Monthly Archives

September 2018


Pakistani-origin becomes first female Muslim Australian Senator

Mehreen Faruqi, a Pakistani-origin woman today became the first Muslim female Senator to be sworn-in to Australia’s Parliament. Greens senator Faruqi was sworn-in less than a week after crossbench senator Fraser Anning called for curbs to Muslim migration and a “final solution” on immigration policy, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. “I’m here to shake up the status quo,” the 55-year-old Faruqi told reporters in Canberra. “If Senator Anning wants to come and have a chat to

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This is what happens when immigrants move to your suburb

MY NEIGHBOURHOOD knows what happens when a large number of immigrants move in. You just have to go 50m from my house to see the consequences. Australia welcomed its 25 millionth resident on Tuesday, with overseas migration fuelling population growth (accounting for 62 per cent). Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe this week used the 25 million population milestone to laud the economic benefits of immigration. It had

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Fresh blood: Australia is still lucky, thanks to our young migrants

Reserve Bank governor Dr  Philip Lowe thinks Australia’s strong population growth in recent years is a wonderful thing, and he sings its praises in a speech this week. I’m not sure he’s right. Like most economists and business people, Lowe is a lot more conscious of the economic benefits of population growth than the economic costs. As for the social and environmental costs, they’re for someone

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Councils get visa powers to attract migrants as population passes 25 million

Local councils will be enlisted as recruiters for nurses, tradies and farmers to help push new migrants into regional areas under changes to Australia’s migration program that give business sponsorship powers to local government. The changes mean thousands of visas will be tied to living in an area rather than a particular employer as Canberra wrestles with a regional skill shortage and Melbourne and Sydney

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Overseas migration to Australia hits record high

CANBERRA: The number of people arriving in Australia as migrants has hit a record high, statistics have revealed on Friday. New data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed that 539,000 international migrants arrived in Australia in financial year 2017, the highest-ever figure for a single year. Of the 539,000 people, 315,000 arrived on temporary visas, including 150,000 international students, 50,000 on

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States chase migrants to deliver small business boom

Cashed up migrants are increasingly driving small business in Melbourne and Sydney as competition heats up for lucrative investment dollars. Victoria is outstripping NSW three-to-one for nominations in the business and innovation visa category, Department of Home Affairs figures show, which requires migrants to invest up to $500,000 in a business in Sydney or $400,000 in Melbourne. There was a 58 per cent increase

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Rich South Africans are paying big money to move to Australia

More than 7,260 millionaires emigrated to Australia in the past year, delivering a multi-billion dollar investment boost. This is according to a new report by the Sydney Morning Herald, which found that visa applications in the Business Innovation and Investment Programme had jumped by 74% in 2016-17 up from 5,781 to 9,051. This includes investors with more than AUD$1 million (R9.9 million) in business assets –

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Where Australia’s permanent migrants come from?

Where do Australia’s migrants come from? ECONOMY Where Australia’s permanent migrants come from Charis Chang with wires, news.com.au July 20, 2018 1:22pm NEW figures have revealed where Australia’s two million permanent migrants have come from since 2000. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released new data that identifies India, England and China as some of the top birth countries of the country’s migrants. It

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Australia economy set to keep growing, even as clouds gather: poll

Australia’s economy appears to be gathering momentum this year as population growth fuels a boom in public investment, though high debt levels at home and trade tensions abroad loom as ever-greater threats. PHOTO: REUTERS [SYDNEY] Australia’s economy appears to be gathering momentum this year as population growth fuels a boom in public investment, though high debt levels at home and trade tensions abroad loom

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