Southern Cross Group Newsletter
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Occasional Newsletter
No. 4 of 2008 15 May 2008
In this issue
JSCEM Inquiry into the 2007 Federal Election
Federal Budget 2008-2009
Citizenship Application Forms Have Changed
Support Arrangements for War Brides and their Families
New Social Security Agreements
By-Election in the Federal Seat of Gippsland
Time to Check Your Electoral Status ?
Federal Parliament
Current Government Reviews
Government to Implement Industry Report on Skilled Migration
Developments on Free Trade Agreements (FTA)
Government to Introduce Legislation to Remove Same Sex Discrimination
Taxation
From the Editor
Only a few days remain for submissions to the JSCEM's parliamentary inquiry into the 2007 federal election. If you haven't put finger to keyboard yet, we strongly urge you to do so by Friday 16 May. It's crucial to tell Canberra your experiences as an overseas voter, or, if you are presently disenfranchised under Australian electoral law while living abroad, to make your views known to those who have it within their power to change the law. See further our special article below.
It's also time to farewell and say thank you to our SCG volunteer war brides coordinator, Ken Lankard, who, as a proud new Australian citizen, is about to move to Queensland from Los Angeles.
And some Australian citizenship application forms have just changed (again). Make sure you use the most up-to-date form when you make your citizenship application.
We hope you find all the articles in this newsletter of interest and look forward to receiving your feedback.
Regards
John (Sid) MacGregor
Editor
Canberra and Brussels
editor@southern-cross-group.org
____________________________________________________________________________
Sponsorship Opportunities
Would your business like to sponsor future editions of this newsletter? Sponsorship money is essential to enable the SCG to keep serving the Australian Diaspora. The SCG is entirely volunteer-run and has no paid staff. Sponsorship and donations help offset overheads such as web-hosting fees, postage, stationery, and other sundry outlays. Contact us for further information at info@southern-cross-group.org
______________________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT: JSCEM Inquiry into the 2007 Federal Election
Have your say now!
A reminder that the Australian federal parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM) is presently conducting an inquiry into the 2007 federal election. This is your chance to tell Canberra your experiences with the Australian electoral system as an expat Australian. We encourage all expats to have their say. In particular, those who are disenfranchised because they can no longer enrol are strongly encouraged to speak up.
Submissions do not need to be long or particularly formal and can be in the form of a simple email to jscem@aph.gov.au. Don't feel shy - the main thing is to get your views across.
You can also make an email submission directly from the SCG's website where we set out some ideas for your submission.
The closing date for submissions is this Friday 16 May 2008. However, if you need a few more days, e-mail the JSCEM, ask nicely, and you may be lucky enough to be granted an extension.
See also our media release of 30 April 2008.
To solve the large-scale disenfranchisement issue presently faced by the Australian diaspora, we need amendments to electoral law. Recommendations by the JSCEM as a result of past inquiries into elections have very often resulted in legislative change. It takes time, but it does happen. This inquiry is your chance to put your story in front of the JSCEM. We are hopeful that the new Rudd government will give this matter serious consideration. The SCG will be making a submission as an organisation, but your individual submission is also very important.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Federal Budget 2008-2009
Treasurer Wayne Swan brought down the 2008-2009 federal budget on Tuesday, 13 May 2008.
While there are a number of significant changes affecting those living in Australia which may also apply to some expats, there is little of direct impact on overseas Australians other than slight increases in the cost of passports and Australian visas.
An overview of the budget may be gained from the Treasurer's speech as recorded in the HoR Hansard beginning at page 43. For a more detailed coverage you will need to check out the websites of the various Australian media organisations, or the media release pages of the various Ministers as at 14 May.
The pre-budget submission which the SCG made to the Treasurer in January proposing that an Expatriate and Diaspora Office should be established in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Some Citizenship Application Forms Have Changed (Again)!
If you are a person born outside Australia to an Australian citizen and planning to apply for Australian citizenship by descent, please note that a new edition of Form 118 must now be used. The October 2007 edition and earlier editions are no longer valid.
If you have plans to make an application to resume your Australian citizenship, note that Form 132 has also just been updated. Any print outs or hard copies of previous editions of Form 132 you may have should be thrown away. Only the April 2008 version should be used. Look on the bottom right hand corner of the form for the edition date.
If you are a person born outside Australia to a former Australian citizen, you need to use Form 1290 to apply for Australian citizenship by conferral. The September 2007 version of Form 1290 remains valid at the present time.
