Who are you calling an immigrant?

Shock waves resounded across Australia yesterday as it was revealed that the most iconic of all Australian animals was in fact an imposter!

Yes previously the kangaroo was as Australian as you could get, Rolf Harris penned a hit single about it, it was portrayed on TV screens as Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo and it became one of the unofficial symbols of Australia, yet all along it was hiding a secret – it and other marsupials like it, are in fact immigrants!

Brace yourselves now for the kangaroo, wombat, Tasmanian devils and other marsupial creatures have been found to be descended from one common ancestor, who hailed from South America.

The animals are believed to have migrated to Australia from South America millions of years ago when all the southern continents were just a single land mass. It was previously thought that the marsupials all started out as native Australians and migrated to South America, but research has now proved that wrong. Once in Australia they evolved into different evolutionary groups.

Scientists made the remarkable discovery in Germany where they were studying genetic markers of the marsupials. The markers all pointed to one common ancestor who was tracked down to South America.

The German scientists screened the genetic markers of a South American opossum and compared it to the Australian tammar wallaby as well as 20 other marsupials. They were looking for a so-called ‘jumping gene’ called a retroposon which is often a reliable indicator of the relationship between similar animals. All of the marsupials screened showed that they shared the same retroposon, pointing to one common ancestor. As the South American marsupials had fewer retroposon revisions, this proved that they were the older branches of the family tree and therefore the originators.

The kangaroo has now made a home for itself in Australia and there are an estimated 50 million of them, no doubt adding to the population crisis. Skippy had better watch out that Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard doesn’t start asking for visas!

But since the marsupial has been living in Australia for around 120 million years, I’m sure that even Ms Gillard can make an exception in this case. It seems that the kangaroo liked what it saw in Australia – well who wouldn’t? – and adopted it as it’s native country. And as it was here before any human habitation was formed, I think it’s long overdue a citizenship ceremony!

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Coca Cola lend their support to migrants entering Australia.

The battle over Australian immigration hots up as Coca Cola step into the debate to lend their support to Australian immigration.

Coca-Cola Amatil Group managing director Terry Davis said today that immigration was “a good thing for the country” and that the Greek and Italian migrants who immigrated to Australia 50 years ago benefitted Australian society enormously.

Mr Davis was speaking to reporters at the Australian Institute of Company Directors in Melbourne. He opined that: “You’d hate to lose that view that we’re not an open and embracing culture and an open and embracing society,”

He said that companies bringing in temporary migrants from countries such as Indonesia faced having to pay them higher Australian salaries which was not financially justifiable. The DIAC introduced overseas workers rights last September which gave immigrants the rights to be paid the same wages as their Australian counterparts. This was to prevent businesses from choosing cheaper migrant labour over local workers.

However Mr Davis said that the Australian visa system has to be more flexible and he also came out in support of international students adding: “What about all these overseas students that do come here, and in 10 to 15 years time are in very senior positions? Don’t they have a good attitude about Australia? Isn’t that what we want?”

He also answered a question from the assembled reporters on whether he thought that overseas students studying for a professional degree should find it easier to obtain permanent residency in Australia. His answer was yes, they should.

Mr Davis is just one of a long list of business directors who are expressing concerns over both political parties stance on immigration in Australia. However with both Labour and Liberal pledging to cut back on immigrants entering Australia, it looks as though the businesses communities arguments may be falling on deaf ears.

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IT recruitment suffering labour shortages.

Major employment recruiters in Australia are warning that migration cuts could damage future projects in Australia and lead to a huge skills shortage.

Both political parties have pledged to get tough on immigration and reduce migrant numbers which are blamed for the growing population of Australia. Tony Abbott has promised to cap immigration at 170,000 people whereas Labour say that changing immigration policy is already leading to a reduction of immigrants entering Australia.

Now the recruitment sector are having their say on the controversial issue of immigration. Jane Bianchini, chief executive of Professional Recruitment, warns that tightening migration rules are making it difficult to recruit skilled migrant labour to fill labour shortages.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) have said that recent changes to immigration and visa policy will ensure that skilled migrants are directed towards where they are needed the most. However the recruitment sector says that the new rules are simply putting people off from applying for skilled visas.

