Tamil family's appeal to remain in Australia dismissed in federal court

The point about these people is that they are illegal immigrants who came to Australia as boat people.  The only way that could be converted to permanent residence is if they are refugees.  But they have no need of refuge.  Both Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu in India would now be safe for them. I personally think that Tamils are in general fine people but the propensity of some of them for extreme political violence (The Tamil Tigers) does make them a risk

A judge in Melbourne has dismissed an appeal from a family of Tamil asylum seekers to stay in Australia.

It concludes a nine-and-a-half-month campaign to stop their deportation to Sri Lanka led by the central Queensland town of Biloela, where the family had been living prior to their detention.

Tamil couple Priya and Nades and their Australian-born daughters, Kopika and Tharunicaa, were taken from their home by Australian Border Force officers in March during a dawn raid, because Priya’s bridging visa had expired.

In June, the family lost their federal court case against deportation, prompting their lawyers to lodge an appeal. Meanwhile, more than 141,000 people signed a Change.org petition urging the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, to intervene.

But in his judgment handed down at noon on Friday at the administrative appeals tribunal, Justice John Middleton said he had dismissed the appeal. But he ordered the department be restrained from deporting the family until 4pm on 1 February, “having regard to the time of year”.

Biloela resident and family friend Angela Fredericks said Kopika and Tharunicaa were “Australian born and bred” and should be flying home to Biloela for Christmas.

“Mr Dutton had the power to end this family’s ordeal on day one and he still has that power now,” Fredericks said.

“Please, Mr Dutton: listen to the 140,000 Australians that are standing with these two little Queenslanders and their loving mum and dad. Bring them home to Biloela.”

Before their detention the family had been living in Biloela for four years and are well-regarded by their community. Priya and Nades came to Australia at different times by boat after Sri Lanka’s civil war. Priya met Nades in Australia in 2013 and they later married.

Priya has told advocates she had been in contact with the department of immigration prior to her bridging visa expiring to inquire about having it renewed. She said she had been told she would be issued with a new visa.

Previous appeals against the family’s deportation through the refugee tribunal and lower courts had also failed.

An advocate for the family who was present at the court, Bruce Coath, said the family’s legal team would now have to determine if they had exhausted all of their legal avenues.

“We’re really disappointed at the failure of the appeal,” he said. “While it does give us a little bit of peace of mind over Christmas that no action will be taken for their removal, they’ll be devastated I think.

“What they’re hoping for is to be able to live back in Biloela and resume their life there in the community. That seems a long, long way off at the moment.”

He said the health of the girls, now aged one and three, had begun to deteriorate in detention, and that they were suffering from vitamin deficiencies.

Aran Mylvaganam, a spokesman for the Tamil Refugee Council, has been lobbying for the family to stay in Australia since they were detained. He said he did not understand why the family could not be placed in community detention rather than held in the Melbourne immigration transit accommodation centre in Broadmeadows.

“These two girls are going to spend their Christmas in detention,” he said.

“I speak to the family quite regularly and the father is quite worried in particular about his oldest daughter, who is showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and she is isolated, lonely and missing her friends.”

Mylvaganam said a high court challenge was not out of the question.

SOURCE 







Could the NBN be SCRAPPED? Growing calls to ditch the embattled network because the technology is 'outdated' after string of delays - and it would cost BILLIONS to 'catch up'

I hope it is scrapped before it gets to me.  There have been many reports of it delivering worse service at a higher cost than our existing cable networks.  It was prophesied from the outset that it would be obsolete before it was complete but the Rudd Labor government went ahead anyway

Calls are growing to ditch the 'failed' National Broadband Network amid claims the technology is outdated and could require billions of dollars to update.

NBN Co. recently admitted that 1.2 million households are still waiting for an updated, faster network connection and many are stuck in limbo.

The NBN project is two years behind its completion date and is reportedly an eye-watering $900 million over budget.

Broadband experts on Friday called on the Federal Government to ditch the technology in favour of faster equipment, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Former NBN Co chief technology officer Gary McLaren told the paper: 'The message coming from NBN Co and the Government is that the job is being done and it's being finished but the reality is that there's still a lot of work to do and Australia is still a long way behind the rest of the world. 'Billions and billions of dollars would be needed to catch up.'

Mr McLaren also expressed concerns the project would not be internationally competitive when it was completed, which was the original goal.

The expert doubted that it would be able to provide Australians with a future-proof network. 

SOURCE 





Coal is Australia’s most valuable export in 2018

Coal will replace iron ore as Australia’s most valuable export this financial year as supply concerns lead to a steep price rise for the core commodity.

The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science’s latest Resources and Energy Quarterly report said thermal and coking coal export values would reach $67 billion in total in 2018-19, slightly higher than iron ore's $61 billion in value.

Coal leapt over iron ore as supply concerns ratcheted up the price. It is the first time coal has overtaken iron ore in value since the mining boom five years ago.

Australia is also expected to overtake Qatar as the world’s largest LNG exporter in 2019, buoyed by increasing export values, which grew from $31 billion in 2017-18 to $50 billion this financial year.

The Department was more optimistic in its forecasts than its reports released earlier this year, broadly lifting earnings expectations across most commodities for 2018-19.

