Newcomers Network

Australian Citizenship - having friends to share life's milestones

2010-06-20T19:59:00.004+10:00

20/6/10

I was very honoured to be a conferree's guest at Australia's largest Australian Citizenship http://www.citizenship.gov.au Ceremony held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) yesterday, 19 June 2010 http://www.mcg.org.au/News%20and%20Media/News/2010/June/Citizenship%20ceremony.aspx.

As a 'refugee' from Adelaide who moved to Melbourne in 1994, I could certainly relate to the concept of adopting Australia (or Victoria) as my new home. There were people from all walks of life there, smiling and happy to officially be an Australian.

I first met the conferree 11 days after his arrival in Melbourne from Brazil on 13 April 2007 at one of the monthly Welcome to Melbourne events http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/australia/melbourne/welcome_to_melbourne.php I have hosted since 16 January 2005. He was extremely excited to become an Australia citizen but was also disappointed that someone else he knew was becoming a citizen 'as a safety net/back up option' - and he wondered whether or not the Australian Government could change the rules to perhaps allow more people to live here (with the relevant visa) but ONLY give Australian Citizenship to those people who truly wanted to be Australian.

Unfortunately I could not imagine a test that would assess someone's true heartfelt feelings about their adopted country. How could any government create a test or process that would ensure only 'true believers' would become Australian citizens?

On the way into the MCG, he was interviewed by Natalie Craig from The Age newspaper and was again given an opportunity to reflect on his reasons for moving to Australia. Natalie's story from the day is online at http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/new-citizens-loyal-to-home-and-team-20100619-yo2d.html

I first became involved with Australian Citizenship on 27 May 2003 - when I was approached by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA - now the Department of Immigration and Citizenship - DIAC) to promote the concept of Australian Citizenship to English speaking arrivals, many who lived in Australia for years but never became Australian Citizens.

On 15 August 2003 I was very priviliged to be able to attend the Highest Australian Citizenship Ceremony at the Rialto Building in Melbourne and then on 4 September 2003, the first airborne Citizenship Ceremony in a Qantas aircraft that departed from Melbourne's Tullamarine airport, flew over Victoria and Melbourne city and then returned to Tullamarine (sitting in a seat across the aisle from Mao's Last Dancer - Li Cunxin and his lovely wife Mary McKendry).

Shortly after on 9 May 2004, I attended the previous largest Australian Citizenship Ceremony at Melbourne's Exhibition Building (the site of Australia's first Commonwealth Parliament in 1901).

As glamorous as these events sound, they did not compare with the feeling of yesterday's event, as I was seated by someone whom I met soon after his arrival, have seen his trials and tribulations over the last three years and yesterday saw the culmination of his life goal of moving to Australia and making it his new home.

His other guest was an Australian who has lived in other countries around the world and the three of us sat next to a man from Israel who was there on his own. For some reason, he assumed the conferree with us was British (perhaps because both of his guests were Anglo Australians).

But I wondered at the time, how many newcomers go through these milestones in life without new friends to share the experience?

As the Founder and Director of Newcomers Network, I was reminded once again of why I do this work - because I know it makes a difference and it is my absolute honour and privilege to be able to work with such proactive people. My tips and advice to this conferree insured that he had friends - not only at the Australian Citizenship ceremony but at celebrations last night.

In a harmonious society, we are often reminded to view people who look different and consider how much the 'same' they are to us. However, as my local church minister suggested recently, sometimes people look the same but feel different. I only moved from Adelaide to Melbourne, but I really related to this comment too.

Do you have an Australian Citizenship story you would like to share?

I would welcome your comments and feedback on the issues raised in this post.

sueellson @ newcomersnetwork.com (remove the spaces)

The People of Australia - our comments

2010-06-01T12:56:00.002+10:00

http://www.openforum.com.au/content/people-australia

After attending the launch of this report on 30 April 2010, I was alarmed that the recommendations to government were not based on statistical research.

Blogs on Open Forum attract a diverse range of people and some of them have indicated an interest in preparing an alternative submission to the Australian Government.

If you would like to be involved, please contact me directly.

sueellson @ newcomersnetwork.com (remove the spaces)

Hosting here and on Newcomers Network

2010-06-01T12:34:00.002+10:00

The posts made on this blog are also kept on the Newcomers Network website at http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/blog but the comments are ONLY kept here.

Please feel free to subscribe here (Blogspot) to keep up to date but if you would like to be added to our mailing lists, please email info@newcomersnetwork.com directly and mention your current location.

Cheers, Sue Ellson

Welcome Back

2010-05-26T10:58:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone - planning to start posting again - watch this space - lots of events coming up that will be of interest - check out http://www.newcomersnetwork.com

What does Harmony Day mean to me?

2009-03-19T15:37:00.003+11:00

What does the ‘Harmony Day’ mean to me?

After growing up in conservative, ‘big country town’ Adelaide, I loved visiting my family on Kangaroo Island and mixing with the international guests staying at Ellson’s Seaview Motel. They told interesting stories, looked different, sounded different and seemed so much more fascinating than the ‘twin set and pearls’ brigade that was more familiar to me.

I remember in high school how children with Italian parents could not go out with children of Greek parents. How Catholics were not allowed to marry Protestants. Worse still, that awful comment ‘spot the Aussie’ when there were many people of a non-Caucasian background in the one location. Or the insulting, he couldn’t get an Aussie woman so he married an Asian.

So you can imagine how excited I was to come to Multicultural Melbourne in 1994. Despite not recognizing anyone for months (until I spotted a well known television actor), feeling as though everyone was staring at me and being struck by the overwhelming presence of black clothing, I felt more at home here than I ever did in Adelaide.

Six years later, I had a surprise birthday party and I looked around the room at all of my multicultural friends and I burst into tears – these people were my second family and I loved them just as much as my own family.

