Australian Government Work Skills Voucher Program
Download lego the lord of the rings pc vpbanks. Posted by Aussizz Group on October 29, 2016 The decision to is one that a growing number of students make every year. However, many of them couldn’t get their student visa because of the lack of vigilance and submission of required documents to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP). As per the statistics of last year, around 28000 world wide students were refused a visa because they failed to maintain compliance with the required criteria. Have you also gone through the rigidities of planning and submitting the documents for a visa, only to end up with a rejection?
A new body, Fair Work Australia, will replace the Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the Australian Fair Pay Commission. The Government will redirect funding from the Skills for the Future — business skills vouchers for apprentices program.
Are you about to make your visa application and want to get prepared against a denial? You can look for the following signs to and minimise the chances of visa refusal. inadequate Information One of the major reasons behind the visa refusal is applicants don’t provide sufficient information to prove their claims made in the application.
Take this, for instance, if you are saying yes on whether you’ve been to Australia in the past for any purpose, you are required to attach a proof of that trip, which can either be passport copies or travel documents. False Information If the Department of Immigration found that the information or claims made in the application are false.
The applicant can be charged with visa fraud on the basis of wrong information provided. He/she will either be expelled or prohibited from entering Australia forever. Inability to meet the health requirements One cannot expect of visa approval without meeting the health requirements. DIBP generally ask applicants to get tested for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis or Hepatitis before the visas are issued. Inapposite Character grounds Applicants who have been involved in the crimes or cacophony in the past may get subjected to visa cancellation. Make sure to abide to the law and policies of government.
Lack of Financial Support Proof It is one of the major reasons for the Australian Visa refusal. The applicant needs to satisfy the DIBP by providing enough documents of the financial stability. Financial support documents can either be from the home country or from a person who is granted visa for Australia. Insufficient Proof of English Language Proficiency requires applicants to provide evidence of their English language proficiency. While those who have English as their first language exempted from this requirement, non-native English Speakers are required to submit IELTS, PTE or TOFEL certificates as a proof of their English language skills. The visa application may get rejected if the applicant failed to meet this requirement. Avoid getting the Professional Help Applying for visa demands a lot of preparation and a thorough knowledge of government and DIBP requirements.
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. We believe we have formulated effective policies, based on biblical principles that give each Australian, irrespective of age, race, gender, socio-economic status or faith, the very best protection and support. The hallmark of our policies is a belief that our parliaments should do all they can to promote a strong economy and a vibrant society based on healthy families and thriving communities. Therefore, they focus on social-economic fairness without excluding individual responsibility. As families are the building block and foundation of our society, we support family centered economics.
We believe all legislation presented to parliament should be subject to a family impact statement in the same way any infrastructure project is subject to an economic and environmental impact statement. The results should be made available to the public.
Judeo-Christian principles provide our benchmark and standards giving us positive solutions to the problems that confront us in our homes and workplaces. We believe the time is right to Vote 1 Australian Christians. For State specific policies, Marriage and Parenting Marriage needs to be supported, not redefined. We would not vote for same sex marriage.
Throughout the world for millenia the traditional family has been the foundational unit of society and the basis of a nation’s strength. The natural family begins with the unity of one man and one woman who in the words of Theodore Roosevolt are stronger when they possess a ‘fearless acceptance of their common obligation to the children that are theirs’. Families are the strength of our nation and parents, whether mums or dads, deserve to be recognised when they choose to stay at home to care for their young children. Families should be protected and strengthened, since they are the primary grouping in which the future generations are nurtured. To achieve a more equitable outcome for single income families, Australian Christians supports giving them a genuine choice regarding child-rearing. Detailed policy will be released here.
Australian Christians supports strategies to restore the importance of fatherhood and turn the tide of fatherlessness in Australia. Development of mentoring programs for men and boys would be encouraged, as would the promotion of positive images of fatherhood in the media, the community and the school curriculum. Australian Christians supports pre-marriage education for all couples. Australian Christians understands that domestic violence is a major problem and further deteriorates families, whether it be physical, sexual or emotional abuse or other forms of control, and whether it be perpetrated by males or females. We will campaign to have better protection put in place for victims and to promote policies that assist in building a culture where violence is unacceptable. Australian Christians seeks to promote strategies that will improve mediation outcomes between separated or divorced parents. We support a system of mandatory mediation as the method of achieving agreement among parents and children on how the family relationships will be restructured following divorce.
