16 - 20 December 2008
After 15 hours flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong, transit 4 hours in Hong Kong, finally I arrived in Melbourne with 9 hours flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne. It is exhausted trip for total 28 hours, where the business trip continued from Canada to Australia.
First trip in Australia was Melbourne. Unfortunately, it was started with unpleasant situation where my check-in luggage were left behind at Hong Kong Airport because the clumsiness of Cathay Transfer desk staff.
Anyway, I arrived in Melbourne on Monday, 15 December 2008 at 3 in the afternoon. The arrangement in Melbourne was to visit my friends who work in Migration agents. First meeting was on 16 December 2008 morning at 10, I met with Andrew Cope of FCG Legal Pty. Ltd. who specialized in Migration lawyer and his agency focusing on arranging all paperwork for company staff from overseas. I received much new and useful information about bringing people from overseas to Australia. It was pleasant meeting with him, where he explained briefly and very comprehensive.
Next meeting was at 2 in the afternoon with Mr. Abdul Rachim of APMECS over lunch at Es Teler 77 Restaurant in Melbourne. Mr. Abdul Rachim is an Indonesian who also specializes in migration agent where he often helped Unfortunate Indonesians who end up in Australia after being rip off by institution/personal by offering working in Australia with ridiculous fee. Binamandiri received big support from him, and he will look for good demand from respective and prospective employer so that Indonesian can work legally in Australia with appropriate agent, such Binamandiri and not always being the victims of irresponsible institution/person.
It was very short trip to Melbourne, only 2 days and my trip to Australia continue to Perth next morning 17 December 2008 with Qantas. It was approximately four hours by plane before I can reach Perth airport, this time with complete check-in baggages.
Arrived in Perth Domestic Airport at 12.00, my first meeting already awaited in Perth City Center. It was with Graham Hornel of Questbay Migration Services and we had meeting in Criterion Perth Hotel. He is a very excellent guy, humorist but straight forward person. He is very Indonesianist where he spent many years in Indonesia, and have good Bahasa Indonesia. Graham explained to me about the condition in Australia especially with Western Australia. Graham Hornel gave prospective demand for Binamandiri to place up to 20 boilermakers and Restaurant Manager for February 2009, where hopefully the economy will be better than 2008. It was very friendly and full of laugh meeting. Thanks Graham !!.
Next day 18 December 2008, I filled the meeting with Indonesia Consulate General in Perth, where Economic Consular, Mr. Iwa Mulyana has been very supportive with Binamandiri. Mr. Andi Ahmad Bastari, acting Consulate General and Mr. Iwa gave big appreciation for Binamandiri visit to Indonesia Consulate. Mr. Iwa claimed that there are many Indonesia manpower companies have place several workers to Australia, unfortunately they never give any report to Consulate. I explained to Mr. Iwa, that probably they are illegal agencies, because from Binamandiri acknowledgement, there isn’t any Indonesia Manpower Company who manage to place worker legally, because based on the recapitulation until November 2008 made by BNP2TKI there are no workers been placed to Australia and if the worker were placed by legal Manpower Company, surely the company will submit the report to various related institutions including Department of Foreign Affair and Indonesia Consulate in Perth. Probably those workers that assume had been placed by Manpower Company, was placed illegally with out working visa.
Anyway, Mr. Iwa propose other prospective agencies in Perth to be followed, unfortunately because it was very short notice and will face Christmas soon, Binamandiri was unable to set meeting, but good respond has been made by those agencies by emails and they are looking forward to cooperate with Binamandiri.
My business meeting trip still continued, with Western Australia Government, and it was organized by Martin Newbery from WA Trade office in Jakarta. It was Dylan Lipinski, Martin’s staff in WA Trade office in Perth who made the appointment with Mr. Bruno Delfante of Small Business Development Center (SBDC). SBDC is a state government technical institution where its main duty is to promote business and investment and also makes market intelegence for demand of overseas worker to coup with the economy boost. It also has a duty to link and match information of demand of workers and supply of workers. A very interesting meeting with Mr. Bruno, where he gave new and attractive information about working in Westren Australia. There are approximately 150 occupation list from total ASCO, which currently in critical shortage and the largest among other states. Under critical shortage, a person who has the appropriate skill, can directly work in WA although no work arrangement has been made, they can look for the job upon their arrival in WA.
Next day, 19 December 2008, it was meeting with David Edward of AIBC (Australian-Indonesia Business Council). I apologized that I missed AIBC Dinner meeting last 28 November 2008, where I was supposed to have business meeting with prospective agencies which had been arranged by him. Actually I was a very good chance which will never come twice, it just because Indonesia Manpower and Transmigration Department who stall my passport and visa, just such ignorance bureaucrats, who ruin a very good business deal.
David Edward is very polite and nice gentleman, and he was previously worked as Chairman of WA Trade Office in Surabaya.I think Indonesia should be grateful to be liaised with excellent WA Trade officers such as David Edward, Ross Taylor and the current chairman Martin Newbery.
Anyway David will promote Binamandiri to prospective WA Agencies, and also will publish Binamandiri’s Newsletter so that Indonesia workers can be well known and especially Binamandiri as one of the Indonesia Manpower Agency. The rest of the day after the meeting, I just filled by looking around Perth to understand better about the city, people, culture and custom, because my next and last meeting won’t be until tomorrow morning.
20 December 2008, My final day for 3 weeks business trip and it was filled with business meeting with Greg Holmsen, the current CEO of Offshore Solution Staff International (OSS). Actually meeting with OSS was the crucial part, where Binamandiri wants to re-establish cooperation that previously was dead in the water because of the changing management on OSS and acquisition by other company, and also because East Java government in this case Department of Manpower was too deeply involved in the placement procedure and made OSS back off from the MOU.It was accommodative meeting with Greg, but Binamandiri need more effort to promote Indonesian Skill workers to OSS, where they are already comfort with Filipino and all the facilities they have. Although Indonesian have better skilled than Filipino, but the current establishment with Filipino and the economy slow down, made them need more time and reason to develop OSS business to Indonesia again. Big effort from all stake holders are required if Indonesia want to be more recognized. Well, I appreciate Greg’s busy time after he returned from Manila, he still managed his time to have meeting with Binamandiri during weekend. Hopefully in the future Binamandiri can cooperate with OSS when the economy boost again.
My last day in Perth was closed with dinner meeting @Korean Restauran downtown Perth with my friend, Wisnu's Family, whose mother is taking Master Degree in Perth.
Perth, closing Binamandiri business trip to 4 continents and 7 cities, although on my 8 hours transit in Hong Kong before arriving back to Indonesia, I still had another meeting with Niaga Finance Company in Hong Kong to discuss loan scheme for placement to Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
