With Canada’s cancellation of its popular investor visa leaving an estimated 65,000 applicants in the lurch, analysts are suggesting that this wealth which runs into the billions could now dart its way down south to Australia. It’s no wonder then that the Australian states are now stepping up the battle to attract Chinese investors by easing up their requirements for sponsorship under Australia’s significant investor visa programme.

The Australian programme essentially grants a 4-year renewable visa to investors who pour $5 million into Australia’s coffers and are sponsored by a state government. The states set their own criteria for sponsorship and have steadily eased these requirements in the battle to attract the migrating wealth.

The Australian reports that NSW is set to significantly ease its sponsorship rules. The reports states that Deputy Premier Andrew Stone is expected to announce at an industry event in Sydney today that, “NSW's business investment criteria has been reduced,” for the purposes of state sponsorship of the Significant Investor Visa programme.

“A requirement to spend $3m if establishing a business in Sydney will be reduced to $1.5m, and from $2m to $1m for businesses established in regional NSW. As well, requirements on the total funds to be transferred to cover business investment and settling expenses will be relaxed, dropping from $4m to $3m in Sydney and from $2.5m to $2m in regional areas. The move is designed to compete with Victoria, which has marketed itself in China to business migrants and has less specific or onerous conditions.”

The Australian reports that Queensland requires applicants to invest $2.5m in a business if it is Brisbane or the Gold Coast, which creates at least five jobs, with higher thresholds for property development businesses.

For about 5 years now I have been locked into a struggle with the Permanent Partner Processing Centre in Victoria.

The opening shots in that battle started in a family violence case when my client received a telephone call from the then Independent Experts (IE) saying that an interview had been scheduled. Needless to say I rang the case officer only to be told that he was not satisfied that the evidence was sufficient to enliven the "family violence exception" and it was on that basis that the matter had been referred to the IE. When I remonstrated with the Officer concerned and requested access to the referral, I was denied access and also denied access under FOI. I have had that experience a number of times now and the relevant officers have without exception been relatively senior and very experienced.

In each case when the applications have been refused and the matters have gone to the MRT, I have had access to the referral generated by the case officer to the IE and in each case the referral has denied the applicant natural justice, DIBP has concealed material facts and sought by inference and smear to direct the IE to a finding adverse to the Applicant.

Earlier this year, some Australian television channels and tabloids ran a series of media stories with titles screaming, “JOBLESS Kiwis are flocking to Australia in search of work - and demanding the dole.” The Kiwis have however used the spotlight to march across Australian cities for equal rights. Among the march organisers is co-founder of Iwi n Aus, Filipa Payne, who said current legislation degrades the livelihoods of Kiwi families in Australia and called for better access to healthcare, education, and employment and voting rights.

Kiwi-bashing is not without precedent in Australia. However, there seems to be persistent confusion about the exact nature of the threat says Peter Mares, adjunct fellow at the Institute for Social Research at Swinburne University in the article: New Zealand's 'Bondi Bludger' and other Australian myths.

“It is unclear whether the core problem is that New Zealanders work too hard, and so threaten to “steal Aussie jobs”, or whether they are too lazy, and so threaten to sponge off the generous and unwitting Australian taxpayer,” he says.

Ms Filipa Payne in an interview with Newscorp called for urgent policy changes. She argues that these negative stereotypes are the sort of things that are actually preventing better policy for the Kiwis from being ratified.

There are suggestions that the increased costs in Visa Application Charges (VAC) are forcing partner visa applicants to attempt what can be a complicated application process without any professional assistance. This, according to Robyn Oyeniyi is leading to a greater number of partner visa refusals.

"I have heard it said many applications prepared by the couple without professional guidance/assistance are manifestly inadequate and lead to refusals. This alone is often why a later professionally prepared appeal is successful.” says Robyn Oyeniyi, a prominent human rights campaigner and author of the book, Love versus Goliath.

“Perhaps the increase in refusals is due to an increase in couples preparing their own applications and I suggest this may well be driven by the increase in Partner Visa Fees.

Couples struggling to meet the budget …may well decide to do their application themselves to save the professional fees. Of course, this becomes self-defeating as then they are left with the additional costs of an appeal process,” she notes in her blog.

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A new website has recently emerged called Australians for Honest Elections. 

This is something which has taken my interest.  After watching what happened with the WA elections I had to stop and ask myself what is happening at the AEC?  Who is dealing with that?  Interestingly today I found an email in my inbox which led me to my answer:

The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters  - Inquiry into and report on all aspects of the conduct of the 2013 Federal Election and matters related thereto.

I was asked in an email today to check out this website "Australians for honest elections'.