Australian Christians Family Court and Child Support Agency Policy can be viewed: Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt by George Grant: Cumberland House 1996 Page 94 Child Welfare and the Sexualisation of Children Australian Christians understand that children are the future hope for a robust and vibrant nation and families are the most natural environments for rearing and nurturing. However, as a vulnerable group in society children should be protected through cogent legalization and this is the foundation on which our child welfare policies have been developed. Australian Christians value the important roles both a mother and a father serve in the development of a child and believe children have the right to have the natural diversity both male and female parent figures provide in their life. We therefore support an adoption policy that places children with parents who reflect this natural diversity. Divorce and separation cause mental and emotional stress and social dislocation for individuals, children and extended family.
Hence, Australian Christians believe that the government needs to promote healthy relationships that further the interests of the child and make every effort to honestly address the core issues facing marriages in crisis and where possible, reunite parents to provide the best opportunity for the child. We believe the child is best served when major decisions about his/her life are made by both parents.
In order to halt the damaging effects of early sexualisation upon children, Australian Christians supports the introduction of an Prostitution Australian Christians protects the value and dignity of every person, irrespective of gender. It declares that prostitution is an ancient form of slavery and exploitation. There is no such thing as a safe environment for prostitution; exposing individuals to the fetishes of others may break many of the normal occupational health and safety requirements that are applied to other industries and requires a destructive division of the whole person.
We refer to the extensive work by Kajsa Ekis Ekman author of “Being and Being Bought: Prostitution, Surrogacy and the Split”. Ekis Ekman argues that the self must be split from the body to make it possible to sell your body without selling yourself. The body becomes sex.
Sex becomes a service. Ekman notes ‘the story of the sex worker says: the split self is not only possible, it is the ideal.’ Australian Christians supports the provision of safe exit strategies for those currently involved in prostitution and the development of legislation based on the Nordic Model. The Nordic Model prosecutes those who use prostitutes, thus discouraging men from harassing women in the street.
Legalising brothels only increases the demand for sex and therefore the number of prostitutes in this dangerous trade. Our policy is based on a desire to protect those who are being exploited, support the family structure and ensure that marriage, men and women, are not harmed by prostitution. Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco Addictions can come in many forms and affect anyone and everyone. It should be understood that the impact of addiction is felt by family, friends and the general community. Addiction affects the wealthy and poor, young and old, male and female, married and single. Our drug, alcohol and tobacco policies are founded on our love and care for our fellow citizens. The Government is duty bound to care for the wellbeing of individuals who are suffering from addictions, and their families.
Legislation must clearly state that drugs are destructive to the individual, the family and the community. The current approach by successive governments is sending mixed messages to the next generation of Australians. In relation to drugs, Australian Christians will introduce legislation that has a ‘zero tolerance’ approach and focuses on assisting addicts to be free from addiction rather than on how to use drugs ‘safely’. In relation to smoking, Australian Christians supports the continuation of all forms of advertisement warning of the harmful health effects of tobacco. In relation to alcohol, Australian Christians supports an inquiry into the possible benefits of increasing the legal drinking age to 21 and the imposition of lockout times at venues where alcohol is consumed. Australian Christians supports Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation programs which clearly aim to free addicts from their dependency rather than maintaining them on various drugs for the duration of their life.
A full Drug and Alcohol Statement may be found: Education All parents must have the right to choose the school for their children that supports the beliefs, traditions and values of their home life. The feasibility of an education voucher system should be investigated. We support the call by Christians Schools Australia to develop tax incentives or other concessional arrangements to provide incentives for private funds to invest in school facilities. Australian Christians strongly supports freedom of association and therefore supports the freedom of religious schools to select students or staff that uphold the ethos of the school. Governments need to maintain a fair and equitable funding system between private and public schools that is not determined by ideology or sector. We support many aspects of the National Curriculum as a means of providing uniformity in standards between states. However, Australian Christians is concerned that the curriculum can be used as a political tool to push certain values while ignoring others.
In its current form the curriculum is open to manipulation by social engineers. Governments should seek a fairer process of curriculum development by means of an independent panel of qualified personnel (representing the main stakeholders: students, parents, teachers, universities & TAFE, employers, and government). Curriculum development must be accountable to the main stakeholders in education and it should not be led predominantly by academics, politicians and bureaucrats.