It increased total export earnings by about $12.1 billion compared to the previous quarter’s forecasts and tipped earnings to reach a record high of more than $264 billion in 2018-19.

“The weaker Australian dollar, high coal prices and rapid growth in LNG exports are driving the strong figures,” it said. The weak exchange rate added about $7.4 billion to export values, “while higher-than-expected coking coal and iron ore prices account for the rest of the gain", the report said.

Coal's rise comes despite growing public opinion against the mineral, particularly for thermal coal which is used in power generation. There has been less opposition to coking coal as it is used to make steel.

Indian miner Adani has faced a massive backlash from the public and the Queensland state government as it attempts to develop the Carmichael thermal coal mega-mine in Queensland, while many Australian banks are now refusing to provide loans to develop new thermal coal mines in Australia.

Despite achieving a record year, lower demand from China would see earnings fall in 2019-2020 to $241 billion, although this would still be the second highest year on record.

Chief economist Mark Cully warned the ongoing trade war ignited by US President Donald Trump against China posed a threat to export growth. “The world is nine years into the post-GFC recovery, and the peak of the current cycle has clearly passed,” Mr Cully said. “Trade tensions between the US and China are magnifying economic risks. “The key risk to the commodity outlook thus lies in the ‘double whammy’: the potential dual impact of growing trade tensions and a slowdown in economic activity.”

Mr Cully said the rate of decline depends if China could maintain a steady rate of growth.

Coal and iron ore’s growth is forecast to come to an end in 2019-20, although LNG will remain relatively flat.

Coking coal values will drop about $10 billion, falling from a record high of $41 billion this year down to $30 billion next year. Supply disruptions had pushed the price up to $US220 a tonne in the last quarter of the year, well above the 2018 average price of $US207 a tonne. This average price is forecast to fall sharply next year to $US145 a tonne.

Thermal coal will see a less dramatic fall, slipping about $5 billion from $26 billion down to $20 billion in value. Declining Chinese demand will see the price fall from around $US105 a tonne in 2018 down to $US74 a tonne in 2019.

Iron ore prices are expected to slide from $US57 a tonne this year down to $US53 next year before stabilising at about $US51 a tonne in 2020. This is due to declining Chinese demand coupled with an oversupplied market. This will drive down export earnings from $61 billion this year down to $57 billion next year.

LNG will stay flat, dropping from $50 billion down to $49 billion in value. The decline will be driven by falling prices, despite export levels rising from 62 million tonnes in 2017-18 to 78 million tonnes in 2019-20.

SOURCE 






What's the deal with e-scooters in Australia and where are you allowed to ride them?



Take a walk around Brisbane city and you'll probably see a few people whizzing about on bright green, electric scooters.

They're part of a new scooter-sharing scheme — similar to bike-sharing — which has been brought to Australia by the Californian tech start-up, Lime.

But nailing down new laws for the "innovative devices" which are considered motor vehicles in some states is proving difficult.

In December, Queensland introduced new rules for "rideables" which clarify where you can ride e-scooters and how fast you can go.

But the National Transport Commission is still investigating how they can be safely used in Australia, and doesn't plan to release its discussion paper until March next year.

"The current regulatory framework does not provide for the use of new and innovative personal-use devices that are readily available for sale today," it says.

So let's take a look at the new rules that have been drawn up in Queensland, and what's happening in some other states.

Who can ride them?
In Queensland, you don't need a driver's licence to ride an e-scooter, but you do need to be at least 16 years old.

Children between the ages of 12 and 16 can also ride them, but only if they're accompanied by an adult.

How fast are you allowed to go?

According to the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, you can ride up to 25 kilometres per hour on an e-scooter, but you must be able to stop quickly to avoid a collision.

Lime scooters, as an example, are designed to travel up to 23kph.

Do you have to wear a helmet?

Yep. Just like when riding a bike, you will need to wear an approved helmet.

In Brisbane you can find some scooters with a helmet hanging on their handlebars. But other times you may have to bring your own.

Rideables in Queensland must also be fitted with working lights and reflectors if you're using them at night.

Where can you ride them?

In Queensland, e-scooters can only be ridden on paths.

You cannot ride them on the road, even in on-road bike lanes, unless you're crossing at a set of lights or avoiding an obstruction on the footpath.

On separated paths — where there is a lane for bicycles and a lane for pedestrians —you'll need to stick to the bicycle side.

What about alcohol and mobile phones? These are big no-noes. The rules in Queensland state you cannot use a mobile phone while on an e-scooter, or drink and ride. If you get caught doing either, you'll be slapped with a minimum $130 fine.

Where do you park them?

This has been an issue in some cities overseas, with scooters ending up in rivers and oceans.

The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads says only that they must be parked in a "safe and responsible" way.

"Hire companies may have additional conditions of use in addition to these rules," it says.

What's the deal in other states?

In New South Wales, powered foot scooters are currently not permitted in public areas and can only be used on private land.

However, a spokesperson for Transport for NSW said a trial of e-scooters was "being explored".

In Victoria, Lime has conducted a few small trials, including one at Monash University.

But the state's road rules state that any motorised scooter that can go faster than 10kph is classed as a motor vehicle.

That means it needs to be registered, or used only on private property.

SOURCE 

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