Ms Bianchini said that recent telecommunications projects were suffering from a shortage of skilled workers as demand was exceeding supply. There is only one occupation under Telecommunications currently on the DIAC’s new Skilled Occupations List (SOL).

Peter Acheson, Peoplebank’s  chief executive said that the recruitment sector would be facing skilled shortages by the end of the year and he warned that Sydney and Melbourne were already suffering labour shortages. “If you talk to senior executives in IT at the moment – and I do pretty consistently – one of the things that is foremost in their minds is the lack of skilled IT candidates and all are foreshadowing that we are going to need to bring more people in from overseas.”

He also said that Australia would face unsustainability not through a growing population, but a weakening economy because of critical skilled workers shortfalls that were not being filled by overseas workers, adding: “We certainly wouldn’t want to see a stop or a cap to the temporary 457 visa program and, moving forward, it is foreseeable that an increase might be required.”

His views are shared by Clicks IT Recruitment’s chief executive as well as Michael Page International’s managing director.

Yet the DIAC proudly announce that visa applications have almost halved since the new SOL was introduced and policy changes made the visa structure stricter than ever. Certainly there is no shortage of skilled workers wanting to work in Australia – our own embrace community verifies that – but fewer are getting the visas they want leading to frustration amongst migrants and businesses.

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Tony Burke is pledging to cut back immigration numbers in Australia.

Tony Burke, Australian Minister for Sustainable Population (remember him?) has confirmed that changes to Australian visa policy will see a dramatic cutback in immigration numbers.

Fears of a growing population spiralling out of control have prompted both parties to pledge a cutback on immigration and border strengthening. However Tony Burke is claiming that the Labour Party have already managed to cut down immigration numbers.

Mr Burke was speaking to ABC radio today when he said: “We’ve been telling the public for some time that we’ve made some changes to restore the integrity of some of the temporary visas that had grown out of control during the Howard years,”

He was speaking after Tony Abbott announced that his party, if they won the Australian elections, would slash immigration levels down to 170,000 migrants a year. Mr Burke claims that recent changes in immigration policy made by the DIAC have already cut migrant numbers down to 230,000 and he further predicted that by the year 2011/12 they would be down to 145,000.

However once again businesses in Australia were forecasting an economic downturn if the predicted slash in immigration figures saw reality. Aaron Gadiel, chief executive of Urban Taskforce which represents property developers in Australia said that without migrant workers Australian businesses would cease to expand and may even relocate offshore where they could get the labour force required.

He called the country a “little Australia” and said: “That means little aspirations, little population growth and little economic activity.”

Meanwhile the DIAC are postponing a second set of changes to the immigration policy until after the election. They are halving the different visa types from 140 to 70 and pledging that migrants would be able to apply for 95% of all Australian visas online.

If you are affected by the recent immigration policy changes then speak to our lively community who are there to offer support, friendship and advice.

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Changes are planned for the Australian visa program.

Australian immigration policy changes are now on hold until after the general election on August 21^st.

The Chief Information Officer for DIAC, Bob Correll, has told the CIO Summit that planned changes to the Australian visa program would now be put on hold until after the election.

The DIAC are currently implementing changes to the Australian visa program to make the system simpler, easy to understand and faster. Some of the changes have already taken place, such as priority processing changes to favour those visa applicants who have secured employer sponsorship. However a second set of changes was meant to be implemented in August.

Those changes include streamlining the different types of visas from 140 to 70 and making it easier to apply for most of those visas online.

The overhaul of the Australian immigration system is taking place step-by-step, with the introduction of the new Skilled Occupations List and more emphasis on the needs of the Australian workforce rather than catering to the desires of migrants to emigrate to Australia.

The changes have been criticised by some migrants who accuse the government of raising hopes, taking money and then turning their backs on those desperate to migrate to Australia. However as the population debate rages on it is clear that immigration will play a large part in deciding who gets the Australian vote in August.

State Migration Plans which were due soon after the implementation of the Skilled Occupations List will now also be delayed until after the election.

In the meantime if you are hoping to migrate to Australia, read our Australian visa guide for full information on what you need and how to apply.

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Tony Abbott hints at immigration cuts.

Australian opposition leader Tony Abbott has given the biggest hint yet of what his policies on immigration would be.

The Liberal Party leader is busy on the campaign trail in Freemantle and when questioned about immigration, said that he would release more details about the party’s immigration policy in the next few days.

