Asylum seeker support services are hoping that other state governments will follow Victoria’s lead and allocate extra funding for people on temporary visas who have been affected by federal cuts. An amount of $3 million funding commitment has been made by the Victorian government for people on bridging visas. Thousands of asylum seekers who arrived by boat before 2014 lost access to federal income support payments after the government tightened eligibility requirements in 2017. Community services say the dismantling of the status resolution support service program – worth about $35 a day – has pushed asylum seekers into poverty and increased demand for their help.   JRS Australia director Carolina Gottardo hoped other states, including NSW, would follow the Victorian government’s decision to provide “life-saving” support to the vulnerable group.  “There are thousands of people seeking asylum in other states, including NSW, who are facing abject poverty, sleeping rough or insecure housing, and struggling with serious mental and physical health issues without adequate support,” she said. “These include single mothers and those who have experienced domestic/family violence.” More than 8,000 asylum seekers who arrived by boat before 2014 are living on bridging visas while they wait for their claim to be finalised.  Asylum Seekers Centre CEO Frances Rush said the Victorian Government’s decision was a “humane response to a very real crisis”.

  Dujuana strong and motivated kid who wants to change the education system for aboriginal kids wants to bring focus to his plight. He recently visited UN to make a speech and is now hoping to sit with Prime Minister Scott Morrison to share his story.    Dujuansaid the threat of jail was a very real concern among Indigenous children in his community. Close to 100 per cent of the youths in jail in the Northern Territory are Indigenous Australians.Nationally, nearly 600 children are detained in jails each year with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids over-represented. He is hoping that Mr Morrison watches the film and says he would like to sit down with the Prime Minister personally to share his story. He has yet receive a response, but in the meantime is working with his grandmothers through the group Children’s Ground to promote an Indigenous-education model.

The population pressure in the major cities have motivated The Morrison Government to put focus on the Migration Program which will regional areas looking for growth to secure their economic future. 160,323 visas were granted in 2018-19 under the Permanent Migration Program, the lowest number in a decade.The program also delivered 8987 places under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme, up from 6,221 places in 2017-18 – a 44 per cent increase. Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman said the Government will continue to increase its focus on regional migration. “Our population plan will ease the pressure on the big capitals while supporting the growth of those smaller cities and regions that want more people,” Mr Coleman said. “This year, we’ve reduced the cap for the Migration Program from 190,000 to 160,000. “We’re also dedicating 23,000 places for regional skilled migrants and have announced two new regional visas to help fill some of the tens of thousands of job vacancies in regional Australia. “We’re directing migration to those smaller cities and regional areas that are crying out for more people and those regional economies that simply cannot fill jobs with local workers.” The migration program also continues to focus on growing the Australian economy and filling skills gaps, with 109,713 visas granted under the Skill stream of the 2018-19 program – about 70 per cent of the program. “Skilled migrants have high employment participation rates, low unemployment rates and good annual earnings,” Mr Coleman said. “We’ll continue to back those migrants who bring critical skills into the country – those who work hard, pay taxes and contribute to funding essential services for Australians.” 47,247 family visas were also delivered in the 2018-19 Migration Program. 2018-19 Migration Program – Outcome as at 30 June 2019 Skill Stream Category Stream Outcome Employer Sponsored 42,012 Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme 8,987 Employer Nomination Scheme 33,025 General Skilled Migration Skilled Independent 34,247 State/Territory Nominated 25,993 Distinguished Talent 200 Business Innovation and Investment 7261 Total   109,713 Family Stream Category Stream Outcome Partner 39,918 Parent 6,805 Other Family 524 Family Total 47,247 Special Eligibility 115 Child 3,248 Total   160,323

Please be advised that the following websites will be unavailable between 2pm Saturday 14 September and 9am Sunday 15 September 2019:

Australian Citizenship Day is approaching soon that will fall on 17 th September. It is a day to welcome new citizens to our community at ceremonies across the country. Australian citizenship officially became a law 70 years ago. More than 5 million people have become Australians at citizenship ceremonies in the last 70 years. This Australian Citizenship Day, more than 8,000 people are expected to become Australian citizens. This year a large number of citizens will confer for Australian Citizenship Day. This is due to the efforts of the Government to reduce citizenship application processing times. Australia is a thriving multicultural country. There are people from various backgrounds and cultures. Australian citizenship is a shared identity amongst people. It is a common bond that unites all Australians.  

Australia remains the most exciting destination for visitors. Overseas arrivals have increased since the previous months. Overseas arrivals and departures statistics are international travel movements of persons arriving in, and departing from Australia with a focus on short term trips (less than 1 year). It is the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people. July 2019 trend estimates for short-term trips: Overseas visitor arrivals to Australia increased 0.5% since the previous month to 797,900 trips. Australian resident returns from overseas increased 0.3% since the previous month to 948,800 trips. Visitor arrivals – short-term trips.  