If you are the spouse of an Australian citizen, and an Australian permanent resident, and you are planning to apply for Australian citizenship by conferral using the spouse residence discretion in the new Act, you first need to sit the Australian citizenship test, and once you have passed, apply using Form 1300t. If you would like more information on this procedure, e-mail us at info@southern-cross-group.org.
Forms now in pdf-fillable format. We are very pleased to see that DIAC has at last made available on its website pdf-fillable versions of all citizenship application forms. The SCG has pressed for this for some time. This means you can save the blank form off the www.citizenship.gov.au website to your hard drive, and then fill out most of it on screen and save it again, before printing out a hard copy to sign and submit. This is much easier and neater than filling in a hard copy of the form entirely by hand.
Don't forget, if you need help and advice with your Australian citizenship application, our volunteers are here to help you. If you have already recently obtained your citizenship under the new Act, then we'd also be pleased if you could let us know. It boosts our volunteers to hear success stories!
Further information on Australian citizenship is available on the SCG website.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Changes to SCG Citizenship Application Support Arrangements for War Brides and their Families
Ken Lankard, who has been the Southern Cross Group's volunteer War Brides Co-ordinator in North America for several years is moving on. Ken is himself the US-born son of an Australian-born WW2 war bride. He applied for and obtained Australian citizenship by descent last year after the entry into force of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007. Now the proud owner of a new Australian passport, Ken, a commercial pilot, has decided to move to Queensland on a permanent basis from July. This means he will no longer be on hand in California to field calls and e-mails from the Australian war bride community around the USA. His Ventura, CA PO Box and telephone and fax numbers are now out of service.
Ken has been a stalwart and valued member of the SCG Committee for a number of years, and on behalf of the SCG's entire volunteer team and the many war brides and their families he has helped we thank him sincerely and wish him well for his new life in Oz. Many people will remember meeting Ken in Washington DC during the ANZAC Day events for war brides in April 2007.
Taking over responsibilities for us in respect of initial contact from war brides and their children in North America will be our long serving North American Co-ordinator Robyn Stephenson. Her contact details are:
530 William Street
Zeeland, Michigan 49464
Tel. +1 (616) 748 7993
robyn@southern-cross-group.org
Many war brides and their families have also been in touch with our Co-founder and lawyer, Anne MacGregor in Brussels, who has carried out legal assessments for many individuals on their eligibility to apply for Australian citizenship under the new Act. Her contact details are:
Ave Charles Gilisquet 17
1030 Brussels
Belgium
Tel +32 2 735 0436
anne@southern-cross-group.org
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Social Security Agreements with Finland and Poland
On 13 May 2008 the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin announced that Australia is to finalise negotiations with Finland and Poland to introduce social security agreements to improve access to pensions for residents of those countries. This is good news for Australians who presently live and work in or who in the past may have lived and worked in those two countries.
Details of Australia's current social security agreements with some 19 countries are accessible through the links on the relevant page of the Department's website.
New bilateral social security agreements have also been signed with:
Greece - no commencement date yet.
Korea - expected to commence 1 October 2008.
Japan - expected to commence 1 January 2009.
Use this link to read the details of these three agreements.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
By-Election in the Federal Seat of Gippsland
There is to be a by-election for the electoral division of Gippsland on Saturday 28 June 2008. The by-election will elect a new Member to fill a vacancy in the House of Representatives following the resignation of the Member for Gippsland. Information about the by-election is contained in the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) media release of 5 May 2008.
If you are enrolled in the Division and have recently moved overseas on a permanent basis, or will move overseas before 28 June, and have not registered as an eligible overseas elector, you should check the information provided on the relevant page of the AEC website.
A NOTE OF CAUTION
A quick reading of the information on that page might suggest to you that you should complete the Overseas Notification Form. This will remove you from the roll and you will not be able to vote while overseas. If you wish to retain your right to vote while overseas then you should use the link on the page which reads Registration as an overseas elector.
The page also contains information applicable to those who have recently become entitled to enrol, that is those who have reached the age of 18 or will do so before 28 June 2008 and have not previously enrolled. Use the links which read Enrolment from outside Australia OR Registering as a child or spouse of an overseas elector.
Information about casting a postal vote in the by-election is also available on the AEC website.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Time to Check Your Electoral Status ?
Regardless of whether or not you are affected by the Gippsland by-election, now is probably a good time to check your federal electoral status.
