Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance has today been informed that the web link is now live:

http://www.immi.gov.au/pub-res/Pages/reviews-and-inquiries/independent-review-omara.aspx

Interestingly we have 27 days to make submissions, which is a short period of time.  The due date is the 27 July 2014.

So it's a Friday night and I am kicking back with a glass of red after a great week with Migration Alliance.

Just watched this clip (below) and so much of it strikes a chord with me.

The video starts with a news item which asks the viewer "End of the World?"  and then follows with print media doing a piece on zombies.  In the mean time, the background is full of digital media screens.  The entire clip is a mix between Roy Lichtenstein style art pieces and street art of the modern era.   Lichtenstein was famous for his works on parody and 'tongue in cheek' humour which makes this an excellent choice for the message in this video.

Agents are reporting in this afternoon that DIBP's compliance section will no longer accept bridging visa applications by fax (only the form 956).

A cut and paste from an email today confirms this information:

UNCLASSIFIED

In Australia, Medicare covers most Australian residents for their health care. However, Medicare does not cover everything which is why over 50% of Australians rely on private health care.Without health insurance you may not be able to afford expensive medical services when you need them, which may cause additional stress and worry about covering the cost of your treatment when you are sick.

Most private hospital cover allows you to be treated as a private patient in a public or private hospital. This means that you may be able to choose the doctor and hospital you are treated in. Depending on the availability of your doctor, this could be at a time that suits you rather than staying on waiting lists for long periods to be treated in the public system. Certain levels of extras cover can also provide cover for services not covered by Medicare such as general dental, optical, physiotherapy and chiropractic services. Many people rely on private health insurance to access services they may otherwise be unable to afford.

With private hospital cover there is also the possibility to save on tax (Medicare Levy Surcharge). The Medicare Levy goes towards funding Australia’s public health system. The Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) is an additional levy on top of the Medicare Levy that is payable by Australian taxpayers who do not have an appropriate level of private patient hospital cover and earn above an income threshold. For more information on how MLS works and how it may impact you, visit ato.gov.au or speak to your tax adviser.

NSW Trade and Investment (government) has their nose out of joint because of my blog "Kevin Lane is a dibber dobber" and the white-anting of Migration Alliance by Kevin Lane.

I spoke to Lindsey Cox from NSW Trade and Investment this morning at 10am who was "very annoyed" that I had exposed the fact of Kevin Lane having complained to Treasury.

Apparently the email where Kevin Lane complains to NSW Trade and Investment about content on the MA website was sent to MA accidently by NSW Trade and Investment.  Whilst I can understand NSW Trade and Investment being embarrassed, I thought the failure to disclose the complaint from Kevin Lane in a meeting with MA this week on Tuesday was hardly indicative of an 'open and frank relationship'.