It is expected that more travellers on the Outback Way expected to stop over in Laverton. The McGowan Government will invest $1.3 million to upgrade the Great Beyond Visitor Centre at Laverton and capitalise on an expected boost in outback travellers. It is expected that more travellers on the Outback Way expected to stop over in Laverton. The McGowan Government will invest to upgrade the Great Beyond Visitor Centre at Laverton and capitalise on an expected boost in outback travellers. The Shire of Laverton will contribute $1.3 million to the project which aims to provide significant economic and social benefits to the town. The Visitor Centre has been operating at near capacity to service current visitor numbers and an expanded centre will greatly improve visitor experiences and customer service. “Up to 32,000 additional visitors per year are projected to visit Laverton through the Western Australian section of the Outback Way road network.

Under the, Global Talent Independent Program launching this year, Home Affairs staff will be located on the ground in Germany, US, Singapore, China, Chile and Dubai. This initiative has been well received by these countries. The government is deploying recruitment officers overseas to bring thousands of the best and brightest workers to Australia. Their task is to recruit 5,000 professionals at the top of their fields in target industries, particularly the tech sector. The government has set aside 5,000 of the 160,000 places in the permanent migration stream for the newprogram. According to the Home Affairs website, the global talent officers will work with local industries to identify talented people and “attend key industry events and expos, and promote life in Australia”. Highly-skilled workers identified by Home Affairs will be encouraged to apply for existing permanent visas including the distinguished talent and skilled independent visa. The announcement follows the government’s decision to entrench a pilot visa scheme designed to make it easier for the tech industry to recruit highly-skilled workers despite a low take up. Of the 23 businesses that have signed up, just five are startups, with the majority being established businesses including Coles Supermarkets and Rio Tinto.

Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman said more than 1300 sponsorship applications and 170 visa applications have been lodged and visa grants have already started for the Temporary sponsored parent visa. Parents from South Africa, Venezuela, China, South Korea, Bolivia, the UK, Egypt and India will soon be in Australia with their families after being granted the first visas under the Morrison Government’s new Temporary Sponsored Parent Visas. The new visa, which opened for applications on 1 July, allows parents who are sponsored by their families in Australia to visit for a continuous period of up to five years. After spending a short period outside Australia, they can apply to return for another five years. The Temporary Sponsored Parent Visa is in addition to, and does not replace, other existing visa categories available to families. A dedicated team within the Department of Home Affairs has been set up to manage application applications and assist families during the application process.

Bill introduced to provide access to welfare payments or government services to new skilled Regional visa holders of subclass 491 and subclass 494 as if they are holders of permanent Bill introduced to provide access to welfare payments or government services to new skilled Regional visa holders of subclass 491 and subclass 494 as if they are holders of permanent visas. Two new regional visas are being introduced to encourage new skilled migrants to settle in regional areas The New Skilled Regional Visas (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2019 (the Bill) makes consequential amendments to legislation administered by the Department of Social Services, the Department of Education and the Attorney-General’s Department, to give effect to Government policy that holders of provisional skilled regional visas, which come into effect on 16 November 2019, to have access to welfare payments or government services as if they are holders of permanent visas. The following legislation would be amended by the Bill: A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 Disability Services Act 1986 Fair Entitlements Guarantee Act 2012 Higher Education Support Act 2003 National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 Social Security Act 1991 This Bill supports the Australian Government’s initiatives in managing Australia’s immigration program and supporting regional Australia. As part of the Population Package announced in the 2019-20 Budget, two new regional visas are being introduced to encourage new skilled migrants to settle in regional areas. The new visas will come into effect on 16 November 2019 and will require holders to live and work in a regional area for at least three years before they are eligible for a permanent visa. The amendments in this Bill give effect to the policy intent that holders of these provisional skilled regional visas have the same access to welfare payments and government services as permanent visa holders. This recognises that the visas provide a pathway to permanent residence. These arrangements also ensure that provisional skilled regional visa holders are not disadvantaged compared to holders of permanent skilled visas available for people to work in metropolitan areas. The new provisional skilled regional visas are set out in the Migration Amendment (New Skilled Regional Visas) Regulations 2019 (the visa regulations), which amend the Migration Regulations 1994 to provide for the following visas: Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)) visa; Subclass 494 (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional)) visa. The visa regulations also amend the Migration Regulations 1994 to provide for a new permanent skilled regional visa, namely the Subclass 191 (Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional)) visa.