Malcolm Fraser, former prime minister of Australia and Dr Barry Jones, a former minister for science in the Hawke government have launched a scathing attack on the The Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation Amendment (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Bill saying that “it would effectively enshrine in law the mistreatment of asylum seekers and refugees who flee to our country to escape persecution, torture and death.”

The legislation is the perverse creation of a Government prepared to tear up the rule of law for its own political ends, say the authors.

"It bestows an unprecedented level of power on the immigration minister to make life and death decisions about individual refugee cases. It creates a regime where the chance of sending people back to a situation of grave danger, or even death, is a real possibility” say the authors in an article in The Age, today.

Some the major concerns raised over the Bill include the following:

• It denies permanent protection to those found to be refugees, simply because of their mode of arrival to this country. 
• Babies born on Australian soil to parents who arrived by boat will be denied protection, rendered stateless and detained offshore until being "resettled" in squalor and risk of attack on Nauru.
• Under the Bill if it's considered that a refugee can simply "modify their behaviour" to avoid persecution or harm at home, then they'll be sent back.
• Refugees cases may be knocked back because they have false or no travel documents.
• People receiving a negative decision through the fast-track process will be at the mercy of the minister to decide if their case is deserving of review.
• In its determination to send people back at all costs, the government also wants to remove consideration of whether someone is at risk of torture when seeking to return them home.
• As well as circumventing Australian law, the bill also seeks to put the government above international maritime law, so it can send people on boats back to the country they're fleeing from, without any court oversight.
• The reintroduction of temporary protection visas (TPVs) means that refugees have to prove and re-prove they are refugees.

The authors state that the Bill feeds fear to the electorate, which the opposition feels obliged to support, in a context of a beat-up of Olympian proportions. The numbers of refugees heading for Australia are trivial compared to those travelling to many European countries. They don't overreact. We do.

“There are moments in history which are turning points. Now is such a time. Australia can stand up and protect the rule of law or become an international pariah, living isolated at the end of the world, forever in fear of others.”

Malcolm Fraser, is a former prime minister of Australia 1975-1983. Dr Barry Jones, is a former minister for science in the Hawke government 1983-1990.

Investment into Australia via the significant investor visa program (SIV) has hit $2.18 billion dollars with investors now showing a clear preference for Victoria and the real estate market, according to report in the Herald Sun.

Victoria is the place to be as far as the wealthy Chinese investors are concerned. The state has seen the greatest influx of wealthy Chinese investors looking to fast-track residential visas by spending more than $2.1 billion on property investment, business and shares in the past two years, says the report.

“At least 436 high-wealth Chinese, and a sprinkling of Hong Kong, South African, Japanese and Malay individuals promising to invest at least $5 million each in the Australian economy have secured residential visas under the new Significant Investment Visa program.”

More than half — 221 — now call Victoria home and the State Government has issued invitations to another 825 rich individuals to invest here.

Wealthy foreigners looking to move to Australia immediately, and be eligible for permanent visas after four years, can invest in real estate managed funds, bonds or Aust­ralian companies.

It's not a cage fight or even mixed martial arts.  It's the gentle art of warfare by paper.  

Legal Training Australia (LTA) is arguing a matter before Judge Cameron today at 2:15pm.  The location will be Level 8, Court 8.3, 80 William Street, Sydney.

The issue that LTA seeks to ventilate is the form and structure of the CPD scheme and the policy that OMARA applies to applications by approved CPD providers.

Education provider Navitas claims a rising number of foreigners are pretending to be students to get visas according to a report by the Australian Asscociated Press.

Last month DIBP warned in its blog site that it takes any breach of student visa conditions seriously and threatened visas may be subject to cancellation in the event of a breach pointing out that the breach of work rights limits were of a particular concern. Now, the chief executive of Navitas, Rod Jones says there is "higher than acceptable levels" of fraudulent applications coming from "a number of higher risk source countries" for courses run by Navitas.

Consequently, Navitas, which operates university programs, English language training and creative media courses, throughout Australia has tightened its recruitment requirements to ensure it signs up only genuine students, he told the company's annual general meeting in Perth.

"This may result in a temporary slowing of our growth rate in Australia," Mr Jones warned.

But proposed higher education reforms, including the deregulation of fees and increased government support to private providers, likely would have a positive effect for Navitas, if they pass the Senate, he said.