Some of the factors which could affect your status include:
Many electors, including some Eligible Overseas Electors (EOEs), will have been removed from the roll by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) for failing to vote at the 2007 election.
Routine cross-matching processes or routine post-election action by the AEC may have failed to confirm your presence at your registered address resulting in your removal from the roll.
You may have left Australia recently without considering what to do about your electoral status.
Your three year window of opportunity to enrol from overseas may be approaching a close.
You, or someone you know, may have recently become eligible for enrolment but have not yet taken the necessary action.
You may have recently returned to, and resided in, Australia for one month or more which could entitle you to re-enrolment.
As an EOE you may have changed your postal or e-mail address from that previously notified to the AEC.
Your six year period of entitlement to vote as an EOE may be drawing to a close. One year extensions are possible but you must act within the three months immediately prior to the end of your EOE entitlement.
The SCG has prepared extensive advisory material on the arrangements for voting from overseas.
You should also check the information available on the AEC website.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Federal Parliament
The Winter Session of Parliament commenced on 13 May 2008 and sitting schedule indicates that it will run through to 26 June 2008.
The Ministry, sitting schedule and the schedule of legislation proposed for introduction this session are available through the PM&C What's New page.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Current Government Reviews
We list here the current reviews being undertaken at the direction of Government Ministers that we are aware of. Some may have little of no direct impact on expats but if you believe that you have a contribution to make, we encourage you to do so.
Independent Review of Citizenship Test
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, announced on 28 April 2008 that an independent committee of seven eminent Australians will review the citizenship test. The review committee has established a website and invites submissions from the public. An online submission form is provided with the closing date for submissions being 30 May 2008.
Review of Export Policies and Programs
A review of Australia's export policies and programs is currently underway. While submissions were expected to be submitted by 2 May 2008, you will find details on the website of the DFAT Review Panel.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Government to Implement Industry Report on Skilled Migration
On 5 May 2008 the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, announced that the Government is moving quickly to implement the recommendations made by an External Reference Group (ERG) established to improve Australia's temporary skilled migration program.
The media release contains links to the final report of the reference group and its list of recommendations.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Developments on Free Trade Agreements (FTA)
Korea
In a media release on 22 April 2008 the Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, welcomed the key findings of a non-government study into the feasibility of a free trade agreement between Australia and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
India
In his media release of 11 April 2008 the Minister announced that Australia and India have agreed terms of reference for the Australia-India free trade agreement (FTA) feasibility study.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Government to Introduce Legislation to Remove Same Sex Discrimination from a Wide Range of Commonwealth Laws
On 30 April 2008 the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland announced that legislation to remove same-sex discrimination from a wide range of Commonwealth laws will be introduced in the current sittings of Parliament.
The schedule of legislation proposed for introduction this session contains the following entry:
Same-Sex Relationships (Provision of Equal Entitlements) Bill (No. 1) *
- introduce the first stage of amendments to laws that currently discriminate on the basis of sexuality and provide for differential treatment of same-sex couples and their children, compared to opposite-sex couples and their children.
Once the Bill is introduced into the House of Representatives, details of the proposed changes should be apparent from the Explanatory Statement that accompanies the Bill. ______________________________________________________________________________________
Taxation
SCG Note
All we are seeking to do in regard to taxation matters is to make you aware of some of the issues that may affect you. It is for you to do your own research and make your own decisions about the issues.
We are not qualified or competent to provide personal advice on the matters we identify, nor are we able to respond to any queries you may have.
New ATO Advices
Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) indexation rate
Student Financial Supplement Scheme (SFSS) indexation rates
Student Financial Supplement Scheme (SFSS) repayment thresholds and rates
Higher Education Loan Programme(HELP) and HECS repayment thresholds and rates
Foreign exchange rates for April 2008
______________________________________________________________________________
SCG Contact Information
Newsletter Editor
John (Sid) MacGregor
editor@southern-cross-group.org
Continental Europe
Anne MacGregor
anne@southern-cross-group.org
UK & Ireland
Eric Brown
eric@southern-cross-group.org
North America
Robyn Stephenson
robyn@southern-cross-group.org
Asia
Ed Smith
ed@southern-cross-group.org
Australia
Jacqui Mowbray
jacqui@southern-cross-group.org
The Contact Us pages on our site list the SCG volunteer nearest you.
Go to the SCG Home Page.
Find out more about the SCG.