We welcome the inclusion of Australia’s Christian heritage in the National Curriculum. Aboriginal Affairs While Aboriginal Affairs is approached as a distinct policy area, there are nonetheless many suggestions that appear indistinguishable from how issues are managed within the context of the broader Australian community. That is, Aboriginal community issues are simply an example of social issues dispersed within the wider Australian community. This paper in particular finds that endemic cases of alcoholism, suicide, crime, etc.
Are deeply connected to the Australian cultural problem of welfare dependency and ‘poverty mindsets’. It is merely more concentrated in Aboriginal communities due in large part to geographic alienation. The research paper underpinning these recommendations can be All recommendations fall roughly into three categories – primary, secondary and tertiary. They are in no particular order and the distinctions between these classifications can sometimes be unclear or overlap. For example, education may be seen as primary prevention in seeking to prevent sexual violence or drug abuse before it occurs but also a secondary prevention because it engages a higher risk group identified with either perpetration or victimization, or even may function as tertiary prevention in that it targets those who are already perpetrators and victims. A) Prevention strategies, that is, by engaging communities to challenge the source cultural norms that inform the attitudes and behaviours that ‘give licence’ to these problems.
B ) Secondary prevention focuses on early identification and intervention, targeting those individuals at high risk for either perpetration or victimisation and working to reduce the likelihood of further incidences. It is intended to reverse progress and reduce its impact. C) Tertiary prevention strategies focus on responding to or treating the problem by minimising the impact of violence, restoring health and safety, and preventing further victimisation and perpetration. It focuses on intervention. Transport Australian Christians acknowledges that the cost of transport is an important part of any household and business budget and supports the timely development of a safe and sustainable public transport system in keeping with the rapid development of our cities.
We believe that alternative fuels should be developed to give Australia less vulnerability to international price shocks. It is important that cycle ways and facilities for cyclists continue to be improved and that planning laws encourage property developers to have an allocation for cycle bays, in a similar way that a certain number of car bays are demanded according to the scope of a project. Older Australians Australian Christians recognizes that our older Australians have contributed significantly over their lifetime to make Australia what it is today: a prosperous, stable and enjoyable society which remains the envy of many overseas nations. In view of their past contributions to the development of our nation, older people deserve special support and recognition. As they age and many become weaker physically and mentally, we believe extra effort should be made to ensure that all our senior citizens are protected and cared for in love. The Australian Christians does not support changes to the aged pension, particularly using the value of the family home to assess eligibility. Many aged people live in a modest suburban home that remains their primary family residence.
Aged retirees should not be penalized for the fact that they own homes that are worth disproportionately more than the initial purchase price and should not be forced to sell their homes in order to receive the aged pension. Our policy recommendations would also seek to develop legislation in the areas of taxation, transport, housing, education and health that provides support, rather than increased hardship, for our older citizens. Broadly we believe all legislation should be measured against a family impact statement as part of our commitment to Family Centred Economics. We recognise the real challenge for the government but with our focus on the well being of the family we would recommend a different approach to address provision for our senior citizens.
While the aged pension is the largest direct welfare spending component, rather than making it tough for pensioners we believe there is a lot of room for the government to tighten its own belt and cut some of the enormous amount of government bureaucracy and corporate welfare before tightening up elsewhere. The government cannot tell the public they have to face cuts while they are promised benefits for life. As a party we are concerned about the wild government spending and waste of taxpayer’s hard earned money and believe it is time for the government to put their own house in order rather than force hardship on the citizens they are elected to serve. We especially think this is true when it comes to our pensioners who have been taxpayers all their life and in the main have, kept a tight reign on their own spending.
We need a culture change in this area of spending to assist, not punish, those most in need of our support. Further, we need to bring down the cost of living so that retirement income can stretch further. This includes the high cost of running your home with council rates and the double dipping of GST and Stamp duty on insurances. We also suggest considering pensions be adjusted by a special Pension Price Index rather than CPI as retirees have different spending patterns to other Australians. Australian Christians believes there is merit in the recommendation that the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card give senior Australians who do not receive a pension, access to cash payments and concessions and discounts on certain products. “The Commission recommends that the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card be maintained as part of Australia’s retirement income system, but that changes be made to improve targeting to those most in need by adding deemed income from tax-free superannuation to the definition of Adjusted Taxable Income used for determining eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.” Australian Christians will develop legislation in the areas of taxation, transport, housing, education and health that provides support for our older citizens. Carers and Disability We believe the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) should be supported and properly funded.