So I continue to support diversity in Australia in everything that I do. Moving to a new country and changing your life is the ‘last frontier’ left to us as human beings. So many things have been achieved and added to the record books, but choosing to live in a new country requires guts, courage and the ability to face constant challenges and rejection.

But what got me through my own transition was a woman who had also moved (albeit another Australian from Queensland via Canberra to Melbourne). She knew how hard it was to relocate and after 10 years of research, service and stories, I know that the most critical ingredient to success in a new location is friends. They make you feel as if you belong.

Our civilized, western, mostly secular and democratic culture understands the need for all people to belong and for everyone to get along. In Australia, we really are the lucky country and this constant mixing of cultures enables us all to see new perspectives, challenge our thinking and strive for a better life for our children. For me, it is peace on earth. That is the beauty and charm of diversity. Long may it continue.

But on our journey ahead, let us celebrate the successes but also seek new ways to capitalize on our strengths. The media still has an important role to play. Our society is shaped by thought and opinion leaders who get ‘air time.’ Labels are something that have been placed on people for way too long.

It is hard to believe that 100 years ago, people with disabilities were hidden from society. Now buses carry wheelchairs. People of different faiths have fought wars against each other – and yet Australia will host the World Parliament of Religions. The first migrants to Australia killed many Indigenous Australians and more recent migrants have instigated programs of respect and care for the original custodians of our land.

I believe that the increased diversity in Australia has helped remove labels from many people. The only label I want is that of my own name. I proudly declare that I am a Victorian, Australian, from South Australia and thanks to my education and technology, I am a citizen of the world.

All of us have the right to be who we are (within the laws of the country we live in). I don’t want labels. I want friends. I want harmony and peace. I want respect and dignity. And lastly, I want everyone to feel that they really do belong.

What can you do for yourself and for your neighbour to ensure that ‘everyone belongs’? Once you get the idea, DO something about it. And enjoy Harmony Day on Saturday 21 March 2009.

(686) words

Sue Ellson BBus AIMM MAHRI
Founder and Director, Newcomers Network http://www.newcomersnetwork.com

Supporter of Diverse Australia Program http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/advertise/diverse_australia_program_everyone_belongs_harmony_day.php

Sue Ellson first started supporting the Australian Government’s Living in Harmony initiative back in 2003. With the change of government, it has been changed to the ‘Diverse Australia Program.’

With humble beginnings 10 years ago, these programs have had a focus on reducing racism – and Sue is pleased to see the new direction towards the key message of ‘Everyone Belongs' and celebrating Harmony Day on Saturday 21 March 2009.

Jobs competition from migration changes - Paul Osborne - News/AAP

2006-05-08T13:33:00.000+10:00

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19060879-29277,00.html

Jobs competition from migration changes
From: AAP
Paul Osborne

May 08, 2006

AUSTRALIAN university graduates may face greater competition for jobs from overseas students under a proposed government plan.
Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone has released an independent study of the skilled migration system, the basis for changes to kick in later this year.

The study - by leading immigration experts Dr Bob Birrell, Associate Professor Lesleyanne Hawthorne and Professor Sue Richardson - found skilled migrants were achieving strong success in finding jobs, but a number of reforms were needed.

Employers are concerned that graduating overseas students who studied in Australia lacked work experience in their occupations and had poor English language skills.

Only one third of overseas students are employed in professional jobs six months after completing their courses and there was not enough emphasis, when it came to granting permanent visas, on good English skills.

The report recommended overseas students be given a temporary entry visa allowing a stay of two years in Australia with full work rights after they finish their studies.

Advertisement:
But they will have to undertake more intensive English studies, a professional year of vocational studies or a year's full-time work experience to gain permanent entry to the country.

The report authors said there would be an impact on Australian university graduates seeking jobs, particularly in computing and accounting.

"The panel is aware that there are concerns about the possible impact of the proposals on the circumstances of domestic graduates in the fields in question," the report said.

"These concerns in part arise from the high level of concentration of overseas student graduates in computing and accounting.

"If thousands of overseas students who are looking for work experience join the labour market each year, this could depress the labour market in these fields for domestic aspirants.

"These are legitimate concerns."

However, the report said not all graduates may opt to go down the path of work experience, but may choose to use their time to improve their English skills.

And changes could be made to provide incentives to study in areas other than computing and accounting. Senator Vanstone said overseas students were a welcome part of Australia's skilled migration program.

"Any changes we make will be consistent with that view and in fact are likely to present new and broader opportunities for overseas students and Australia's international education industry," Senator Vanstone said in a statement.

She said the government planned a number of changes to the overall general skilled migration program.

These would include: increasing the base level of English language proficiency for visa applicants; increasing the allocation of bonus points to applicants who achieve high English language scores and placing greater emphasis on skilled work experience as a factor in the points test.

For thriving cities, it's not enough to be cool - Editorial, The Australian

2006-02-20T20:58:00.000+11:00

Some interesting insights into some of the issues that Australian cities will need to consider in the future...Sue Ellson

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18201380%255E7583,00.html

Joel Kotkin: For thriving cities, it's not enough to be cool
Dense, arty neighbourhoods have failed to attract talent and capital. What people really want is affordable space
February 20, 2006

THE West's great cities face serious challenges, with terrorists plotting to blow them up even as jobs and capital flee to the low-cost havens of the developing world. However, from Sydney to San Francisco, the political imperative all too often has been not to look for ways to stay safe or competitive, but instead how to make cities cool and hip.

To many public officials, the key to building a great city in the 21st century lies in cultivating the arts and entertainment venues that appeal to a so-called creative class of youngish, hip professionals.

The pied piper of this theory, the American academic Richard Florida, has some cities sold on the notion that "without gays and rock bands" they are doomed to lose "the economic race" in the new century.

Across the world, cities have adopted strategies such as promoting gay districts, focusing resources on building cool downtown lofts and investing heavily in the construction of arts palaces and other such cultural ephemera. "Instead of having the arts we can afford," gushes one true believer, Andrew Refshauge, former deputy premier of NSW, "we need the arts for the economy to bloom."

