Victoria's warm welcome for migrants

[barneybuck]

Great to see some vision and co operation between our governments to the overall benifit of the nation.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Opinio...227630485.html

The welcome sign goes up

State Politics
By David Broadbent
November 14, 2004


For almost two years now, the Bracks and Howard Governments have been quietly, and efficiently, engineering changes to our immigration program which both administrations see as crucial to the long-term health of the Australian economy.

It has been a program of co-operation that contradicts the apparent hostility between Canberra and Melbourne, and starkly illustrates the different attitudes of Victoria and New South Wales to immigration and population growth.

While NSW Premier Bob Carr wants to "close the door" on new immigrants, Steve Bracks and his ministers are convinced that carefully selected new arrivals will not only help solve our growing shortage of trade skills, but will bring new life and diversity to some struggling rural communities.

Sydney has problems with ethnic tensions not yet experienced in Melbourne, but ever since he was in opposition, Premier Steve Bracks has been convinced that population growth through immigration would drive the future Victorian economy.

It's a view shared by former immigration minister Phillip Ruddock (with whom Bracks brokered the plan) and his successor, Amanda Vanstone.

Eighteen months ago, just after Carr held up the "We're Full!" sign, Bracks persuaded Ruddock to set up a unique Canberra-Melbourne working party to consider how the Australian Government could support Victoria's ambition of increasing the population by 20 per cent by 2025.

It's an ambition wholeheartedly supported in country Victoria, where farmers, local governments and industry groups are acutely aware of the shortage of skilled labour, and of the long-term threat that poses to their communities.

Federal National Party MPs based in Victoria have for years been warning the Howard Government of the looming crisis, while relaying the story of how highly farmers regard their immigrant workers.

The problem is not limited to farmers, especially fruit growers, who have long been dependant on migrant labourers holding temporary protection visas. Rural industries ranging from abattoirs to small goods and confectionary manufacturers are not only short of skilled labour, they are also struggling to find their quota of middle managers.

These industries may be relocating to rural areas, or simply expanding, but that alone is not enough to counter the drift of young people from country towns to the cities.

Treasurer John Brumby's department calculates that if the trend is not reversed, mortality rates in some towns will outstrip the birth rate within 20 years. This is despite the fact that our overall population is growing so well that for the first time in 20 years, Victoria recently recorded a net gain greater than Queensland.
The final draft of the Commonwealth-Victoria working party is finished, its official endorsement by Vanstone delayed only by the recent federal election.

One key recommendation, already being trialled, is lowering entry tests for skilled migrants by granting them something called a "Skilled Independent Regional Visa" (SIRV). Under this scheme, eligible migrants will have to live in a specified country region for two years and hold a full-time job for 12 months, before being allowed to move to another part of the state.

The scheme was first posted on the State Government's official website on July 1 this year and Employment Minister Jacinta Allan's department has already received more than 16,000 inquiries.

So far, 191 applicants have been endorsed by the State Government, hardly a flood at this stage, but both governments are confident Victoria's strong international reputation will make the scheme work.

The most recent figures on international students should leave no doubt that tolerance and diversity are good for the economy.

Melbourne is now second only to London in the number of full-fee-paying foreign students it hosts. Last year their value to the Victorian economy was equal to $1.5 billion in exports.

David Broadbent is Channel Nine's state politics reporter.

[Jimmy James]

Any idea to boost populations outside capital cities should be welcomed (Mr Carr should realise he has several other cities in his state other than Sydney) but controlling people's movements is kind of draconian, they should be working on ways to make these areas more attractive. For a start get rid of Prime TV, at least seven had the sense to buy all the regional stations in queensland, but Prime TV in Victoria and NSW is driving more people out of country towns than you can imagine.

[barneybuck]

kk

[barneybuck]

More good news.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/com...5E2862,00.html

Doors open to migrants
John Masanauskas
01dec04

MIGRATION to Victoria is booming, with last year's intake of 28,000 almost double that of a decade ago. And the state is set for even more arrivals under a pilot scheme to re-settle refugees in country areas.

The Bracks Government is talking with the federal Immigration Department to accept refugees without family or community links in Australia.
They would live in areas such as Shepparton, which has a big migrant population and well-established multicultural services.

The Minister assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs, John Pandazopoulos, said yesterday the Government was trying to fill labour shortages in regional Victoria.

"Australia really needs migrants, particularly in regional areas, if we're to reach our economic potential," he said.


The Government has already been luring thousands of extra migrants annually under special state-based migration categories. In 2003-4, about 6400 people settled in Melbourne under a category that designated the city as a "regional area".

And hundreds of people have applied under the new skilled independent regional category, which provides a temporary visa to settle in country areas, with the chance for permanent residence later.