Australian Christians upholds the inherent dignity and value of all human life. People with disabilities are entitled to the same dignity and recognition as all other citizens and deserve special support from all levels of government and our Australian communities.
Australian Christians will therefore work towards creating an Australian community that meaningfully and properly recognizes the differences and needs of all citizens, regardless of their individual and family circumstances. For too long, the support offered to disabled persons has largely been provided by their families and friends. Government assistance has been woefully inadequate. Consequently, both carers and those receiving care require urgent and significant support in a number of areas. Carers are the unsung heroes and need to be supported. Health Australian Christians affirms that all Australians, irrespective of their income or location, should have access to essential health services.
However, the ever increasing cost of health services to the public purse requires that individuals do what they reasonably can to care for and maintain their own health. Australian Christians supports the promotion of healthy diets and lifestyles recognizing the role responsible parenting has in fostering this. Economic Policy Australian Christians supports family centred economic policies and affirms sound economic policy is primarily based on open markets that seek to lessen restricted practices surrounding trade.
This economic environment is best suited to small government limited by the constitution. Economic policy should always look to enhance the welfare of the Australian people and families; and particularly small to medium size business that make up over 90 per cent of all companies. Good economic policy should reward entrepreneurs and businesses for the financial risks and the initiative they take. This means also that tax rates on individuals and business should not discourage market workplace involvement by being too onerous and further the taxing system should be simplified with low rates encouraged over a broader revenue base. At the same time, governments should use economic policy to protect the vulnerable and disadvantaged without creating a people’s welfare mentality. To read an Australian Christians’ paper on Family Centered Economics Environment & Climate Australian Christians believe we all have a responsibility to care for and manage the environment we share and to mitigate, where feasible, environmental changes and pollution.
For detailed research analysis: Australian Christians supports the view of natural climate change. This may or may not be an impact from C02. The fact that there has been a pause in warming for 17 years suggests this claim need further scrutiny.
Further, the pre-industrial age “Little Ice Age” and “Medieval Warming” periods indicates that climate and environment have been changing dramatically for millennia. For any conclusive analysis there need to be lot longer period to study the effects of CO2 on weather patterns. In summary, we hold that climate does change and catastrophic climate change is part of the historical narrative but carbon taxing in any form cannot be supported when the data and historical records are inconclusive. Australian Christians supports sensible pollution controls that do not unnecessarily and excessively burden businesses and increase the cost of living, especially to the poor. THE FOLLOWING ARE 10 KEY AIMS WHICH FORM THE BASIS OF OUR LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY. Recognising known pollution harms and adapting sensible and evidence based regulation that helps industry to implement best available technologies and practice in reducing toxins.
Land use management which enhances environmentally sustainable and cost effective development. Protecting natural biodiversity and areas of significance that strikes a balance between flourishing economic communities, private property rights and sensible protection of natural resources. Ensuring water and air quality for both human health and the living environment are valued and managed. Managing vegetation and ensuring soil quality for agricultural production and long-term food security that does not harm the soil and food supply. Improving waste management and waste recovery. Protection and enhancement of shoreline, estuarine and riparian zones.
Ensuring both economically viable and natural sustainable resource development. Moving towards sustainable and balanced production and consumption that does not require government subsidisation and onerously raises the cost of living. Promoting but without ‘picking winners’ in technologies and initiatives which enhance improved energy and resource use. For a detailed policy on Carbon Tax and Renewable Energy Housing and Accommodation Australian Christians recognizes the importance of housing affordability and home ownership for all Australians; especially younger Australians who in many cases have little hope of realizing this Australian dream.
We agree with Senator Bob Day’s acknowledgment that this is not really about housing affordability but about ‘land affordability’ and would support policies that will provide the adequate and affordable supply of land required for new housing. Religious Freedom & Christian Heritage Australian Christians believes that as Australians we have much to be thankful for when considering our Christian heritage. We believe that successive Federal, State and Local governments across Australia have a responsibility to uphold the principles at the root of our national heritage that have served us so well ensuring core freedoms for all; namely freedom of conscience, belief, speech and association. Australian Christians supports the retention of Christian prayers at the outset of each daily parliamentary session. We also believe that governments have a duty to allow the Church to continue to preach and teach according to their traditions.
Australian Christians rejects the discrimination or persecution of any person because of their religious beliefs. Australia is a tolerant and hospitable home to people of other faith traditions precisely because we uphold the Christian heritage and ideals of respect and religious freedom.
