No English, no visa – even if you’re married to an Aussie: Huge change brings in language test for loved ones who want to settle Down Under
Immigrants applying for a partner visa will be tested for ‘functional levels’ of English before they are granted permanent residency.
The government may require immigrants who do not speak English to have 500 hours of free class under the plan announced in Tuesday’s budget.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new requirement would promote social and economic inclusion.
‘It’s a much more basic level of English language competency and we think this is important to just enable people to engage to access government services,’ Mr Morrison said on Wednesday.
‘For example, to engage with those who are seeking to assist to access and get the best possible medical treatment, to understand what teachers are saying at school at parent-teacher conferences, and to understand their rights.’
Partner visa are processed in two stages. First an applicant gets a temporary visa for about two years after which they can apply for permanent residency.
The English language requirements will need to be fulfilled at the second stage when the partner wants to become a permanent resident.
‘What this will mean is that we will require an applicant and a sponsor to have met functional level English or to have at least made reasonable efforts to learn English,’ said Immigration Minister Alan Tudge.
‘And by reasonable efforts we mean for most people that would be doing about 500 hours of free English language classes.’
Mr Tudge said the English test will be much simpler than the one needed to be met for economic migration.
Earlier this year the government made English classes free for migrants.
The policy will kick in from the middle of next year. The requirements will apply to applicants and their partners who are permanent residents not citizens.
Mr Tudge said about one million partners who are in Australia cannot speak English.
‘In some cases, the husband will not want his partner or wife to learn English. And in part that’s for control reasons,’ he said.
The announcement has been slammed by the Opposition, who claim the new rule ignores Australia’s multicultural values.
Andrew Giles, a Labor MP and the party’s spokesman for Multicultural Affairs and Assisting for Immigration and Citizenship, said the government needs to understand the impact of the new measure.
‘It’s come about without any context … and it seems to reflect an understanding of Australian society that’s anchored in the past, that doesn’t recognise the multicultural nation we are today,’ he told SBS.
People can apply for partner visa from inside or outside of Australia.
It can set applicants back about $8,000.
Applicants are often allowed a bridging visa while their visas are processed.
Other visa changes announced on Tuesday include waiving or refunding application charge for temporary visa holders affected by the COVID-19.
There is also a push on the Family Stream Visa, with a temporary application increase from 47,700 to 77,000.
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Why an Australian company could be the world’s answer to ending the coronavirus pandemic after it won a $42million contract with the US – but our own government haven’t bought a SINGLE test
An Australian company is determined to bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic, creating tests that can give results back in just 15 minutes – but the government hasn’t bought a single unit.
Ellume, a Brisbane medical technology company received a $42million contract with the US government to roll out the testing kits, which are expected to be available in the country in the coming weeks.
The three COVID-19 tests can be used at home, by medical professionals and in areas with large crowds like airports and stadiums.
But while the tests are set to be available in America next month, the Australian government is yet to offer any interest, The Australian reported.
Ellume’s Chief executive and founder Sean Parsons said it was frustrating to receive no word about rolling out the tests locally.
‘We have been having discussions with the Queensland state government, which have largely fallen on deaf ears,’ Dr Parsons told newspaper.
‘I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t frustrating.
‘We have unique technology that has been hard fought over a decade and it is a little bit disappointing the Australian government hasn’t been interested and understood the value that could bring to COVID.’
The three tests under production by Ellume all involve devices that transmit patient samples digitally before the results appear on screen.
Ellume’s at home test requires patients to take their own sample from their nostril.
The test then uses an analyser that’s connected to their smartphone via Bluetooth which then digitally transmits the results onto the phone.
The second test allows for eight samples to be examined at the one time and will be a useful tool for laboratories.
The test is ran on Ellume’s ‘Access eHub’ which is a portable, digital device that can give results back in just 15 minutes, while in strong positive cases results can appear in just three minutes.
Experts believe faster testing would encourage more people to take part as they wouldn’t have to isolate for long while awaiting results.
The last test is designed for healthcare professionals and involves a handheld device that can be connected to a smartphone and can examine two samples simultaneously.
These kits are recommended for doctors and provide clear instructions on how to be used.
Dr Parsons is hopeful the tests could be used in conjunction with the coronavirus vaccine which is expected to be released at the start of next year at the earliest.
Ellume are aiming to have the tests ready by the end of November in the US.
America has been severely impacted by the global health crisis with more than 7.5 million coronavirus cases and 211,000 related deaths.
Currently, COVID-19 test results in Australia take up to 72 hours, as they need to be posted off to specialist labs.