Victoria is also taking more humanitarian arrivals, including 400 people from the UNHCR Abu Rakham camp in Sudan.

Next Tuesday, a further group of 25 refugees from the camp are due to arrive in Melbourne.

The Government's measures helped boost the migrant intake to 28,000 in 2003-04, up 5000 on the previous year. This compares with less than 16,000 arrivals in 1993-94.

Bob Birrell, of Monash University's Centre for Population and Urban Research, said sending refugees to the regions would put pressure on country towns.

[barneybuck]

Sorry to post twice but I didnt have the link in place .

[fishcatdogbird]

^ Use the EDIT key

[/everywhen/]

do you have a space for a bolivian and his bolivian-chilean family that loves australia, and think melbourne is the best city in australia???

[JayT]

I never realised that International migration to Victoria was so small - always thought it was bigger than that.

Here are the 2002-3 figures from the abs = http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@....2568A9001393D5

Share of International Migration

New South Wales (40%)
Queensland (24%)
Victoria (18%)
Western Australia (14%)
South Australia (3%)
The Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Tasmania (less than 1% each)

Most International migrants to Queensland settle in either Brisbane or the Gold Coast - it is growing rapidly however. One report I read last year said that if international migration to Queensland continued to increase at the current rate it would become Australias number one destination for international migrants over Sydney.

jt

[Alexander21]

LOL at your 'facts'

Try this site:

http://www.immi.gov.au/statistics/stat_info/oad/totalmovs/totmov.htm

Settler Arrivals - 2002/2003

NSW - 38.79%
VIC - 24.06%
QLD - 17.23%
SA - 3.89%
WA - 13.07%
TAS - 0.86%
NT - 0.51%
ACT - 1.59%

[JayT]

Originally Posted by Alexander21

LOL at your 'facts'

Try this site:

http://www.immi.gov.au/statistics/stat_info/oad/totalmovs/totmov.htm

Settler Arrivals - 2002/2003

NSW - 38.79%
VIC - 24.06%
QLD - 17.23%
SA - 3.89%
WA - 13.07%
TAS - 0.86%
NT - 0.51%
ACT - 1.59%

Page cannot be displayed? Try the ABS - Looks like they confused Victoria with Queensland, Try the ABS site that I posted for the correct figures.

jt

[Alexander21]

Sorry... dont know what happened to the link..

Try this one...

International Settler Numbers

[uewepuep]

Have to copy and paste address.
http://www.immi.gov.au/statistics/st...ovs/totmov.htm


EDIT ahh i was too slow

[JayT]

Originally Posted by Alexander21

LOL at your 'facts'

I don't know why people continually laugh at my "facts" as I always provide a source for my information.

Anyway from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Source = http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@...A2568A9001393D5

New South Wales received the largest share of net overseas migration (40%), which exceeded the share of population of Australia living there (34%). Queensland had the second largest share of net overseas migration (24%), followed by Victoria (18%), Western Australia (14%) and South Australia (3%). The Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Tasmania (less than 1% each) had the smallest shares.

jt

[Alexander21]

I apologise... didnt see the link.

Obviously as you mentioned above the ABS must have confused Vic with Qld.

[Wezza]

^ Oh please...............

[mic]

I just rang the ABS and sure enough they did mix up Victoria and Queensland. Along with that those stats are old and they said to expect and increase in the percentage of migrants arriving in both Victoria and SA and a decrease in that of NSW. She said to expect somewhere around 27% for the next round of ABS stats for Victoria.

[Lightning~Bolt]

does anyone know where the migrants come from? from what country do they originate?

[barneybuck]

Originally Posted by mic

I just rang the ABS and sure enough they did mix up Victoria and Queensland. Along with that those stats are old and they said to expect and increase in the percentage of migrants arriving in both Victoria and SA and a decrease in that of NSW. She said to expect somewhere around 27% for the next round of ABS stats for Victoria.

Heres the latest figures from the ABS releaesd today.
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs%4...0?OpenDocument



JUNE KEY FIGURES

Population at end Jun qtr 2004 Change over previous year Change over previous year
PRELIMINARY DATA '000 '000 %

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New South Wales(a) 6,731.3 49.2 0.7
Victoria 4,972.8 61.4 1.2
Queensland 3,882.0 81.0 2.1
South Australia 1,534.3 7.9 0.5
Western Australia 1,982.2 32.3 1.7
Tasmania 482.1 4.8 1.0
Northern Territory 199.9 1.4 0.7
Australian Capital Territory 324.0 0.7 0.2
Australia(b) 20,111.3 238.7 1.2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(

[jacobsian]

What was with the net migration stats for Tasmania? Did they try and cut another forest down?