Of course, this kultur uber alles approach negates the pattern traceable as far back as ancient Greece that arts and culture do not foster, but follow, the growth of economic and political power. After all, every great arts city since then -- from Venice and Florence to Amsterdam, London and New York -- emerged first as a centre of commerce and trade, and only then evolved into a centre of artistic brilliance.

The dunderheadness of this urban schemata is epitomised by the experience of San Francisco, a city consistently ranked among the highest on Florida's rankings of successful cities. Led by some of the wackiest politics this side of Havana, San Francisco has for years taxed and regulated its business community with unremitting fervour while counting on its arts and culture assets to drive its economy.

What these policies have produced instead is a city that has lost about 4 per cent of its population and 10 per cent of its jobs since 2000. Although many wealthy people still enjoy living there, the city has seen many of its largest corporations and promising young firms leave for either the surrounding suburbs or other regions.

As a result, notes native son and California historian Kevin Starr, San Francisco increasingly resembles "a theme park for restaurants". Its once diverse population is increasingly bifurcated between the nomadic rich and a sizeable population of servants as well as a large homeless population. Today the city -- which Starr described as "a cross between Carmel and Calcutta" -- has the highest concentration of inherited wealth and among the highest per capita incomes of any American city. It also has experienced one of the greatest increases in homicides and is No.1 in terms of cases of syphilis per capita in the US, eight times the rate of New York and 10 times that of Los Angeles.

Other cool, culture-centred cities in the US also appear to be less than idyllic. Since 2000, pillars of urban hipness such as Portland, Boston and Austin have suffered anaemic economic growth while key industries -- from manufacturing to high-end business services -- have migrated to such unhip cities as Las Vegas, San Bernardino-Riverside, Orlando, Boise and Reno.

A strong focus on hip culture also hasn't done wonders for a host of less renowned cities, such as Cleveland, Detroit, Baltimore, New Orleans and Newark, which have also continued along their decades-long pattern of deterioration.

In all these places, fancy new art museums, rock palaces and overheated loft districts have failed to reverse the flight of jobs and middle-class families.

This record of failure is not limited to North America. Take the case of Berlin. In the 1990s, vast amounts were expended to turn the restored German capital into the business capital of Mitteleuropa. These ambitions foundered on the city's high taxes, regulations and a generally anti-business culture. More than 100,000 jobs have disappeared in recent years, unemployment is at almost 20 per cent, and the population is declining as people flee to the suburbs or other, more prosperous parts of Germany.

Faced with such problems, what does the mayor of the bankrupt city propose? Cutting taxes, building new infrastructure, finding ways to keep the middle class and entrepreneurs? Not quite. Mayor Klaus Wowereit pegs the future to selling his "sexy but poor" city as "the city of glamour". To him, "the most decisive aspect is to bring creative young people to Berlin". Somehow, he believes, this would turn the city's sad economy around.

Perhaps most troubling, the craze over coolness stops cities from focusing on the fundamentals -- such as investing in basic infrastructure, education, broad-based economic development, good parks and efficent sanitation -- critical to their long-term prospects. These basic functions affect the lives of most adults, including members of the bohemian creative class, once they begin to worry about buying a decent house, expanding a business and the imperatives brought on by raising a family.

These observations apply as well to Australia. Sophisticated hip cities such as Melbourne and particularly Sydney attract praise from Florida and his acolytes. Not surprisingly, planners and policymakers have placed great emphasis on developing dense, arty urban neighbourhoods while objecting to the expansion of supposedly dull, uncreative suburban areas.

This approach has proved no more successful down under than in the US or Europe. Strict land rationing, for example, has bequeathed the Sydney region, as revealed by the latest Demographia survey, grossly over-inflated land prices. As a result, population as well as job growth have stagnated as upwardly mobile people head to more affordable places such as Perth and Brisbane.

City leaders in the private and public spheres need to recognise three basic things about making modern, successful cities. First, cities must be allowed to grow naturally into the surrounding countryside in order to allow the continuous construction of housing for upwardly mobile middle and working-class families. Second, they must provide a tax and regulatory environment that encourages entrepreneurs to build companies and expand employment.

Third, and most important, they need to understand that economic reality matters more than artistic pretence. Perth's growth, for example, has its roots not in cultural genius but in an expanding commodity-based economy and more affordable housing choices. Brisbane, too, is capitalising on lower costs and livability to lure critical technology and entertainment activities away from more expensive, land-constrained cities such as Sydney.

Fortunately, there is no reason for any of Australia's great cities, including Sydney, to fall far behind. Blessed by nature and its history of late development, Australia still has plenty of room to grow. It possesses ample raw materials, a high standard of education and a superb quality of life. You don't have to spend millions selling yourself as hip and cool to get newcomers to settle here.

What is needed instead is an appreciation that the greatest asset of Australian cities -- including Melbourne and Sydney -- lies in the promise of the Australian dream of a single family house and a backyard. Although often anathema to planners, cultural meisters and policy intellectuals, this is the mundane prospect that will attract talent and capital from congested China, India and Europe to this still very lucky country.

Joel Kotkin, a senior fellow with the New America Foundation in Washington, is author of The City: A Global History (Allen & Unwin, 2005). He is in Australia this week as the keynote speaker at a series of public and private forums on creative global cities. For details, contact MindSharing, an ideas and policy incubator.

www.mind-sharing.com

Britons key part of migrant influx - Tim Colebatch, The Age

2006-02-08T22:28:00.000+11:00

Britons key part of migrant influx

By Tim Colebatch, Canberra
February 8, 2006

MORE migrants arrived to settle in Australia last year than in any year since the 1980s as immigration levels soared to historic highs.

The Bureau of Statistics reported that 128,740 settlers arrived at our airports in 2005, 10 per cent more than in 2004 and the third year in a row of double-digit growth in arrivals.

