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Category Archives: immigration

Charging people for locking them up

May 25, 2009 – 12:52 pm

It looks like another case of proper policy losing out to the politics of perception and positioning is unfolding, with the Coalition set to oppose legislation that will scrap the iniquitous, inefficient and counter-productive system of charging people for the cost of putting them in immigration detention.
The injustices of this system have been raised in [...]

By Andrew Bartlett | Also posted in Australian politics, human rights | Tagged , , | Comments (7)

Language, literacy and leadership

May 5, 2009 – 11:08 am

The Age reports that the Business Alliance for Asia Literacy – a coalition of sixty business groups, unions and corporations – is calling for a greater educational focus on Asia, with the leader Australian Industry Group, Heather Ridout, saying “understanding Asia, knowing the languages, cultures and traditions and teaching our children about our near neighbours [...]

By Andrew Bartlett | Also posted in economic issues, multiculturalism | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Protecting migrant workers from being exploited

April 17, 2009 – 12:31 am

The temporary skilled worker visa – often called the 457 visa – has been a controversial issue for a few years now.  Some of the criticisms have been based on clear-cut cases of migrants on 457 visas being mistreated or exploited.  But there has also been those opposing the 457 visa all together and calling [...]

By Andrew Bartlett | Also posted in employment | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

USA easily leading Australia on same-sex marriage

April 8, 2009 – 11:36 pm

However much Australians may like to portray the USA as being far more conservative and religious than us, the growing number of states in the USA which are legalising same-sex marriage suggests the reality may be somewhat different.
 The state of Vermont has become the first state to pass legislation to explicitly make same-sex marriages legal. [...]

By Andrew Bartlett | Also posted in gay & lesbian issues | Tagged | Comments (0)

USA follows old Australian road on immigration detention

March 25, 2009 – 11:14 pm

As Australia moves away from some of our past discredited, damaging, expensive and inhumane policies in the area of immigration detention, it seems the USA and Italy have moved in the opposite direction.
While there is room for further improvement, there is no doubt Australia has made major advances in recent years in the laws and [...]

By Andrew Bartlett | Also posted in human rights | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

Some good news! Migration Minister responds positively to public and parliamentary concerns

March 18, 2009 – 12:53 pm

Regular readers of Crikey (and this blog) might recall some stories back in September last year detailing just one example of the gross injustice (and utter absurdity) of Australia’s policy to charge people locked up in immigration detention for the cost of their imprisonment.
This practice has been widely criticised for many years, including in the  [...]

By Andrew Bartlett | Also posted in refugees | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

Push to sack migrant workers

March 17, 2009 – 12:07 am

This story on the ABC’s World Today program quotes Union officials who are unhappy with possibility that “local workers” might be losing their jobs ahead of migrant workers here on the long-term subclass 457 visa.
This story in The Australian carries a similar message, reporting a CFMEU organiser from Mackay saying the union would approach senior [...]

By Andrew Bartlett | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

Thinking globally versus being unthinking locally

March 6, 2009 – 4:49 pm

The Age carries a report of a presentation by Melbourne University professor, Roger Short to an international conference in Sydney. The Professor says that “for the first time in history, human activity is outstripping the natural world’s ability to cope.”
The reason, he says, is exploding and uncontrolled population growth.  Professor Short will bring to the [...]

By Andrew Bartlett | Also posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments (1)

Refugees and migration during economic downturns

February 24, 2009 – 2:15 pm

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, is currently visiting Australia.  His position overseeing refugee issues and debates at a global level makes him well qualified to make his assessment that “When things go wrong in a country, there are two potential targets. One is the government, the other is the foreigners.”
Governments naturally [...]

By Andrew Bartlett | Also posted in refugees | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Big drop in skilled migrant applications, as higher costs for employers and migrants proposed

February 16, 2009 – 3:39 am

Last week, the federal Immigration Minster released a draft of new regulations affecting temporary skilled workers in Australia – often known as 457 visa holders.
These changes flow on from a review conducted last year by Barabara Deegan, who has a background in industrial relations.  Her final report is available at this link.
This visa class has been the [...]

By Andrew Bartlett | Also posted in economic issues | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)