Foreign minister: Australia to look into visa processing delays for Malaysians & More News Here

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaks to members of the press throughout a walkabout in Luyang, Kota Kinabalu June 30, 2022. — Bernama pic

By Julia Chan

Thursday, 30 Jun 2022 2:49 PM MYT

KOTA KINABALU, June 30 — The Australian authorities will look into the lengthy delays for visas for Malaysians after a number of complaints, mentioned its Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Answering a query about lengthy ready instances for visa approvals, Wong mentioned that she was conscious of the problem and understood why individuals had been pissed off.

“That has been raised to me, as you would expect, by people in Malaysia.

“I understand we are working through the backlog — there has been a backlog and we are conscious of the delays for people who want to come to Australia. I visited the High Commission recently and spoke to people — they are working very hard to get through the backlog,” mentioned Wong.

She was then requested in regards to the quite a few complaints acquired in regards to the intensive utility course of which requires financial institution data, and subsequent lengthy delays for approval.

The visa glitches come amidst her go to right here to strengthen bilateral ties that embrace people-to-people engagement in addition to different authorities ties.

An extended-serving senator who was just lately appointed to the portfolio, the Sabah-born Wong mentioned that though her connection to her birthplace would deepen people-to-people relations, “there was still work to do”.

Wong has been emphasising her roots and connection to South-east Asia and mentioned her current journey residence has been great and properly acquired by native leaders.

“Obviously, having an Australian foreign minister who is Sabahan by birth from east Malaysia, we hope that there will be more links.

“We have discussed this and obviously education is important and there is some industry link, but we have got more work to do,” she added.

She mentioned that the present go to was primarily for people-to-people engagement and to that finish she met with many political figures together with her counterpart Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan and Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun and Opposition leaders, in addition to members of civil society.

“Relationships always require engagement and work, and what I really pleased about is the way we have been received, me and my delegation, it has been warm and hospitable.

“But it is important to remember we are not starting just from now. We have a longstanding relationship with Malaysia, very deep people-to-people ties and defensive agreements which go back to 1971.

“I think it matters for Australia to speak to South-east Asia in a way that recognises that we are part of the region. These are challenging times for the world, and we are seeking to navigate it,” she mentioned.

On the query of safety inside the disputed areas of the South China Sea, Wong mentioned that Australia’s coverage has all the time been to respect worldwide legal guidelines, norms and UN conventions.

“This matter is not only for claimant states, but they matter to all states in the region. A great deal of our trade transits through the region and there is a reason why it is important to have international laws observed. That is the position Australia will continue to observe and countries of region continue to take,” she mentioned.

Asked about recommendation for Malaysia’s LGBTQI group, Wong — who’s overtly homosexual — mentioned she can’t touch upon home politics however mentioned her views are recognized from her earlier actions.

“I don’t give advice on domestic politics on the countries to which I go but I will say this — people know my views from the things I’ve said over 20 years in public life,” she mentioned.

Wong is right here on an in a single day go to after visiting Kuala Lumpur. She leaves for Australia this afternoon.

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