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TO DESKBY 14090OZ FCO
TELNO 440
OF 140504Z AUGUST 92
ADVANCE FOR
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FLEAR'S (SPD) FAXED LETTER OF 12 AUGUST TO CASEY: REVIEW OF WORKING HOLIDAY MAKER (WHM) SCHEME: AUSTRALIA-BRITAIN RELATIONS
SUMMARY
1.
HOME OFFICE (HO) PROPOSALS RUN COUNTER TO OUR INTERESTS IN AUSTRALIA. SHOULD CONSIDER AGAINST BACKGROUND OF SERIES OF UNHELPFUL BILATERAL SIGNALS. COULD NOT MODIFIED PROPOSALS ACHIEVE MAIN HO OBJECTIVES WITHOUT DAMAGING INTERESTS HERE? IF ORIGINAL HO PROPOSALS TO BE IMPLEMENTED, SHOULD GIVE AUSTRALIANS ADVANCE
WARNING TO PUT DECISION IN CONTEXT.
DETAIL
2.
WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT IN AUSTRALIA OF THE HO
PROPOSALS FOR THE WHM SCHEME. AS SCOTT'S (MVD) MINUTE OF 30 JULY
POINTS OUT, THE EFFECT OF THESE PROPOSALS WOULD BE GREATEST IN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND CANADA. ONE OF OUR AGREED CATEGORY A POST OBJECTIVES IS TO ''IMPROVE YOUNGER AUSTRALIANS' VIEW OF BRITAIN AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO VISIT.'' THIS OBJECTIVE REFLECTS THE
LONGER-TERM IMPORTANCE OF CULTIVATING THE AUSTRALIAN SUCCESSOR
GENERATION. THE HO PROPOSALS RUN DIRECTLY COUNTER TO THIS: YOUNG AUSTRALIANS WOULD BE ABLE TO SPEND LESS TIME IN BRITAIN AND THE CATEGORIES OF ELIGIBLE YOUNG PEOPLE WOULD BE REDUCED, THUS IN TURN
REDUCING THE ABSOLUTE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL YOUNG AUSTRALIAN
VISITORS.
3.
WE HERE CANNOT FULLY ASSESS THE GLOBAL PICTURE, BUT THE GLIMPSE AFFORDED BY THE HO PAPER SUGGESTS (EG THE STATISTICS ABOUT
SWITCHING) THAT IT IS LESS OLD THAN NEW COMMONWEALTH NATIONALS WHO
ARE THE HO'S MAIN TARGETS. WE CAN EXPECT PUBLIC CRITICISM IF
A NEW RESTRICTIVE MEASURE IS PERCEIVED HERE TO BE MAINLY TARGETED AGAINST OTHERS, BUT, IN SO DOING, TO PENALIZE AUSTRALIANS.
4. FURTHERMORE, THIS PROPOSED CHANGE SHOULD ALSO BE CONSIDERED IN
A WIDER BILATERAL CONTEXT. MUCH EFFORT HAS BEEN DEVOTED OVER THE
PAST FIVE YEARS AT ALL LEVELS, FROM THE MOST SENIOR DOWN, TO
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