortega said the Embassy has lobbied that bridging courses be taken instead in the Philippines with counterpart universities/colleges. This will give protection to Filipino nurses and ensure that they are gainfully employed once they are deployed in Australia, according to Ambassador Ortega.

The Embassy also reported that some unscrupulous recruiters are using tourist visas and short-term business visas with the promise of employment once in Australia. These recruiters are able to extract hefty sums in exchange for nonexistent jobs.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued recently an advisory that it is not recruiting workers for Australia.

The Embassy reiterated its warning to the public to be very circumspect when dealing with recruiters and migration agents.  Ambassador Ortega advised Filipinos: "Don't fall into the trap of empty promises. The surest way for OFWs to gain employment in Australia is through the employer nomination scheme (ENS) of the skills migration program. Even then, OFWs wishing to work in Australia should know their entitlements before agreeing to sign the job contracts."

The Ambassador also suggests that OFWs register at the Embassy or the nearest Consulate and not to give their passports to recruiters, agents or employers. The Embassy website is www.philembassy.au.com.   For more details on skills migration program, log on to the Australian Embassy website in Manila www.australia.com.ph or the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs' website www.immlqov.au. For details on nurses registration, please log on to www.anmc.org.au. And to review workers' compensation and rights in Australia, please log on to www.wagenet.gov.au. END