Daily fresh information, all for you! Happy viewing of ABC Chinese Morning Post from Monday to Friday! Today is Tuesday, July 26th.
Today’s news feed:
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Federal immigration minister says he’s exploring all possible ways to deal with backlogs of various types of overseas visas
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Australia tightens biosecurity measures to prevent foot-and-mouth disease
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Migrants complain of inexplicable debt over communication difficulties with Centrelink
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Court rules Chinese company MMG’s approval for tailings dam project in Tasmania is invalid
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Top U.S. generals say China is getting more aggressive and dangerous
Let’s take a look at the latest epidemic figures:
- NSW: 14,067 new local cases, 30 deaths, 2344 hospitalizations, 66 ICU cases
- Victoria: 12,339 new local cases, 40 deaths, 869 hospitalizations, 39 ICU cases
Immigration Minister: No effort is being spared to deal with visa application backlog
In an updated statement released on Monday, Australia’s federal immigration minister said key overseas visa applications, including temporary skilled migrants, student and visitor visas, were being prioritized.
The aim is to enable more people to travel to Australia, contribute to economic growth and help address labour shortages, the statement read.
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister Andrew Giles has tasked the department with tackling the backlog of applications as quickly as possible. Minister Giles is evaluating all possible ways to address the backlog.
On Wednesday, Home Affairs Minister O’Neill told the ABC the government would prioritise processing 60,000 skilled migrant permanent visa applications and reverse prioritisation of previous visas in order to address the post-pandemic workforce shortage.
O’Neill said that many people who were granted visas to work in Australia were actually already onshore, and continuing to prioritize onshore applications would not help solve the skills crisis in the job market, so the government decided to prioritise those overseas who wanted to work here and process them as soon as possible. its application.
The latest statement shows that nearly 140 new staff have taken on visa processing duties since May this year, and officials previously focused on travel exemptions have also been placed in visa processing. In addition, the department also used overtime from the Australian Border Force to deal with the backlog of visas.
The statement said that while the visa backlog was being processed, a large number of new visa applications were being made.
“The number of applications received in June 2022 was 6.5 per cent higher than in May 2022. During the same period, there was a 10.6 per cent increase in finalised visa applications,” Minister Giles said.
Since the beginning of June 2022, 745,000 visa applications have been processed, including more than 645,000 overseas visa applications. This includes 388,000 visitor visas, 62,000 student visas and 9,550 temporary skilled visas.
However, the statement also stressed that while visa processing will be a major priority for this government, reducing the backlog of applications cannot be done overnight.
Tighten foot-and-mouth disease prevention measures, Australia scans parcels from China and Indonesia one by one
faceFoot-and-mouth disease spread threat,AustraliaAll packages sent from Indonesia and China will be scanned。
Foot-and-mouth disease was discovered in Indonesia in May this yearIt spread to Bali, a popular tourist destination for Australians earlier this month.Therefore, there is concern that the foot-and-mouth disease virus willClothing and footwear for travellers entering Australia via Baliinto Australia.
Foot-and-mouth disease can infect pigs, cattle, goats and sheepif the foot and mouth disease outbreak, Australia’s livestock industry will suffer a devastating blow.
worldwideFoot-and-mouth disease found in dozens of countriesbut Australia has not had the disease in more than a century.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Wattexpress,Transmission of livestock diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever through illegally imported meat or animal products by freight and mailThe risk is higher than the risk posed by inbound passengers.
Except for X-ray scans, AustraliaAlso uses sniffer dogs to inspect packages from China and Indonesia。
In addition, all international airports in Australia will use the newly introduced oneCitric Acid Sanitizing Foot Padsbiosecurity inspectors can force passengers to step on such foot pads for disinfection.
Migrants complain of difficulties communicating with Centrelink, inexplicably owe tens of thousands of dollars
Difficulty communicating with social security agency Centrelink is a big problem for some immigrants to Australia, which feels like the wording used by Centrelink is like an “alien language”. And mistakes made due to communication difficulties could leave them owed money to Centrelink without their knowledge.
Andrea Peel, an immigrant from South Africa, did not know that she had to refund tens of thousands of Australian dollars to Centrelink because of communication problems with Centrelink. She had no idea what money she owed and why. To return the money.
Senior solicitor Daniel Turner, of the Welfare Rights Centre, a community legal body in Sydney, said:Centrelink does not consider the cultural and linguistic needs of users when communicating with the public.In addition, some people are dissatisfied with Centrelink’s decision, ready toCan be stressful and confused when making an appeal because they have not lived in Australia or were born overseas and fear the government。
Services Australia, which is responsible for Centrelink, said:The agency provides multilingual telephone servicewith a community-based multicultural service staff and a workforce of interpreters who can serve in more than 200 languages and dialects.