The British led the way, with 21,780 of them leaving last year to settle here. The number of British settlers arriving has more than doubled in just three years, with a 30 per cent rise last year alone.

What is remarkable about this is that the British are now virtually the only Europeans emigrating here. In the postwar era, they led a European exodus that included up to 2 million people from other countries — 381,753 Italians, 256,302 Germans, 207,879 Greeks, 159,103 Yugoslavs, 145,663 Dutch and 77,815 Maltese.

Now, the British are emigrating virtually alone. Last year, they made up three in every four European migrants, who in turn made up just a quarter of Australia's new settlers.

Australia also became home to 18,510 settlers from New Zealand, the highest in four years, 10,250 from China and a record 9920 from India, now the fourth-largest source of migrants to Australia, but the largest into Victoria.

Those numbers, however, greatly understate the true inflow. Under a dramatic change to immigration laws, foreign students at Australian universities can now settle here if they can organise a job after graduating.

Figures for calendar 2005 are not yet available, but in the 12 months to June, 43,895 people living here were granted permanent residence. They included about 7500 British citizens and roughly 5000 Chinese, 4000 Indians and several thousand Indonesians, Koreans and Malaysians.

That number has been steadily rising, suggesting the number of new migrants last year was about 175,000, twice as many as in the early Howard years, and suggesting business has won its fight for a big rise in skilled migration.

The bureau figures also show that:

■A record 64,380 Australians left the country and wrote that they would not be back, while another 94,060 left for more than a year away. But their numbers were far outweighed by those arriving.

■The number of foreign visitors rose just 5 per cent last year, to 5.5 million, as the strong currency helped deter tourists.

■By contrast, the number of Australians taking overseas trips jumped to 4.75 million, up 40 per cent in two years, as Australians used the strong currency to see the world.

■Victoria's number of foreign tourists went backwards last year. Just 931,700 departing tourists said they had spent most time in the state, 4 per cent fewer than in 2004.

OUR SETTLERS THEN AND NOW

1950s Britain/Ireland, Italy, Germany, Netherlands

1960s Britain/Ireland, Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia

1970s Britain/Ireland, New Zealand, Yugoslavia, Lebanon

1980s Britain/Ireland, New Zealand, Vietnam, Philippines

1990s New Zealand, Britain/Ireland, Hong Kong, China

2000s New Zealand, Britain/Ireland, China, India
SOURCES: AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS

Economic Impacts of Migration and Population Growth - Position Paper released 17 January 2006

2006-01-17T14:31:00.000+11:00

http://www.pc.gov.au/study/migrationandpopulation/positionpaper/index.html

Economic Impacts of Migration and Population Growth
Position Paper

The position paper for the commissioned study, Economic Impacts of Migration and Population Growth, was released on 17 January 2006.

Also released:

* Media Release
* Key Points

Position Paper Availability

Electronic Copies
PDF File 1.6 MB
Winzip Archive 2.3 MB
PDF files are Adobe Acrobat Version 7. The Winzip Archive contains RTF files. See information on downloading files.

Printed Copies
Printed copies of the position paper are available from Carole Gardner, phone (03) 9653 2194.

CONTENTS

Preliminaries

Cover, Copyright, Opportunity for further comment, Terms of Reference, Contents, Abbreviations and explanations, Overview

1 Introduction
1.1 Background to the study
1.2 Scope of the study
1.3 Conduct of the study
1.4 Structure of the report

2 Trends in migration
2.1 International migration flows
2.2 Australian perspective
2.3 Migration and Australia’s population

3 Linking migration, population and productivity
3.1 Economic growth and living standards
3.2 Size and diversity are keys to the economic effects
3.3 Overview of migration’s links to productivity and income per capita

4 The diversity of the migrant workforce
4.1 The education levels of immigrants
4.2 Immigration and the supply of labour by occupation and industry
4.3 Immigration and the working age population
4.4 Immigration and labour force participation
4.5 Immigration and unemployment rates
4.6 Immigration and working hours
4.7 Immigration and regional labour supply
4.8 Intergenerational effects
4.9 Emigration and labour supply
4.10 Projecting the effect of changes in immigration flows on labour supply
4.11 Overall assessment

5 Migration and productivity
5.1 Migration, human capital and productivity
5.2 What is the evidence on the labour productivity of migrants?
5.3 The contribution of migration to overall labour productivity growth
5.4 Overall assessment

6 Scale and environmental effects of migration
6.1 Migration and economies of scale
6.2 Migration, natural resources, and environment externalities

7 Other economic effects of migration
7.1 Some other effects on productivity and economic growth
7.2 Distributional effects

8 Overall impact on living standards
8.1 Overall effect of migration on living standards
8.2 Why a small impact?

9 Impediments to productivity and economic growth from migration
9.1 Efficacy of Australia’s migration program
9.2 English language proficiency
9.3 Distortions arising from the skilled migration program
9.4 Efficacy of skills assessment and recognition processes
9.5 Impediments arising from Australia’s tax system
9.6 Australian emigration

A Submissions, visits and roundtable attendees
A.1 Consultations

B Trends in international migration
B.1 Reasons for international migration
B.2 Increasing global population movements
B.3 Diversification of country of origin
B.4 Temporary migration
B.5 Skilled migration

C Australia’s migration policy and flows
C.1 Immigration policy
C.2 Migrant flows to Australia
C.3 Migrant flows from Australia
C.4 Net migration and population size
C.5 Definitions

D Characteristics of Australia's Migrants
D.1 Country of origin
D.2 Demographic characteristics of immigrants
D.3 Geographic location
D.4 Emigration

E Labour market analysis
E.1 Data and variables
E.2 Method
E.3 Additional results

F Effects on labour supply of an increase in skilled migration
F.1 Role of the two demographic models
F.2 Results
F.3 Modelling framework
F.4 Assumptions
F.5 Data
F.6 Summary
Annex F.1: Qualification classification

G Economic effects of increasing skilled migration: Modelling summary
G.1 Aggregate effects
G.2 What happens to income per person
G.3 Changes in multifactor productivity
G.4 Compositional effects
G.5 Industry effects
Annex G.1: Framework and modifications to the MONASH Model

References

Southerners targeted to tackle regional skills shortages - Editorial, Queensland Business Review

2006-01-16T22:42:00.000+11:00

I will post further details about this initiative in our monthly email newsletter when I hear back from the Queensland Government....Sue Ellson

http://www.qbr.com.au/index.cfm?storyid=25686&cp=displaystory.cfm

Southerners targeted to tackle regional skills shortages
Monday 16 January 2006
The state government is staging a regional jobs expo in Sydney aimed at extolling the virtues of living and working in regional Queensland.