However Mr Abbott has hinted that current immigration levels of 300,000 are too high and that at its peak, Australia should only be taking in 200,000. Yet it’s worth mentioning that current levels of 300,000 are not a true reflection of recent months as the Australian Bureau of Statistics how a steady decline in the number of people emigrating to Australia.

Meanwhile Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has pledged to continue with the current immigration program set up by the DIAC.

Previously Ms Gillard has said that she opposes Mr Rudd’s idea of a ‘big Australia’ but during Mr Rudd’s time in office, the DIAC was already reviewing immigration policy with a view to changing the focus on highly skilled migrants emigrating to where they were needed the most. As far as population is concerned, these changes in immigration policy are working as statistics show a decrease in the numbers of visa applications and migrants entering Australia.

Ms Gillard has said that she wants a manageable level of immigration to help towards a sustainable Australia. She may not be as forthcoming as Mr Abbott about cuts in immigration levels, but certainly the DIAC changes are doing just that and so it may be that Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott aren’t so different in their immigration targets after all.

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More changes to priority processing of Australian visas.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship have today announced new priority processing arrangements for some skilled migration visas.

From the 14^th of July priority processing will be given to (in order of highest priority):

• Employer sponsored applications under the ENS and RSMS.
• State or territory nominated applications with an occupation on that state’s migration plan.
• Applications with an occupation on the new Skilled Occupation List.
• All other applications in order of when they are received.

The new priority processing arrangements only affect certain visas:

• Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)
• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)
• Certain General Skilled Migration Visas (GSM) listed at the bottom of this article.

Those visas exempt from the new processing changes are:

• Skilled – Recognised Graduate subclass (476)
• Skilled – Graduate subclass (485)
• Skilled – Designated Area – Sponsored (Residence) subclass (883)
• Skilled – Regional subclass (887)

The changes will affect all existing visas that are already going through processing as well as all new Australian visa applications and the changes do take into account changes made to the SOL and the revocation of the MODL and CSL.

The DIAC say that the processing changes will enable them to more closely match skills needed in the workplace to skilled migrants emigrating to Australia.

The State Migration Plans are yet to be announced, with the state of Victoria admitting that no SMP will be in place before September 2010. The DIAC stated that it expected all of the State Migration Plans to come into effect during the second half of this year.

Furthermore those with occupations on the SOL Schedule 3 – including accountants – will be listed in priority group 3. Applicants who do not have an occupation on the SOL – Schedule 3 and who do not have employer or state nominations or sponsorship will be processed under priority group 4.

Those applicants who wish to change their occupations or sponsorships cannot do so unless they lodge a new application, complete with the payment of a Visa Application Charge.

The DIAC warn those with applications being processed under priority group 4 that they face a long wait for their visa applications to be finalised. They advise that applicants either await the outcome of their applications; re-apply under employer or state nomination or sponsorship or withdraw their application. Those people who decide to withdraw their visa applications will not be entitled to a refund. This also applies to those applicants who are already living and working in Australia. More detailed information about the changes can be found on the DIAC website.

If you are affected by any of the above and want to discuss it further or get some support, then join our friendly community who are more than happy to talk, advise, support and listen.

Affected GSM visas

• Skilled – Independent subclass 175
• Skilled – Independent subclass 176
• Skilled – Regional Sponsored subclass 475
• Skilled – Regional Sponsored subclass 487
• Skilled – Independent Regional subclass 495
• Skilled – Designated Area-sponsored (Provisional) subclass 496
• Graduate – Skilled subclass 497
• Skilled – Onshore Independent New Zealand Citizen subclass 861
• Skilled – Onshore Australian-sponsored New Zealand Citizen subclass 862
• Skilled – Onshore Designated Area-sponsored New Zealand Citizen subclass 863
• Skilled – Independent Overseas Student subclass 880
• Skilled – Australian-sponsored subclass 881
• Skilled – Designated Area-sponsored Overseas Student subclass 882
• Skilled – Independent subclass 885
• Skilled – Sponsored subclass 886.

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Australian PM does not reveal immigration policy.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has dodged out of tough questioning on her immigration policies by a Sydney radio station.

Sydney radio 2UE wanted confirmation on her comments in Western Sydney on Tuesday about plans that she may cut back on immigration and review immigration policies that have been in place since after World War II when the main policy was to populate Australia.

