Australian Immigration Daily News

Tourists from China, India and Indonesia are being treated like second-class citizens, according to Tourism & Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond by being slugged $135 for an Australian tourist visa, while Europeans pay $20.

China is the most important tourist market for Australia. Visitor numbers from China increased by 22% (864,000), and trip spend increased 32% ($7 billion) according statistics release by Tourism Research Australia late last year. India was one of the fastest growing markets for the year. Visitors from India have now reached 207,000 (up by 20%) and this moves India up three places to become our 8th largest market. Trip spend has grown by 39% and surpassed $1 billion for the first time.

“A Chinese tourist would be right to ask why they are being slugged $135 for a visa when other tourists can pay a fee as low as $20 – that is sending the wrong message to what will soon be our largest tourist market that we don't value their visitations as much as others," Tourism & Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond recently told the Australian Financial Review. TTF argued arrivals could increase even more rapidly if policy changes were made.

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You probably already know that running a business can be rewarding, challenging, but at times it can also be incredibly stressful. While you are driving your own direction and the upside can be great,   there are a lot of outlays to make and deciding where to direct your limited resources (time and money) can be tricky.  It’s no surprise that it can be tempting to put your money toward areas that are going to generate revenue and put off spending in other areas. But hold on! There are some serious considerations to think when it comes to insurance.

While on the surface insurance can look like an expense it is more of a protection plan – looking after your business' livelihood should the unfortunate occur (and keep in mind that unforeseen could be costly).

The variety of incidents and claims that a small business can come up against vary markedly – you need to consider it’s not just accidents like slips and falls but also through to claims for property loss or damage, disasters and even cyber threats.

Today, 8 March 2016, is International Women’s day – the day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Undoubtedly, Australia has a lot to celebrate but it’s a day, to remind all how much more needs to be done to achieve gender equality in Australia and around the world.

The theme this year is “Pledge for Parity.” Writing in the Huffingpost, Sadhana Smiles the CEO of Harcourts Victoria, Founder of Links Fiji, author and public speaker says, “A lack of diversity in gender and/or race means that we are stifling our innovation, creativity and thinking, as well as the important cultural nuances of doing business offshore. Consider what impact will this have on business long term.”

In her article, the former Telstra Woman of the Year, points out some of the glaring issues facing women in Australia today:

Migration Alliance considers that it is essential that we respond to a media release that was issued yesterday, 7 March 2016, by our sister organization, the Migration Institute of Australia.

That media release declares in bold type that “Migration laws must not impinge on people’s traditional rights and freedoms”.

The release quotes the National President of the MIA, Angela Julian-Armitage, as calling on the Federal Government to immediately “establish an independent review of Australia’s migration laws immediately to make sure they are not impinging on people’s traditional rights and freedoms as recognized by common law”.

Australia’s good international relations has effectively resulted in the country's passport holders being able to enter 169 countries without a visa, ranking it among the top 10 countries in a survey of the world’s most powerful passports. Perhaps this is the reason why DFAT reports that so many Australian passports go missing each year.

Visa requirements are an interesting but overlooked indicator of international relations. Most countries require non-nationals to get visas before they enter their borders, but the requirements can differ a lot. Countries that are allies often offer each other’s citizens a quick visa on arrival. For countries that are not so friendly, a visitor may have to provide entry and exit information, a letter of invitation, and even list all of the clubs they belonged to in high school — as well as paying a hefty fee.

The Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom that their citizens enjoy. The index is produced in cooperation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest database of travel information, and is published annually