Who are our best and worst political performers for the year? The award goes to …
Chris evans
Sneaky new laws that terminate student visas
A new bill is before parliament that gives the Immigration Minister the power to deny long term international students their applications for permanent residency. Peter Mares reports.
The refugee who’s waited a decade
Mrs Bao, a sickly 56 year old Chinese woman, is Australia’s longest serving immigration detainee, despite criticism by the UN. Geoffrey Barker reports on how she got entangled in the tricky diplomatic relations of Australia and China.
Mungo MacCallum: Mungo: Rudd slowly shedding Dr Jekyll image in favour of Hyde
We are still getting glimpses of the old Kevin ‘07, the avuncular figure who won the nation’s trust a mere three years ago. But it is a safe bet that in the weeks ahead we will see rather less of Mr Nice Guy.
Tamils vote for independence — and will vote against Labor
Australian’s Tamil community want an independent homeland in Sri Lanka. And they want respect from a federal government here that is now denying visa applications to their people.
Kohler: The bulldozer crushing of our education industry
The new changes to the skilled migration program are crushing one of Australia’s biggest export industries: education. It wasn’t all shonky colleges, writes Alan Kohler, international students spent a whopping A$13.7b in 2007-08.
Evans’ silent signal on
immigration
Chris Evans’ skilled migration changes are intended to send the message that the Governments will decide which skilled migrants come to this country, and the circumstances in which they come.
Tough new restrictions on visits to detention centres
Serco — the company behind troubled UK immigration detention centres and prisons and now the contractor in Australia — has introduced a tough new regime to inhibit visitors to Australian detention centres, writes Trish and John Highfield.
Shanahan: Coalition misses the boat
Kevin Rudd has his hands on the wheel of the boat people issue and he’s aptly steering it to his political power, writes Dennis Shanahan. Will immigration become the new economic management upper hand of Labor?
Sheehan: The 10 commandments of the refugee lobby
The issue of asylum seekers is one of principle, not one of race or poverty. “Non-citizens are not entitled to self-select as residents before their bona fides have been established”, writes Paul Sheehan.
Evans to announce immigration overhaul
Immigration policy is to be overhauled, with Immigration Minister Chris Evans calling for sophisticated public debate on immigration and for the public to stop focusing on the hysteria of immigrants as potential terrorists.
Australia and India: an uneasy relationship
Australia’s relationship with India has been difficult long before the racist attacks started against Indian students. But, do we now need them more than they need us?
Positive reform for asylum seekers
“Migration reform” is often the wording used for changes in the Immigration portfolio, not always positive. But, writes Kerry Murphy, four changes made by Minister Evans are good news for asylum seekers.
Protectionism is fine when it comes to people
The idea that immigration adversely affects employment is the “big lie” of Australian politics, writes Charles Richardson.
Faris: Boat people put Rudd to the test
This is Australia’s version of the US Green card lottery, writes Peter Faris.
Inside the Christmas Island detention centre
Pamela Curr, campaign coordinator for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, took Crikey on a tour of the new Christmas Island detention facility, here are her impressions and photos, writes Sophie Black.
Saving Signaller McCarthy: have helicopter, won’t travel
Despite the presence of a helicopter at Tarin Kowt, sources have said transport was dispatched from Kandahar an hour to the south, writes Bernard Keane.
Crikey Says: Crikey says
The latte set can clink its heritage Nation Review Leunig mugs in clear and suddenly ebullient conscience today
Education, economics at forefront of Rudd ministry
Education, employment and economics are at the forefront of the Ministry just announced by Kevin Rudd in Canberra, writes Christian Kerr.
Don’t forget 39 Labor MPs didn’t want Kevin Rudd
Slicing through Labor’s post-election euphoria is the stark fact that 39 of Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd’s parliamentary colleagues voted against him for the leadership less than 12 months ago, writes Alex Mitchell.
Heavy loads for the gravy trains
With the campaign proper well under way the Coalition and Labor Gravy trains are really getting up a head of steam, writes Richard Farmer.
Don’t I know you from TV? Name the shadow ministry…
If the polls are right, a change of government is upon us. But how many members of Kevin Rudd’s frontbench team can you recognise?
The Rudd cabinet: an unnatural union
Where do people get the idea that a Rudd Government might be well-disposed to the views of the trade union movement? This list is from a document now doing the rounds of teh interwebs:
When was Coonan’s election, ahem, broadband plan rolled out?
A quick flick through last week’s Hansard reveals that the Government’s use of the broadband issue to shore up marginal seat holders runs deeper even than first thought, writes Nick Evans at Larvatus Prodeo.