When asked if her comments amounted to an admission that the immigration intake will be cut if she wins the general election in August, Ms Gillard refused to provide an answer, saying: “I think that’s a question not just about numbers but where they are going.”

She instead stated that it wasn’t merely about reaching a population cap or declaring certain parts of the country full, but in sending skilled migrants to where they were needed the most. “Let’s just get it all right,” she told the radio station. “Let’s have skilled migrants go where we need them.”

She further commented that there were parts of Sydney, such as the west, that did not need to see the ‘big Australia’ Rudd policy because they were already full to overflowing, but that there were other parts of Australia with labour shortages that were “crying out” for more skilled migrants to emigrate there.

But if prospective migrants to Australia expected her to reveal how this would be achieved they were disappointed, for Ms Gillard would not be drawn further on any future immigration policies.

The immigration debate is becoming a hot political topic in the campaign by both political parties, with major businesses in Australia accusing the government of making people “hysterical” over immigration and refugee charities accusing them of failing in their international duty to protect asylum seekers – both parties have pledged to cut the number of illegal immigrants entering Australia by boat.

Many prospective migrants to Australia will no doubt be following the election campaign very closely to see if the already tough immigration policy is about to get even tougher.

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Australia shows disparity in economic growth rates.

In a rather extraordinary twist to the Australian economy, recent figures suggest that Gross Domestic Product is actually lower than employment growth.

GDP is growing at a rate of 2.7% by figures dated the first quarter of this year, that’s down from 2.8% for the same period last year. A figure that is below average. Yet employment growth is above average at 2.7% for the year quarter.

Employment growth is normally closely linked with GDP, with GDP normally one or two percent above the employment growth rate. Australia’s productivity is dictated by the workforce and normally the more people in employment, the more productivity you have. A slight delay means that productivity is usually higher than employment.

So how can productivity be lower than employment? Well there are a number of reasons for this and one can be found in Australian immigration patterns.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that there has been a decline in overseas migration due to revised immigration policies. However these figures may not have been taken into account for employment growth, therefore it appears that employment growth is surpassing GDP growth when in reality it is not.

Updated figures from the ABS are due out in August but it is expected that these figures will show that the population of Australia is slowing down and fewer migrants are entering the country.

It remains to be seen if the figures take the decline in migration into account, but it seems odd that Australia’s productivity is growing at an above average rate whilst GDP is not. Somewhere something is not quite right.

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Is Australian industry dependent on migration?

It is generally accepted that Australia’s strong economy is driven largely by immigration but now Prime Minister Julia Gillard is questioning that assumption in a move that has angered business leaders.

Speaking yesterday at the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, the Australian Prime Minister questioned whether cities such as Sydney and the Queensland state have not already reached their population limits. She further stated that Australian policies followed since the end of the Second World War would be reviewed to consider their relevancy today.

The major policy at the end of World War II was to increase the population of Australian through immigration, largely from Europe and the UK in particular.

But the Prime Minister’s sentiments have angered business leaders who accuse her of using the fear of asylum seekers to influence immigration policy. The chairman of the Australian Bank, Mr Michael Chaney, accused both parties of failing to engage in the population debate sensibly.

“The fact is we need a growing population to fill jobs in our growing economy, and you’d have hoped for a bipartisan approach on reasonable population growth.” He said yesterday in response to the Prime Minister’s statements. “The paranoia over asylum-seekers is being allowed to influence the population debate and it’s not getting any better in an election.”

However whilst the Prime Minister has previously stated that Australia would never turn its back on newcomers, she has questioned the wisdom of populating places such as Sydney to overcrowding point. “Surely it is time for governments to ask this question: Can we really ask western Sydney to keep absorbing hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people without regard for the key issue of quality of life?” she stated.

She also said that the government had to look carefully as its sustainability plans as a growing population demands more and more resources from an already overstretched country.

However business leaders have brushed Ms Gillard’s concerns to one side, with Telstra board member Geoffrey Cousins even stating that a bigger Australia was an inevitable path that Australia would be forced to take.

What do you think? Is Australia dependent on immigration for economic growth? Can Australia sustain itself and a growing population? Or are businesses simply wishing to capitalise on a large population without regards for the scant resources of that country? Let us know what you think by filling in the comments box below.

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