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The grim reality of Townsville’s childhood trauma battle
This is almost all an Aboriginal problem so is essentially intractable
Aborigines are a powerful example of the destructive effects of unbridled welfare. They don't need to work for anything so they have all the normal energies and nothing to do with them. So they resort to drugs, mainly alcohol. And in the throes of intoxication they are often violent towards one-another, including towards women and children
What they need are jobs and very limited welfare but no government seems able to arrange that. Various State and federal governments of all political stripes have tried all sorts of things but nothing works
Anybody who thinks he has a solution to the Aboriginal "problem" is almost certainly a fool
The only thing that DID work was when they were supervised by the missionaries -- but that is unthinkable in these times. Aborigines are basically very spiritual people and the missionaries had plenty of that. When God is watching you it does tend to lead to better behaviour
Shocking figures have revealed hundreds of Townsville children, some as young as three, are growing up amid scenes of drug abuse, violence and sexual assault.
Child safety charity Act for Kids are working with 800 children and 350 families across the city, with their services in such high demand they were forced to move their national base here.
The scourge of ice on the community is leading to violence and heartache inside homes across the city, according to the charity, which says the complexities of the city’s youth crime problem can, in some cases, be traced back to horror home lives.
The need for therapy and support is so high, the charity has had to operate its services on a triage system, with Townsville seeing a significant waitlist for children and families.
The child safety heroes are dealing with cases of deep trauma that have led children to act out violently, adopt anti-social or sexualised behaviours, develop learning difficulties and in some cases, become “selective mutes’’.
The trauma sustained in their home environments can lead to young people spiralling out of control, unable to self-regulate their behaviour and without the proper guidance their ability to deal with stressful situations is all but muted.
Working closely with James Cook University, Act for Kids is developing clinically proven programs and medical research via its Townsville centre of excellence to come up with ways to help the young people living through the trauma.
Amid the ongoing political tensions around Townsville youth crime situation, Act for Kids, Executive Director Stephen Beckett said he wanted to shed a light on the complex and often heartbreaking situations kids in their care were responding to.
“A lot of people sometimes don’t understand that trauma that can have an impact on a child’s mind (and) a lot of these parents have their own childhood trauma and are kids themselves emotionally,” he said.
“The surge of ice in Townsville in particular brings a level of aggression into the house we’ve never seen before and it’s incredibly addictive and people will do almost anything to get their hands on it.
“The complexity of cases that we’re dealing with is through the roof.
“With more resources we can do more, Act For Kids has had to open to sexual assault clinics for children in Gladstone and Rockhampton to keep up with the demand.”
Medical research suggests the greater the severity and duration of childhood trauma the more severe the psychological and physical health consequences. People who have experienced complex childhood trauma often have multiple diagnoses.
Mr Beckett said neuroscience findings had proven that ongoing stress or trauma affects the structure and function of the developing brain. It also affects it chemically, releasing stress hormones over time which in turn created inflammation.
“A child who has six or more experiences of trauma will die 20 years earlier than people without,” he said.
“They are more likely to develop depression, more likely to get cancer.
“It often leads them to risky behaviour and criminal activity because they haven’t had that safe environment to learn how to self regulate emotions using both sides of the brain.”
Mr Beckett said the charity received referrals from the Child Protection and Youth Justice Departments, Queensland Police Service, health care providers, schools, domestic violence support services and self referrals where more than 50 staff members, including specialist trained trauma psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and social workers stepped in to provide “wrap around treatment”.
He said to achieve the best outcomes for the child, it was important to include the entire family in intensive treatment programs.
“What’s seen as scary behaviour and unacceptable to community standards is often a defence mechanism and it’s complex stuff,” he said.
“If we keep sending them back to a dysfunctional environment at home the outcome is not going to be good and so it’s really important to take a deep dive into the root of the issues, especially when intergenerational trauma is involved.”
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Humanities degrees set to double in price as federal Parliament passes higher education bill
Parliament has passed contentious laws that will dramatically increase the cost of some university degrees, while cutting the cost of others.
Under the changes, the cost of a social sciences degree will more than double, while nursing, mathematics and teaching degrees will become cheaper.
The laws also remove government support for students who fail too many courses.
The cost of degrees will change due to a major shake-up of how much the Commonwealth will pay for students’ degrees.
Education Minister Dan Tehan says the changes will give students cost incentives to study subjects that will prepare them for fields where jobs are needed.
“The … legislation will provide more university places for Australian students, make it cheaper to study in areas of expected job growth and provide more funding and support to regional students and universities,” he said earlier in the week.
The changes were passed in the Senate with the support of One Nation and Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff, whose crucial vote the Government secured earlier this week.
In securing his support, the Government made concessions to give South Australia more Commonwealth-supported places, and offer some protections to students who failed courses.
Opponents of the laws say the changes saddle university students with substantially higher debt if they pursue their preferred study paths.
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