_______________________________________________________________
No. 4 of 2008 15 May 2008
In this issue
JSCEM Inquiry into the 2007 Federal Election
Federal Budget 2008-2009
Citizenship Application Forms Have Changed
Support Arrangements for War Brides and their Families
New Social Security Agreements
By-Election in the Federal Seat of Gippsland
Time to Check Your Electoral Status ?
Federal Parliament
Current Government Reviews
Government to Implement Industry Report on Skilled Migration
Developments on Free Trade Agreements (FTA)
Government to Introduce Legislation to Remove Same Sex Discrimination
Taxation
From the Editor
Only a few days remain for submissions to the JSCEM's parliamentary inquiry into the 2007 federal election. If you haven't put finger to keyboard yet, we strongly urge you to do so by Friday 16 May. It's crucial to tell Canberra your experiences as an overseas voter, or, if you are presently disenfranchised under Australian electoral law while living abroad, to make your views known to those who have it within their power to change the law. See further our special article below.
It's also time to farewell and say thank you to our SCG volunteer war brides coordinator, Ken Lankard, who, as a proud new Australian citizen, is about to move to Queensland from Los Angeles.
And some Australian citizenship application forms have just changed (again). Make sure you use the most up-to-date form when you make your citizenship application.
We hope you find all the articles in this newsletter of interest and look forward to receiving your feedback.
Regards
John (Sid) MacGregor
Editor
Canberra and Brussels
editor@southern-cross-group.org
____________________________________________________________________________
Sponsorship Opportunities
Would your business like to sponsor future editions of this newsletter? Sponsorship money is essential to enable the SCG to keep serving the Australian Diaspora. The SCG is entirely volunteer-run and has no paid staff. Sponsorship and donations help offset overheads such as web-hosting fees, postage, stationery, and other sundry outlays. Contact us for further information at info@southern-cross-group.org
______________________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT: JSCEM Inquiry into the 2007 Federal Election
Have your say now!
A reminder that the Australian federal parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM) is presently conducting an inquiry into the 2007 federal election. This is your chance to tell Canberra your experiences with the Australian electoral system as an expat Australian. We encourage all expats to have their say. In particular, those who are disenfranchised because they can no longer enrol are strongly encouraged to speak up.
Submissions do not need to be long or particularly formal and can be in the form of a simple email to jscem@aph.gov.au. Don't feel shy - the main thing is to get your views across.
You can also make an email submission directly from the SCG's website where we set out some ideas for your submission.
The closing date for submissions is this Friday 16 May 2008. However, if you need a few more days, e-mail the JSCEM, ask nicely, and you may be lucky enough to be granted an extension.
See also our media release of 30 April 2008.
To solve the large-scale disenfranchisement issue presently faced by the Australian diaspora, we need amendments to electoral law. Recommendations by the JSCEM as a result of past inquiries into elections have very often resulted in legislative change. It takes time, but it does happen. This inquiry is your chance to put your story in front of the JSCEM. We are hopeful that the new Rudd government will give this matter serious consideration. The SCG will be making a submission as an organisation, but your individual submission is also very important.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Federal Budget 2008-2009
Treasurer Wayne Swan brought down the 2008-2009 federal budget on Tuesday, 13 May 2008.
While there are a number of significant changes affecting those living in Australia which may also apply to some expats, there is little of direct impact on overseas Australians other than slight increases in the cost of passports and Australian visas.
An overview of the budget may be gained from the Treasurer's speech as recorded in the HoR Hansard beginning at page 43. For a more detailed coverage you will need to check out the websites of the various Australian media organisations, or the media release pages of the various Ministers as at 14 May.
The pre-budget submission which the SCG made to the Treasurer in January proposing that an Expatriate and Diaspora Office should be established in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Some Citizenship Application Forms Have Changed (Again)!
If you are a person born outside Australia to an Australian citizen and planning to apply for Australian citizenship by descent, please note that a new edition of Form 118 must now be used. The October 2007 edition and earlier editions are no longer valid.
If you have plans to make an application to resume your Australian citizenship, note that Form 132 has also just been updated. Any print outs or hard copies of previous editions of Form 132 you may have should be thrown away. Only the April 2008 version should be used. Look on the bottom right hand corner of the form for the edition date.
If you are a person born outside Australia to a former Australian citizen, you need to use Form 1290 to apply for Australian citizenship by conferral. The September 2007 version of Form 1290 remains valid at the present time.