The @ Work and Play, Queensland on Show initiative, to be held over three days in western Sydney in August, will bring together influential government, local and national businesses, human resource managers and recruitment companies from Brisbane and eight major Queensland regions. "Regional Queensland is crying out for more people skilled in trades while many skilled people in Sydney are searching for a lifestyle and a location that has a more liveable cost of living," Acting Premier Anna Bligh says.

"Sydney has become one of the most expensive places to raise a family in Australia.

"Regional Queensland on the other hand has the lifestyle and the cost of living that is just right for raising a family in a safe and community focused environment.

"Queensland is also facing a time of great economic growth at the same time as we are experiencing shortages of skilled labour and it is no secret that this is impacting on public and private sectors.

"Significant research tells us that initiatives to attract skilled labour to the regions is vital across the gamut of industries including mining, oil and gas, engineering, construction, manufacturing, health, tourism, as well as education and hospitality.

"For us to realise the full potential of our continued robust economic growth we are inviting skilled people to make the smart move to Queensland.

"Despite the fact that Queensland is attracting by far the largest exodus of Australians migrating to another State in the country - more than 105,000 people came to Queensland in 2004/05 - we need to make sure we have skilled people to help us achieve our region-based economic growth potential."

Bligh adds if the Sydney expo is a success they will consider "blitzing" further cities.

"We aim to entice 1,500 new skilled workers to Queensland by 2008, particularly those with much-needed skilled in industries we're targeting such as health, education, construction, child care, engineering, food, electrical and electronic and many more," she says. "Toowoomba and the Darling Downs is one of eight Queensland regions that will be featured in the initiative. Others are far north, north, central and western Queensland, as well as Wide Bay Burnett, and the Sunshine and Gold Coasts.

The expo will pitch these lifestyle, employment, family friendly and other benefits directly to potential new migrants."

Local councils, interested major employers, recruitment companies and other organisations will be invited to participate in the initiative which would incorporate major displays, seminars, a website and advertising.

WA police relax uniform code - from AAP, News Limited

2006-01-14T21:16:00.001+11:00

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17813046-29277,00.html

WA police relax uniform code
From: AAP

January 13, 2006

WEST Australian police have added turbans and hijabs to their list of accepted uniform items in an effort to encourage more Sikh and Muslim people to join the force.
At today's launch of the additions to the traditional blue uniform, police commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said the innovation was a milestone in the 152-year history of the WA force.

"The police have always been pretty rigid as far as their uniform regulations go. We are relaxing those, we are changing those and we are now allowing people to join and wear culturally appropriate clothing," Dr O'Callaghan said.

"This directive is a step forward for WA police in embracing Western Australia's diverse and multicultural society."

The new directive allows police officers who have genuine religious or cultural requirements to adapt their uniform to meet these needs.

The items of cultural clothing, including turbans and hijabs, will correspond with the blue of the WA police service and will include the chequered hatband and badge. Beards worn on religious or cultural grounds will also be acceptable.

Suresh Rajan, of the WA Police ethnic advisory committee, said the uniform change would make a difference.

"It makes the service far more relevant, as people from these communities can look at the people in the police service representing them and feel some sort of affinity," Mr Rajan said.

Satwant Singh, of the Sikh Association of WA, said he hoped the initiative would encourage more ethnic communities to consider joining the police.

"What this has done is open the general mainstream community, to say to them there are other communities that are part and parcel of Australia," Mr Singh said.

January Email Newsletter - Vol 5 Ed 1

2006-01-11T10:20:00.000+11:00

Newcomers Network enews Volume 5 Edition 1 January 2006

Published 5 January 2006 All links were current at time of publication

Read it online at http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/au/enews/0601.php

Hello

Happy New Year! I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. I had a great time in Adelaide. Our 2006 email newsletters will start with location and then general news. Please scan through the whole email to find items that interest you - I certainly don't expect you to read everything!

As always, you can forward this email to other people who may find it useful for either newcomer or networking information.

1. New South Wales
Join Dina at the new meeting point this Sunday, 8 January at 2pm for our Second Sunday Series Welcome to Sydney event http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/au/sydney/welcome.php or Saturday 14 January at 10am for the two hour Newcomers Information Session http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/events/nis.php

2. Victoria
Join me at Federation Square this Sunday, 8 January at 2pm for our Second Sunday Series Welcome to Melbourne event http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/au/melbourne/welcome.php In August 2005, several guests started a Social Group and if you attend on Sunday we can invite you to join their mailing list. I will also be hosting the two hour Newcomers Information Session on Saturday 14 January at 10am http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/events/nis.php

3. South Australia
It was wonderful to host the first event in Adelaide on 31 December 2005 and we will be starting Welcome to Adelaide events later this year. In the meantime, find out what else is on at http://www.events.southaustralia.com or purchase a copy of Keith Martyn's 2006 South Australian Almanac at a local newsagent.