There is not a conflict between religious tolerance and our shared Christian heritage which is founded upon the Golden Rule: do good to all. Australian Christians encourages cross-cultural dialogue to work cooperatively in our society to address social needs and international humanitarian crises. We are appalled by the shameful incidents of church leaders who have been involved in or covered up abuse in denominational institutions. We support legislation which will increase accountability and transparency in all organizations whether not-for profit, commercial, secular or faith based. Small Business Australian Christians acknowledges that the small business sector provides employment to many families who work hard for a living; small and medium sized retailers are consequently worthy of special support and consideration. There is a need for governments and unions to recognize that small business cannot be expected to provide the same level of employee benefits and conditions as the large multi-national corporations. Small business owners should have the ability to negotiate wages and conditions with their employees, provided those conditions are not less than the minimum award applicable.
Our full Small Business Policy Statement by Australian Christians Policy Researcher Eleni Arapoglou may be found Media, Internet and Censorship Media, including television, films and the internet, play an increasingly influential role in the formation of public opinion and taste. Children, including teenagers, are especially vulnerable to media influence. Aggressive and pornographic media is now making inroads into mainstream advertising and merchandising. Society has a moral duty to limit what can be conveyed by the media in order to protect children and the whole community from what is harmful, especially violent and pornographic content which current research links to domestic violence. Australian Christians supports the introduction of an similar to the UK Bill introduced by Baroness Howe: This would mean ISP filtering would become the default setting on all devices protecting children in schools, libraries and in homes from viewing harmful adult content. Adults wishing to remove the filter would be required to ‘opt in’ for adult content limiting such content to those who expressly seek it. Australian Christians also supports a review of the existing media classification standards and the development of a clearly defined censorship and media classification policy that acts in the best interests of society at large.
Rural Issues Australian Christians believes that Australia must continue to have a competitive, sustainable and profitable rural sector and that independent family farms are a vital part of the social and economic fabric of Australian society. We believe the primary emphasis should be placed on the actual well-being of rural people and communities rather than on the “paper performance” of a few rural industries. Rural people and communities should reap an equitable share of the rewards of their production.
Programs must be developed to help farmers and their families to stay on the land and earn sufficient income. State and Federal governments have a responsibility to ensure that rural people have access to government offices, banks, hospital, medical and other vital services. Where such services are not economically viable to private enterprise, the State and Federal governments have a duty to provide innovative alternatives.
The Government has a responsibility to provide taxation and regulatory incentives for decentralisation, creation of new enterprises and expansion of existing enterprises and businesses in rural areas. Water Management Australian Christians understands that water management is vitally important and is seeking submissions from relevant stakeholders as we formulate our policy. Cultivating a Culture of Life Australian Christians believes that mankind is created in the image of God and therefore deserve to be treated in all circumstances with dignity and respect.
This is the foundation on which our pro life policies have been developed. Un-Planned Pregnancy As a compassionate caring nation we believe Australia needs to find a better way to deal with un-planned pregnancies; a way that produces a better outcome for the mother, father and the baby. Australian Christians aims to cultivate a culture of life where each individual is recognized as a unique human being and valued. We support better funding and support for women with unplanned and unwanted pregnancies.
We support laws to preserve and protect the life of the unborn child and are committed to be a voice for them. Australian Christians also supports freedom of conscience for health professionals to exercise their conscience to choose not to participate in the abortion industry.
Euthanasia Australian Christians affirm that all life is valuable and that everyone should do all in their power to support and protect the most vulnerable in our families and communities. We believe there is a very clear demarcation between giving good compassionate medical care to the very end of a patient’s life and deliberate interference or assistance for the express purpose of ending that life. We understand from palliative care specialists that people do not need to die in pain therefore we promote better funding for quality palliative care services rather than legalising euthanasia. Governments should never compromise the medical profession and its goal to ‘first do no harm’. Governments must never have the option of funding death rather than life.
Legalising euthanasia and especially Physician Assisted Suicide sends a wrong message to people – especially the young – that it is okay to want to die and acceptable to kill yourself if things seem too tough. History shows us that voluntary euthanasia always moves to involuntary and studies confirm there is no way of stopping this.
We believe every Australian should have the right to caring, compassionate and expert medical care until life’s natural end without discrimination as to age, disability or ability to pay. For detailed policy research. Infanticide In the face of proposals that children with severe disabilities be either directly killed or denied life-saving medical treatment, Australian Christians maintains that it should always be unlawful to kill any child by an act of commission or omission. With respect to babies born alive after an abortion procedure, every effort should be made to keep the baby alive.