If you are the spouse of an Australian citizen, and an Australian permanent resident, and you are planning to apply for Australian citizenship by conferral using the spouse residence discretion in the new Act, you first need to sit the Australian citizenship test, and once you have passed, apply using Form 1300t. If you would like more information on this procedure, e-mail us at info@southern-cross-group.org.
Forms now in pdf-fillable format. We are very pleased to see that DIAC has at last made available on its website pdf-fillable versions of all citizenship application forms. The SCG has pressed for this for some time. This means you can save the blank form off the www.citizenship.gov.au website to your hard drive, and then fill out most of it on screen and save it again, before printing out a hard copy to sign and submit. This is much easier and neater than filling in a hard copy of the form entirely by hand.
Don't forget, if you need help and advice with your Australian citizenship application, our volunteers are here to help you. If you have already recently obtained your citizenship under the new Act, then we'd also be pleased if you could let us know. It boosts our volunteers to hear success stories!
Further information on Australian citizenship is available on the SCG website.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Changes to SCG Citizenship Application Support Arrangements for War Brides and their Families
Ken Lankard, who has been the Southern Cross Group's volunteer War Brides Co-ordinator in North America for several years is moving on. Ken is himself the US-born son of an Australian-born WW2 war bride. He applied for and obtained Australian citizenship by descent last year after the entry into force of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007. Now the proud owner of a new Australian passport, Ken, a commercial pilot, has decided to move to Queensland on a permanent basis from July. This means he will no longer be on hand in California to field calls and e-mails from the Australian war bride community around the USA. His Ventura, CA PO Box and telephone and fax numbers are now out of service.
Ken has been a stalwart and valued member of the SCG Committee for a number of years, and on behalf of the SCG's entire volunteer team and the many war brides and their families he has helped we thank him sincerely and wish him well for his new life in Oz. Many people will remember meeting Ken in Washington DC during the ANZAC Day events for war brides in April 2007.
Taking over responsibilities for us in respect of initial contact from war brides and their children in North America will be our long serving North American Co-ordinator Robyn Stephenson. Her contact details are:
530 William Street
Zeeland, Michigan 49464
Tel. +1 (616) 748 7993
robyn@southern-cross-group.org
Many war brides and their families have also been in touch with our Co-founder and lawyer, Anne MacGregor in Brussels, who has carried out legal assessments for many individuals on their eligibility to apply for Australian citizenship under the new Act. Her contact details are:
Ave Charles Gilisquet 17
1030 Brussels
Belgium
Tel +32 2 735 0436
anne@southern-cross-group.org
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Social Security Agreements with Finland and Poland
On 13 May 2008 the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin announced that Australia is to finalise negotiations with Finland and Poland to introduce social security agreements to improve access to pensions for residents of those countries. This is good news for Australians who presently live and work in or who in the past may have lived and worked in those two countries.
Details of Australia's current social security agreements with some 19 countries are accessible through the links on the relevant page of the Department's website.
New bilateral social security agreements have also been signed with:
Greece - no commencement date yet.
Korea - expected to commence 1 October 2008.
Japan - expected to commence 1 January 2009.
Use this link to read the details of these three agreements.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
By-Election in the Federal Seat of Gippsland
There is to be a by-election for the electoral division of Gippsland on Saturday 28 June 2008. The by-election will elect a new Member to fill a vacancy in the House of Representatives following the resignation of the Member for Gippsland. Information about the by-election is contained in the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) media release of 5 May 2008.
If you are enrolled in the Division and have recently moved overseas on a permanent basis, or will move overseas before 28 June, and have not registered as an eligible overseas elector, you should check the information provided on the relevant page of the AEC website.
A NOTE OF CAUTION
A quick reading of the information on that page might suggest to you that you should complete the Overseas Notification Form. This will remove you from the roll and you will not be able to vote while overseas. If you wish to retain your right to vote while overseas then you should use the link on the page which reads Registration as an overseas elector.
The page also contains information applicable to those who have recently become entitled to enrol, that is those who have reached the age of 18 or will do so before 28 June 2008 and have not previously enrolled. Use the links which read Enrolment from outside Australia OR Registering as a child or spouse of an overseas elector.
Information about casting a postal vote in the by-election is also available on the AEC website.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Time to Check Your Electoral Status ?
Regardless of whether or not you are affected by the Gippsland by-election, now is probably a good time to check your federal electoral status.