4. Queensland
No Speak English is the second book by Effie Detsimas, $17 plus postage - telephone
07 3820 6273. We have also published a humorous story of a British Migrant living in Brisbane at http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/au/brisbane/migrantdiary.php

5. Western Australia
Changing Seasons is a booklet of stories from twelve migrant women in regional Western Australia - telephone Mong Leng Connell for details 08 9791 9022. Visit Your Guide to Perth and Fremantle at http://www.countrywide.com.au

6. Tasmania
The Brand Tasmania website http://www.brandtasmania.com has a fascinating range of information about Tasmania and what it has to offer the world. A major events calendar can be seen at http://www.eventstasmania.com/calendar.cgi

7. Northern Territory
The Productivity Commission is completing a research study into the impact of population growth, including through migration, on Australia's productivity growth http://www.pc.gov.au/study/migrationandpopulation/. The Northern Territory Government's submission provides some interesting statistics http://www.pc.gov.au/study/migrationandpopulation/subs/sub025.pdf

8. Australian Capital Territory
The Canberra Spatial Plan features details of Economic and Employment Prosperity - apparently 96% of private business is conducted by small business and 80% of these are home based http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/spatialplan/1_future/1B_context/1B7_prosperity.htm

9. Australian links of interest
The number of people arriving and settling in Australia continues to grow
http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media_releases/media05/v05163.htm
You can see a variety of discussions at On Line Opinion - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate http://www.onlineopinion.com.au

10. International links of interest
Scotland is looking for expats http://www.scotlandistheplace.com
South Africans can connect worldwide through http://www.saconnected.com
21st Century Markets - from places to spaces is a detailed journal piece http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_12/fingar/
How Women and Men use the internet has just been published by Deborah Fallows
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/171/report_display.asp

11. Poll results
Last month our poll asked 'What message do you like hearing at this time of the year in Australia?'' and 71% said 'Merry Christmas.' This month we invite you to define what 'Sport in Australia is' http://www.newcomersnetwork.com

12. Consulting services update
We have recently:
. facilitated the first meeting of a new African-Australian Chamber of Commerce
. provided settlement attraction strategy advice to a regional council and a territory government
. been invited to represent an international online business network in Australia

13. Our news
Newcomers Network is now a member of the Australian Human Resources Institute http://www.ahri.com.au and we will be featured in their 2006 Directory.

14. Business Membership
Business Membership of Newcomers Network is only $145.42 with all click throughs until 30 June 2006 http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/mel/information/membership

I look forward to hearing from you throughout the year!

Sue Ellson
Sue Ellson BBus AIMM
Founder
Newcomers Network...we'll tell you where to go...
sueellson at newcomersnetwork dot com or
sueellson at yahoo dot com dot au

Vol 5, Ed 1
January 2006

Welcome
A few of the guests
at our Welcome to
Melbourne event
on 14/12/05

Customers
Bring more customers to your website with
Business Membership
of Newcomers Network

Only $145.42 with
all click throughs
until 30/6/06

List of all
Business Members

best tips | feedback | subscribe | membership | previous editions | events | privacy
Newcomers Network complimentary monthly e-newsletter Copyright 2006
PO Box 554, Templestowe, Victoria, Australia, 3106
phone +61 (0)3 9812 7288 fax +61 (0)3 9012 4419 mobile/cell +61 (0) 402 243 271
contact us http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/mel/contactus
unsubscribe at http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/mel/home/unsubscribe.php
view online at http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/au/enews/index.php

December Email Newsletter - Vol 4 Ed 12

2006-01-11T10:19:00.000+11:00

This is a copy of the enewsletter sent to newcomers and networkers worldwide on 25 December 2005. The links were current at the time of publication.

View online at http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/mel/oursay/newsletters/0512.php

Newcomers Network

Hello

Special festive greetings to you this month - our red and green logo colours match the season and I have managed to send this on Christmas Day in Australia - so Merry Christmas if you celebrate this occasion!

1. Events
1.1 Our Second Sunday Series Welcome events in Sydney http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/au/sydney/welcome.php and Melbourne http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/au/melbourne/welcome.php will be hosted again in 2006 - you can mark the following dates in your new diary 8/1, 12/2, 12/3, 9/4, 14/5, 11/6, 9/7, 13/8, 10/9, 8/10, 12/11 and 10/12.

1.2 Newcomers Information Sessions will be held in Sydney and Melbourne on the Saturday after each Second Sunday of the month at 10am. These dates are 14/1, 18/2, 18/3, 15/4, 20/5, 17/6, 15/7, 19/8, 16/9, 14/10, 18/11, 16/12. These two hour training sessions cover everything from finding work to culture shock. A comprehensive workbook is also included, great value for AUD$49 per person http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/events/nis.php

1.3 I will be in Adelaide on New Year's Eve 31 December 2005 and I would love to meet some Newcomers Network subscribers at the reception desk of The Stamford Grand Hotel at Glenelg at 2pm - we can choose a nice place for a drink after we meet. Please send an SMS to 0402 243 271 if you are able to join us.

2. Your say
2.1 Last month our poll asked 'Why did you migrate to Australia?' and 32% said a 'new lifestyle' closely followed by 'partner is Australian.' This month our poll asks 'What message do you like hearing at this time of the year in Australia?' http://www.newcomersnetwork.com

2.2 Leaving home in a sense involves a kind of second birth in which we give birth to ourselves - Robert Neelly Bellah

3. Information
3.1 You may like to visit the following links:
Calling over the internet - VoIP and Skype is moving to video conferencing
Details of cities in Australia - from the people's encyclopedia, Wikipedia
10 Tips for Job Searching during the holidays - by Norine Dagliano
Surviving the Christmas visit back home - a timely story from Expatica
The Tourism Guide to Australia - links collected by Charles Sturt University
The Top 500 Yahoo Searches - in Australia for 2005
International Migrant's Day - celebrated every year on 18 December
Live Life Down Under - London trade show in March for future UK migrants

