Australian Immigration Daily News

The Australian Government has today announced a broad new policy approach to the acquisition and delivery of workflow processing capability in the Home Affairs portfolio and other areas across government.

The Government will implement modern, easy to access, digital services for clients in line with its response to the Thodey Review of the Australian Public Service. This approach seeks integrated enterprise ]scale workflow processing capability that could be utilised across the Commonwealth. Key to this is recognising the efficiencies that can be generated from large-scale government investment in technology and the re-use of capability across government.

The Department of Home Affairs will conduct a market consultation process in the coming months seeking industry engagement and insights into the best way to deliver large-scale workflow processing capability for visa and citizenship applications and additionally, for Customs functions and personnel security clearances in the Home Affairs portfolio.

The Chief Medical Officer provided the latest advice on the spread of COVID-19 globally and nationally. Leaders noted that Australia has one of the most comprehensive testing regimes in the world with over 100,000 Australian tests for COVID-19 having been undertaken. While the majority of COVID-19 cases in Australia continue to be from Australians returning from overseas, there have been a number of local outbreaks.

Every Australian has a part to play in slowing the spread of coronavirus.

All leaders reiterated the importance of Australians strictly adhering to social distancing and self isolation requirements, in particular for those who are unwell and for returned travellers. Not adhering to self isolation requirements when you are unwell puts the lives of your fellow Australians at risk.

National Cabinet agreed to risk mitigation measures for non-essential indoor gatherings of fewer than 100 people including the following:

•In a given occupied space, there must be a density of no more than one person per four square metres of floor space. The 4 square metre arrangements for venues will come into effect from 20 March 2020 and will be mandated through state and territory regulatory arrangements. o For example, there can be 25 people in a 100 square metre room, who should maintain a physical healthy distance between each other of 1.5 metres.

The entry ban takes effect from 9pm AEDT Friday, 20 March 2020, with exemptions only for Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family, including spouses, legal guardians and dependants.

New Zealand citizens who live in Australia as Australian residents are also exempt, as are New Zealanders transiting to New Zealand. Exemptions for Pacific Islanders transiting to their home countries will continue to apply.

Australian citizens and permanent residents and those exempt from our entry restrictions will continue to be subject to a strict 14 days self-isolation.

Our number one priority is to slow the spread of coronavirus to save lives.

Source: Border-Restrictions.pdf and Australian-PM-interview-with-Alan-Jones-20-March-2020.pdf

This information supersedes all previous updates provided by the Court. In light of the recent developments that led to the closure of the Lionel Bowen building in Sydney, the Federal Court of Australia is taking steps to reduce the risk to court users and court staff from in person attendance in court buildings, commencing Wednesday, 18 March 2020. Unless specifically and individually excepted by the Court, all Federal Court of Australia listings that require in person attendance, including mediations and listings relying on video link from court premises listed up to 30 June 2020, are vacated. The Court is examining, as a matter of urgency, its capability to facilitate listings by remote access technology, without requiring in person attendance.   Further information will be provided as soon as possible of alternative arrangements that may be able to be put in place.

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Continue reading Last modified on Tuesday, 17 March 2020