Some of the factors which could affect your status include:
Many electors, including some Eligible Overseas Electors (EOEs), will have been removed from the roll by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) for failing to vote at the 2007 election.
Routine cross-matching processes or routine post-election action by the AEC may have failed to confirm your presence at your registered address resulting in your removal from the roll.
You may have left Australia recently without considering what to do about your electoral status.
Your three year window of opportunity to enrol from overseas may be approaching a close.
You, or someone you know, may have recently become eligible for enrolment but have not yet taken the necessary action.
You may have recently returned to, and resided in, Australia for one month or more which could entitle you to re-enrolment.
As an EOE you may have changed your postal or e-mail address from that previously notified to the AEC.
Your six year period of entitlement to vote as an EOE may be drawing to a close. One year extensions are possible but you must act within the three months immediately prior to the end of your EOE entitlement.
The SCG has prepared extensive advisory material on the arrangements for voting from overseas.
You should also check the information available on the AEC website.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Federal Parliament
The Winter Session of Parliament commenced on 13 May 2008 and sitting schedule indicates that it will run through to 26 June 2008.
The Ministry, sitting schedule and the schedule of legislation proposed for introduction this session are available through the PM&C What's New page.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Current Government Reviews
We list here the current reviews being undertaken at the direction of Government Ministers that we are aware of. Some may have little of no direct impact on expats but if you believe that you have a contribution to make, we encourage you to do so.
Independent Review of Citizenship Test
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, announced on 28 April 2008 that an independent committee of seven eminent Australians will review the citizenship test. The review committee has established a website and invites submissions from the public. An online submission form is provided with the closing date for submissions being 30 May 2008.
Review of Export Policies and Programs
A review of Australia's export policies and programs is currently underway. While submissions were expected to be submitted by 2 May 2008, you will find details on the website of the DFAT Review Panel.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Government to Implement Industry Report on Skilled Migration
On 5 May 2008 the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, announced that the Government is moving quickly to implement the recommendations made by an External Reference Group (ERG) established to improve Australia's temporary skilled migration program.
The media release contains links to the final report of the reference group and its list of recommendations.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Developments on Free Trade Agreements (FTA)
Korea
In a media release on 22 April 2008 the Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, welcomed the key findings of a non-government study into the feasibility of a free trade agreement between Australia and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
India
In his media release of 11 April 2008 the Minister announced that Australia and India have agreed terms of reference for the Australia-India free trade agreement (FTA) feasibility study.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Government to Introduce Legislation to Remove Same Sex Discrimination from a Wide Range of Commonwealth Laws
On 30 April 2008 the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland announced that legislation to remove same-sex discrimination from a wide range of Commonwealth laws will be introduced in the current sittings of Parliament.
The schedule of legislation proposed for introduction this session contains the following entry:
Same-Sex Relationships (Provision of Equal Entitlements) Bill (No. 1) *
- introduce the first stage of amendments to laws that currently discriminate on the basis of sexuality and provide for differential treatment of same-sex couples and their children, compared to opposite-sex couples and their children.
Once the Bill is introduced into the House of Representatives, details of the proposed changes should be apparent from the Explanatory Statement that accompanies the Bill. ______________________________________________________________________________________
Taxation
SCG Note
All we are seeking to do in regard to taxation matters is to make you aware of some of the issues that may affect you. It is for you to do your own research and make your own decisions about the issues.
We are not qualified or competent to provide personal advice on the matters we identify, nor are we able to respond to any queries you may have.
New ATO Advices
Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) indexation rate
Student Financial Supplement Scheme (SFSS) indexation rates
Student Financial Supplement Scheme (SFSS) repayment thresholds and rates
Higher Education Loan Programme(HELP) and HECS repayment thresholds and rates
Foreign exchange rates for April 2008
______________________________________________________________________________
SCG Contact Information
Newsletter Editor
John (Sid) MacGregor
editor@southern-cross-group.org
Continental Europe
Anne MacGregor
anne@southern-cross-group.org
UK & Ireland
Eric Brown
eric@southern-cross-group.org
North America
Robyn Stephenson
robyn@southern-cross-group.org
Asia
Ed Smith
ed@southern-cross-group.org
Australia
Jacqui Mowbray
jacqui@southern-cross-group.org
The Contact Us pages on our site list the SCG volunteer nearest you.
Go to the SCG Home Page.
Find out more about the SCG.
_______________________________________________________________
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