The Department of Home Affairs also said that if someone is confused about the content of a letter they receive from Centrelink, or has questions about a grant or service,Contact Centrelink directly as soon as possible。
Federal court rules Chinese company MMG’s approval for Tasmanian tailings dam project invalid
Recently, the Federal Court ruledMorrison government’s approval for MMG’s Tasmanian tailings dam project invalid。
MMG, which is owned by China Minmetals, received government approval under Morrison to prepare for theTarkine Rainforest in North West TasmaniaConstruction of a controversial heavy metal tailings dam.
However, the construction plan has been resisted by environmentalists for several years.Conservationists believe the area has significant environmental heritage value and should be protected。
In 2020,Environmental group Bob Brown Foundation(Bob Brown Foundation) took MMG to court.
According to the Bob Brown Foundation,former environment minister susan ray(Sussan Ley) without theEnvironmental Protection and Biodiversity Protection ActAuthorisation allows MMG to build tailings dams in Tasmania.
Judge Mark Moshinsky said,That forest is home to the rare Tasmanian masked owland Ms. Susan Ray’s decision through a proxywithout due regard to the status of that region,Threats to rare animal habitats are not considered。
The Bob Brown Foundation says those who have been protesting the MMG tailings dam project in the Tacna area are “heroes” and should be compensated.
MMG said it would not comment on the verdict until it received a court order.
Top U.S. generals say China is getting more aggressive and dangerous
Recently, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of StaffMark Milley is visiting Indonesiawhen said,The Chinese military has clearly become more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years。
He pointed out that Chinese fighter jets and ships are in the PacificSignificantly increased number of interceptions of U.S. and other allied forces, number of unsafe interactionsalso greatly increased.
At present, China is trying to expand its presence and influence in the Pacific region, and the United States is trying to strengthen relations with Pacific countries to check and balance China.
When meeting with Andika Perkasa, commander-in-chief of the Indonesian Defense Forces, General Milley saidCountries like Indonesia want U.S. military involvement and involvement in the region。
He also said that Indonesia is strategically important to the region and has long been an important partner of the United States.
General Milley’s trip to Indonesia wasThe chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff visits the country for the first time since 2008。
quick news
- The number of new crown hospital admissions in Australia is a record high. Initial indications are thatAustralia’s third wave of outbreaks peaks in single-day new cases. The Australian Medical Association has called on state governments to reconsider mask orders.
- The Victorian government willBanning access to new condominiums from private electricity networks serving multiple householdsor cause residents of new apartment buildings to overpay for electricity.
- Under new legislation to be presented to the Federal Parliament this week,More than 11 million workers will have access to 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave.
- US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits TaiwanImmediately, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that it is “ready to fight”, “If the United States insists on going its own way, China will take firm and powerful measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.All serious consequences arising therefrom shall be the responsibility of the US side”。
- ChinaThe “Ask the Sky” experimental module was launched on Sundayand docked with the Tiangong space station.
- There is a new wave of epidemic in Shenzhen,Hundreds of companies including Foxconn were required to implement a closed loop.
- Statistics show that,More than 20% of Chinese temples have been commercializedusing the means of selling tickets, method meetings, enshrining tablets, selling consecrated ritual objects, and donating “merit gold” to make profits.
Wedding in the museum, dinosaur fossils witness love
On the big day, many couples will hold a wedding ceremony at the beach, hotel or other occasions to entertain relatives and friends.However, have you ever thought aboutMarried before fossils that are more than 200 million years oldWoolen cloth?
Recently, Queensland’s Rupert Say (Rupert Say) and Christina Chiotakis (Christina Chiotakis) in the Queensland Museum (Queensland Museum)Huge dinosaur skeleton and ancient fossils are bound together。
The couple, both tour guides at the Queensland Museum, first met inside the museum seven years ago. Although it was not love at first sight, the fire of love slowly burned, making the two a couple.
The bride Christina is a paleontologist. In addition to being a tour guide, she also spends a lot of time on paleontological fossil research. For her, a wedding in a museum full of fossils and dinosaur bones couldn’t have been better.
The museum-loving couple are deeply attached to the place, as a major life-changing event took place under the Queensland Museum’s roof.
Rupert has a deep affection for the Queensland Museum, in addition to reaping love here, he also has a passion for tour guide work. He said that when kids see dinosaurs and other cool things, it’s a great feeling to be able to share that experience with them, whether it’s the first time or the 100th time.
Out of their love for dinosaurs, they decided to hold their wedding in a place where they had worked for many years, and let those billion-year-old paleontological fossils and huge dinosaur skeletons serve as witnesses of their love.
That’s all for today’s morning paper, I wish you a happy day!
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