4. Research
4.1 The value of the international student education services market to the national economy has grown from $5.9billion in 2002 to $7.5billion in 2005, making education services the fourth-largest Australian export industry. International students enrolled in Australia provided about 15 per cent of local universities' total revenue in 2004 and 18 per cent of total enrolments in higher education. Learn more by visiting the National Liaison Committee for International Students in Australia Inc website http://www.nlc.edu.au

4.2 The European Commission launched the report 'The business case for diversity: good practices in the workplace' at a Brussels conference on 29 November 2005. 83% of the companies who have adopted diversity policies have found that they have made good business sense http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/1483&format=HTML

5. Our say
5.1 Our newest Business Member is Cope Thornton - Australian Immigration Lawyers. Business Membership of Newcomers Network from 1 January to 30 June 2006 with all click throughs is available for AUD$174.50 and payment can be made with a credit card via PayPal http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/mel/information/membership

5.2 We have posted a number of different opinion articles on the Living in Harmony Australia Blog on the topic of racism in Australia after the international media coverage of events that occurred in Sydney on 11 December http://livinginharmonyaustralia.blogspot.com

5.3 Dina Zavrski-Makaric and I have worked very hard to produce a comprehensive Guide to Australia that has been published on the international Expat Focus website. You can see it at http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-australia

May the rest of 2005 be wonderful for you - and all the best for 2006!

Sue Ellson
Sue Ellson BBus AIMM
Founder
Newcomers Network...we'll tell you where to go...
sueellson at newcomersnetwork dot com or
sueellson at yahoo dot com dot au

Vol 4, Ed 12
December 2005

Customers
Bring more customers to your website with
Business Membership
of Newcomers Network

Only $174.50 with
all click throughs
until 30/6/06

Newest Business Member

Cope Thornton
Cope Thornton Immigration Lawyers

List of all
Business Members

best tips | feedback | subscribe | membership | previous editions | events | privacy
Newcomers Network complimentary monthly e-newsletter Copyright 2005
PO Box 554, Templestowe, Victoria, Australia, 3106
phone +61 (0)3 9812 7288 fax +61 (0)3 9012 4419 mobile/cell +61 (0) 402 243 271
contact us http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/mel/contactus
unsubscribe at http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/mel/home/unsubscribe.php
view online at http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/mel/oursay/newsletters/index.php

Just 63 jobs filled to stem brain drain - Michelle Wiese Bockmann, The Australian

2006-01-10T22:44:00.000+11:00

Just 63 jobs filled to stem brain drain
Michelle Wiese Bockmann
December 05, 2005 A $4 MILLION bid to attract migrants to South Australia has resulted in 63 jobs being filled from more than 5500 inquiries, internal government documents reveal.

With a net loss of 3200 people from the state last year, the Make The Move government advertising campaign aimed to stem the brain drain from South Australia by luring interstate and overseas migrants.

The job results, obtained under freedom of information laws, are based on recruitment contractor Speakman Tanner Menzies's monthly reports to the Department of Trade and Economic Development since they were contracted in June, until October this year.

The national recruiter, which won the three-year tender to match people sending resumes and making inquiries at a call centre with local jobs, sifted through almost 1000 resumes in five months.

The department has defended the project's success, saying there is no way to fully monitor all jobs generated by the "overwhelming response" to the Make The Move campaign.

"You need to take into account the broader picture," said acting director for population and migration Sunny Yang.

She said information packs and a follow-up letter had been sent to all 5500 people who had contacted the Government via email, survey or call centre and it was not possible to track all those who ended up moving.

Of the 400 overseas resumes received in the month of October, Speakman Tanner Menzies selected four to interview and gave a contract job to an accountant from Singapore.

Of the 112 overseas resumes it referred to other job agencies, seven were placed, although the report said it was not privy to all outcomes, and job numbers may be much higher.

Australians interested in moving to the state had a better result in that month, with 15 of the 39 people who submitted resumes securing employment.

Ms Yang said there was not enough information available to comment on the quality of applicants from overseas, but the majority of inquiries had come from target markets such as Britain.

Responsibility for the Make The Move program moved from Industry Minister Paul Holloway to Treasurer Kevin Foley in October, Ms Yang confirmed.

She said the budget was about $4 million over four years but was "in a state of flux". The campaign had received $1million in free advertising from Southern Cross Broadcasting.

http://www.southaustralia.biz/move/

Brits give Vics the flick - John Masanauskas, Herald Sun

2006-01-10T22:42:00.000+11:00

Brits give Vics the flick
John Masanauskas
30dec05

BRITISH migrants are shunning Melbourne and settling in cities with less cultural diversity, official figures show.

Despite the State Government embarking on a global campaign to recruit more migrants, Victoria is not attracting its fair share of arrivals from the Old Country.

In 2004-05, 2877 British-born people settled in Victoria, according to the latest Immigration Department data.

However, NSW attracted 3923 Britons, 4189 went to Queensland and more than 5000 settled in Western Australia.

A quarter of all migrants go to Victoria, but the state lured just 16 per cent of British arrivals in Australia last year. Britain was Victoria's No. 2 source for migrants in 1994-95, but it is now fourth behind India, China and New Zealand.

Head of Monash University's Centre for Population and Urban Research, Bob Birrell, said the British generally had in-demand skills which gave them more flexibility in choosing where to live.

Dr Birrell said Victoria was attracting a relatively low share of New Zealand and South African migrants, whose English proficiency made it easier to settle and find work than other arrivals.

National licences in trades - Elizabeth Colman, The Australian

2006-01-10T22:41:00.000+11:00

National licences in trades
Elizabeth Colman
December 30, 2005

A NATIONAL licensing system for electricians, carpenters, plumbers and other tradespeople will replace state-based accreditation after federal and state governments reached a historic agreement to combat skills shortages.

Under the biggest restructure of trades accreditation since federation, companies employing apprentices will receive a national licence, replacing the eight state and territory-based qualifications.

The Australian understands the single standard proposed in a Council of Australian Governments working party report will for the first time give tradespeople accredited in one state a licence to practice across the nation. Under the wide-ranging plan, tradespeople will find it easier to work interstate, with fees and accreditation demands eliminated when they move across state borders.

