Thanks! The cost to individual migrants and the profits for testing providers are substantial… glad your prior knowledge got recognised here at MQ.

Thanks for the summary, Liz! Can you identify concrete intervention points? Who could have done what when?

Sorry for my unclear comment.
I am not very familiar with its procedure, but I think the staff who directly talk to immigrants like Franklin’s refugee coordinator have to pay attention to assess immigrants’ abilities because the assessment has a huge impact on their new life in Australia. In order to do that, clear and fair criteria should be established by immigration authorities.
In addition to that, in the case that immigrants struggle to get their ideal job after settling in, I hope local government and community service organizations help them access effective information and gain opportunities.

Franklin’s story, sadly, is not unusual, and not restricted to his person or his time, as you point out.

Thank you DaniG! I feel like underlining every word you have written!

It’s of course pointless to speculate what might have been but you are asking the right questions. One of the real frustrations is that these problems are not new, as one of the speakers during our book launch pointed out. Professor Lucy Taksa reminded us that migrant un- and underemployment has been a feature of Australian society since the beginning of non-British migration in the middle of the 20th century.

Thanks, Chris! These are 3 excellent points. The frustration with Franklin’s story really lies in the fact that, once the beginning was derailed, a certain path dependency set in …

Good point about seeking standardized certification!

Thanks, Tasnim! Good that you can advocate for yourself – a very important skill in today’s world. Unfortunately, particularly in early settlement, migrants often can feel reluctant to question authority.

Thanks for the clear, readable and engaged summary!

Sorry to hear that Franklin’s story has caused you anxiety. Fortunately, you are good at identifying intervention points and hopefully can get help before anything spirals out of control and develops into a major crisis, as happened to Franklin.

“Focused help at the right time” is key, as you say.

At which point exactly do you think mental health support might have been useful?

Not sure I share your optimism that every public policy is based on thoughtful decisions …