Australia and New Zealand Immigration News

Sri Lankan migrants hoping to reach Australia have told journalists that they hope to take advantage of a diplomatic rift between Australia and Indonesia to make the crossing from Indonesia to Australia.

The rift opened after it was revealed on 19th November 2013 that the Australian government had tapped the phone of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2009. President Yudhoyono has demanded an apology from Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Australia's Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Michaelia Cash, has announced that employers recruiting for 'highly skilled occupations' will be exempted from the Labour Market Testing requirement and so will not need to advertise jobs in Australia before offering them to temporary foreign workers. This appears to be a policy U-turn on a commitment to scrap the Labour Market Testing (LMT) requirement altogether.

An Australian trade union alleges that two multinational companies deliberately abused the 457 visa scheme to employ Hungarian construction workers in a Sydney suburb on pay which was about 40% of the going rate. The Australian Fair Work Ombudsman is investigating the claims.

The new Australian immigration minister Scott Morrison has said that he wants to fast-track 400 wealthy visa applicants for permanent residence. The 400 have applied for subclass 888 Significant investor visas and Mr Morrison believes that, between them, they have about AUS$2bn to invest in the Australian economy. He also says that he wants to 'reboot' the Significant Investor Visa so that it creates more Australian jobs.

Bill Shorten, the new leader of the Australian Labor Party has told an Australian television audience that Australia should increase the number of immigrants it admits each year.

Mr Shorten became leader after winning a ballot of Labor Party members on 10th October. The previous Labor leader, Kevin Rudd, resigned after leading Labor to a defeat in the Australian general election on September 7th.

The Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch has used a speech in Sydney to call for Australia to become 'the world's most diverse nation' because of the 'incredible political advantage' this would bring.

Mr Murdoch was speaking at Sydney Town Hall as a guest of the Lowy Institute, a right-wing policy institute. It was established by Frank Lowy, the founder of the Westfield Shopping Centre group. Mr Murdoch gave the 10th annual Lowy Lecture. He travelled to Sydney from his home in the United States.