But unions have argued against a recommendation to give skilled migrants who are qualified in their home country automatic licences to practice in Australia.

In a win for immigration authorities, state premiers have given in-principle support to a "one-stop" assessment process in the report prepared by their own departments and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Immigration Department deputy secretary Abul Rizvi said yesterday that streamlining qualifications for migrants was "incredibly important" and insisted that Australian standards would not be undermined.

"We need to make sure the skilled migrants we are getting are job-ready and meet Australia's rigorous standards," Mr Rizvi said.

"The standards won't change. There will be one instead of eight, but it will be the Australian standard."

The Electrical Trades Union backed the plan for a national standard, but argued against streamlining accreditation for migrants.

"We want electrical workers to have a very high standard of skill and training, and very high criteria for people to work in our industry," ETU assistant secretary Kevin Harkins said.

"As far as qualifications go, we don't want people coming from overseas who don't meet our standards. It would impact on the quality of work done and have some influence on insurance."

The Government has come under pressure to pull into line its agency charged with recognising overseas qualifications - Trades Recognition Australia - amid allegations of gross inefficiency aired during parliamentary committee hearings chaired by Liberal MP Don Randall.

The plan to scrap the three-tier system of qualifications - a major hurdle for migrant electricians, hairdressers and other trades needed in Australia - will be considered at the COAG meeting in February.

John Howard committed to developing a "genuinely national system" for apprenticeships at the June COAG meeting amid fears of an impending skills crisis. Australia is facing a shortfall of up to 200,000 skilled workers, with numbers expected to worsen in 10 years, according to industry figures.

The Howard Government this year launched a global recruitment drive in Britain, Europe and India after boosting Australia's skilled migration intake by a record 20,000 places.

Research has shown Australia faces a looming skills crisis, with electricians, plumbers and carpenters set to retire, leaving a vacuum in traditional trades.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said his Government had long advocated the need for a national system of accreditation for trades and skills.

"Of course, details will need to be carefully gone through and issues such as health and safety examined," Mr Beattie said.

Victorian Education and Training Minister Lynn Kosky welcomed the recommendations yesterday.

"We have to make the process more streamlined, have a system which ensures that occurs and is consistent, whether that is for domestic people or overseas people," Ms Kosky said.

At the urging of the Victorian Government, the report pushes for secondary schools to be more closely linked to trades training.

In the first step towards mutual recognition of trades, all states have committed to implementing template legislation eliminating paperwork to practise interstate.

The report requires training, immigration and employment guidelines to be rewritten, and outlines a series of steps to be completed by a range of government departments within about five years.

Migrants blamed for IT jobs cut - Jewel Topsfield, The Age

2006-01-10T22:38:00.000+11:00

Migrants blamed for IT jobs cut

By Jewel Topsfield, Canberra
January 10, 2006

AUSTRALIA'S intake of skilled migrants with information technology expertise should be reduced to improve the prospects of local IT graduates who are struggling to find jobs, says an immigration analyst.

Bob Kinnaird, of labour market consultants Kinnaird and Associates, said the Federal Government had brought in large numbers of IT workers over the past four years, even though there was a serious oversupply in the Australian labour market, particularly of graduates. He said the skilled migration program had effectively increased the IT graduate labour supply by nearly 80 per cent in recent years. During this time, 30 per cent of Australian IT graduates could not find full-time work.

The policy had been a "miserable failure", Mr Kinnaird said, leading to an oversupply of entry-level programmers, high graduate unemployment and lower wages.

In his paper, commissioned by the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University, Mr Kinnaird said that in the past four years the number of visas granted to overseas students graduating in IT from Australian universities had increased by 62 per cent.

The report said this had been accompanied by plummeting enrolments by Australian students in IT courses, which dropped by 36 per cent between 2001 and 2004.

Mr Kinnaird said migrants were also losing out.

"People lured to Australia on the promise of lucrative jobs in IT get here and find they don't have a hope of getting a job," he said.

"It's a human disaster for these people who, in many cases, uprooted themselves and their families, leaving behind reasonably paid jobs, and find they are worse off when they come here.There's a heck of a lot of people driving cabs and working as security guards who are IT graduates."

Mr Kinnaird called on the Government to "substantially reduce" the intake of IT graduates through the skilled migration program until the market could absorb Australian IT graduates.

He said entry-level programmers should be taken off the skilled occupation list.

He also said the Australian Computer Society, which accredits the IT qualifications of applicants for permanent residency, should introduce tougher English tests and insist that overseas students spend three years studying IT in Australia, rather than two.

But Australian Computer Society chief executive officer Dennis Furini said that while there was possibly an oversupply of entry-level programmers, there was a shortage of specialists in areas such as e-commerce and network security.

An Immigration Department spokesman said it relied on information from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to draw up the skilled occupation list.

"The Immigration Department has no information suggesting IT jobs should be taken off the skilled occupation list," he said.

With MEAGHAN SHAW

Welcome to the Newcomers Network Blog

2005-09-30T23:18:00.000+10:00

Hello and welcome to the Newcomers Network blog, started by the Founder of Newcomers Network, Sue Ellson (previously Sue Vitnell) on 30 September 2005.

Newcomers Network began back in 1999 and was officially started in 2001. Our aim is to keep up to date with the various resources used by people who are moving, so blogging is just one of the ways we can help you access information.

It is hoped that this blog will be informative, interesting and personal...because it is the real life stories that make moving 'real' for people. I will also post media stories that may be of relevance to people who are about to move or have recently moved.

You can also use this blog to discuss the highs and the lows, the positives and the negatives - and the skills and strategies that help produce a 'successful settlement' wherever that may be.

Once again, Welcome one and all!

Cheers

Sue Ellson
Founder
Newcomers Network
based in Melbourne, Australia
http://www.newcomersnetwork.com