Australian Immigration Daily News

• The Australian reports that the Federal Government is seeking legal advice after a 17-year-old Kiwi boy was released from a Victorian adult detention centre instead of being deported.
• The Australian writes that the number of temporary foreign residents on bridging visas has increased by 45 per cent in the past nine months as the Department of Home Affairs strengthens checks on applicants.
• The Australian reports that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has stated he will talk to Liberal Senator Dean Smith about his proposal for a year-long inquiry into issues such as immigration levels and the areas where migrants should be settled.

Govt taking advice over NZ teen’s release

The Australian, Other, 17/07/18

The Australian government is seeking legal advice after a 17-year-old Kiwi boy was released from a Victorian adult detention centre instead of being deported. The teen – who has lived in Australia since age 10 – had been at the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation facility since March awaiting a July deportation hearing, reportedly for non-violent offending.

New Zealand ministers criticise Australia’s deportation laws

ABC Online, Other, 17/07/18, Peter FitzSimons

Two senior New Zealand ministers have taken a brickbat to Australia, calling the politics of deportations ‘venal’ and warning the issue is straining relations between the two countries. The criticism comes in the wake of a steep rise in deportations of Kiwis since the passage of laws in 2014 that allowed deportation of long-term Australian residents, who are not citizens, on the grounds of ‘character’, as well as those who have been sentenced to prison for 12 months or more.

PM pronounces senate inquiry into population ‘possible’

The Australian, Other, 17/07/18, Greg Brown

Malcolm Turnbull yesterday left the door open to a Senate inquiry into population, despite defending his government’s policy framework on migration issues. The Prime Minister said he would talk to Liberal senator Dean Smith about his proposal for a year-long inquiry into issues such as immigration levels and the areas where migrants should be settled.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner says inquiry into Australia’s population growth should look at ways to shift people to Northern Australia

Northern Territory News, Other, 17/07/18, Matt Cunningham

Chief Minister Michael Gunner has welcomed a proposed inquiry into Australia’s population growth saying more should be done to encourage people to move North. Western Australian Liberal Senator Dean Smith has written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull urging a 12-month probe into population and migration, as infrastructure in southern cities struggles to keep pace with growth.

Bridging visa numbers soar as background checks get tougher

The Australian, Other, 17/07/18, David Uren

The number of temporary foreign residents on bridging visas has soared by 45 per cent in the past nine months as the Department of Home Affairs strengthens checks on applicants, particularly from China and India. Malcolm Turnbull yesterday defended a 20,000 cut in the number of permanent migrants over the past year, saying it reflected tougher scrutiny of prospective migrants.

One in 10 regional migrants use country towns as a pit stop before moving to a city

Daily Telegraph Australia, Other, 17/07/18, Sheradyn Holderhead

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has vowed to strengthen rules requiring new migrants to fill skills shortages in regional areas, as new figures confirm one in every 10 foreign worker moves from the country to a city within 18 months. The Home Affairs data released yesterday has also laid bare the skewing of the country’s flagship regional migration visa, which has been sending people to capital cities in smaller states rather than country towns.

Immigrant students are ‘gaming the visa system’ to stay in Australia – causing housing costs to soar while pushing wages down

Daily Mail Australia, Other, 17/07/18, Sam Duncan

Foreign students gaming Australia’s immigration system by switching visa types to remain in the country. Bob Birrell of the Australian Population Research Institute, a Melbourne-based think tank, said overseas students are manipulating the visa system to extend their stays.

ABC Radio Melbourne, Breakfast, 17/07/18, Jacinta Parsons and Sami Shah

Interview with Peter FitzSimons, ABC’s Foreign Correspondent. Parsons says Kiwis are deported at the highest rate compared to any other nationality. FitzSimons says Australia has a good relationship with NZ. He says back in 2014, legislation was passed in the Immigration Act, with bipartisan support, to deport people on grounds of character alone. FitzSimons says a lot of Kiwis who marry Australians have been caught up with this law simply because the Government doesn’t like their characters. He says one of his guests in his Foreign Correspondent Segment tonight, was a New Zealand Soldier who served in former NZ Prime Minister John Key’s Security Detail. He says his guest eventually marries a Perth woman and has children with her. FitzSimons says his guest was arrested when he visited one of the Rebels Motorcycle Gang in the Casuarina Prison and eventually deported because the Government thinks his character is poor. Casuarina Prison says Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton stated that the Government deported the soldier mainly because he was part of the motorcycle gang members. Shah says it’s not unreasonable for the Immigration Department to decide whether or not a person can stay in Australia. FitzSimons says NZ’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Justice Minister Andrew Little have said that they’re very much against holding somebody without charge for five months. FitzSimons says in the last three years, 1,300 Kiwis had their Visas cancelled and sent back to New Zealand while New Zealand only cancelled and sent back nine Australians living there. He says the NZ Government thinks there is an imbalance and have said that it’s not right. FitzSimons says the most troubling aspect of this matter is when families split up.

ABC News, News Breakfast, 17/07/18, Paul Kennedy, Virginia Trioli and Georgie Tunny

Interview with writer, broadcaster and former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons. Kennedy says the bond between Australia and NZ is being severely tested by a policy that has seen more than a thousand Kiwis living in Australia deported back across the Tasman in just three years. NZ Justice Minister Andrew Little says many are being sent back with no real connections to the NZ. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton argues every nation in the world can exercise its sovereign right to deport criminals back to their country of origin. Trioli mentions bot Little and Dutton will appear in tonight’s Foreign Correspondent program. FitzSimons says in 2014, there was bipartisan support to change immigration laws. He notes 1300 Kiwis have been deported in the last three years, many of whom were kicked out because of character issues. He adds a lot of those deported also have Australian families. FitzSimons details the case of a former NZ soldier who acted as a security for former NZ PM John Key. He mentions the man was put into solitary confinement and prison before being kicked out of Australia for joining the Rebels motorcycle gang in Perth. He says NZ Foreign Minister Winston Peters and NZ Justice Minister Andrew Little have highlighted that Australia’s sent back 1300 of theirs in the last three years, while they’ve only sent back nine in the same time period. He adds Peters warns Australia and NZ need to be aligned as one ahead of the challenges of the next decade. Trioli says Acting NZ PM Winston Peters has just released a statement saying a 17yo Kiwi national being held in immigration detention, pending a deportation decision, has been released. She notes Winston previously accused Australia of ignoring UN conventions by detaining the minor. She mentions the decision follows Winston’s conversation with Peter Dutton.

ABC Radio Melbourne, Mornings, 17/07/18, Patricia Karvelas

Continuing Interview with Shadow Minister for Climate and Energy Mark Butler. Karvelas mentions Liberal Senator Dean Smith wants an inquiry into a population policy and a slowdown potentially on migration rate. She asks if a rethink is needed on the issue. Butler suspects it’s going to be a flashpoint within the Coalition party room. He mentions Bill Shorten said yesterday that there needs to be a bit more of a focus on the operation of the Visa Scheme, particularly the guest workers. He reiterates it will be a battle within the Coalition. Karvelas says there are genuine concerns around population growth. She asks if a national inquiry is needed. Butler says Labor will support any policy or proposal but notes backbenchers within the Coalition are battling out through media rather than creating a serious proposal. Butler says Labor believes the permanent migration program should be set every year based on evidence including the needs businesses have for workforce. He adds it needs to address infrastructure needs in Melbourne, Victoria, and Sydney.

Bring it on: the population inquiry our elites don’t want

The Australian, Other, 17/07/18, Judith Sloan

Should Australia have an explicit population policy? It might sound scary but one way or another we do have a population policy, with immigration being the variable we can control. Let’s not forget that in the first Intergenerational Report released in 2002, it was predicted Australia’s population would reach 25 million in 2042. It will reach 25 million this year. That’s a difference of 24 years.

Industry News

‘Wake up’: population exposes lazy planning

The Australian, Other, 17/07/18, Chip Le Grand

Infrastructure Australia chief Philip Davies says the nation’s population is growing in the ­absence of long-term planning and government control, warning the country needs to ‘wake ourselves up’ and decide what we want our future cities and life­styles to look like. As his agency embarks on a year-long audit of Australia’s infrastructure needs, Mr Davies conceded that a generation of civic planning had been dulled by years of uninterrupted economic growth.

Government must lead on vital immigration debate

The Australian, Other, 17/07/18

Australia’s population growth has outstripped expectations and policy planning. Two decades ago official projections by the UN predicted our population would reach a little more than 24.5 million by 2025. At that time the Australian Bureau of Statistics reckoned those numbers were on the high side as it was forecasting a 2025 population of 23 million.