These babies must never be put in a corner to simply die. Even when abnormality inconsistent with life is present these babies should be treated with dignity and at the very least wrapped and nursed. In Vitro Fertilisation Australian Christians is sympathetic to the concern of married couples that cannot have children and realizes that the decision to use IVF often comes after all other avenues are tried to have children. Because of our concern for the welfare of children, Australian Christians is opposed to any use of reproductive technology by persons other than married couples. We believe every child is entitled to have a father and mother who are publicly committed to each other for life.
Australian Christians encourages couples to seek help from organizations such as Fertility Care that offer treatment for infertility that is consistent with a pro-life ethic. Human Embryo Research and Cloning Australian Christians embraces technological development but not at any cost. We believe it is morally wrong to do any research on human embryos that result in their harm or destruction. Therefore, we support the rescinding of State and Federal legislation permitting such research. We oppose all human cloning and the creation of chimeras (human/animal hybrids). Australian Christians support and encourage research using adult stem cells and umbilical cord stem cells, as a means of developing better health outcomes as this does not involve the destruction of human life. Most research and all successful therapies to date have been accomplished using adult stem cells.
Asylum Seekers and Refugees Australian Christians realize there are two competing moral concerns around the issues with asylum seekers claiming refugee status and resettlement in Australia. The natural desire we have to help others, to care for people who are suffering displacement and persecution and provide a place of refuge for those most in need as we are able. The concern about sovereignty and safety and the preservation of liberal democratic principles in order that Australia can remain a place of refuge for others.
For the full policy: Immigration From its inception Australia was and remains a nation of immigrants who have greatly benefited this nation economically and culturally. But immigration in itself is not an immediate panacea for a failing economy or a vibrant, thriving nation unless there are earlier underlying dynamics that help augment immigration. This is witnessed by the paradox that the wealthiest nations have historically had smaller populations while the reverse is true of poorer nations.
Both culture and economy are two sides of the same coin. Particularly in the 20 th century, the prosperity of Western nations can be traced to a legal, social, economic and cultural system that embraced equality of rights and individual advancement based on merit. These societies thrived because they celebrated entrepreneurship, scientific inquiry, innovation and private benevolence. Therefore we believe an immigration strategy should focus on how it can simultaneously produce not only greater economic mobility but strengthen the common western values for freedom of speech, religion, trade and property while retaining an equitable rule of law for all. Australian Christians immigration strategies are formed on the detailed research and analysis. The following is a summary of the research, the full paper is 1) Demands for near-instant parity for immigrants should be resisted.
In particular, the government should not be subsidising immigration through welfare (apart from genuine refugees). This merely increases the need for higher taxes and more welfare redistribution 2) Australia should continue being a welcoming country to all people but citizenship should be based on the mutual agreement that in exchange for the privilege of living and working in this nation, our common core values should also be embraced.
This needs to be clearly understood, valued and preserved, as immigration should never undermine our democracy and social cohesiveness. Therefore, citizenship should not be granted rashly.
Applicants for citizenship should have resided in Australia for at least 10 years, passed a basic citizenship test (including standard English proficiency), provide evidence of likely continued employment or economic support, links to the Australian community and no criminal record. However, the application process should straightforward and efficient. 3) All immigrants arriving in Australia with the aim of remaining should be subject to preliminary health and security checks. Those refused admission on reasonable, objective security grounds should be deported. 4) All temporary residents (TRs) visas including students, business people and temporary workers should remain available but should be time limited and monitored as visa fraud and overstaying remain high. 5) Greater incentives should be provided for private citizens, churches, institutions and businesses to independently sponsor immigrants for a reasonable period before applying for permanent residency.
This approach puts less pressure on government welfare and creates community relationships, allowing immigrants to better understand Australian culture and values. It allows the market to determine labour requirements and private citizens to take responsibility rather than merely relying on government quotas. 6) Governments have pursued high immigration quotas due to concerns about an ageing population. Declining western birth rates means the traditional labour pool (15-67) is being replenished at a slower rate and why the ‘Big Australia’ rhetoric focuses on supplying this gap through higher immigration.
But a high immigration driven solution is only part of the answer. There is a need for greater support in helping existing Australian families through policies that alleviate tax burdens and encourage savings to better plan for retirement and support elderly family members. Furthermore, immigration alone is not a substitute for productivity and the function of free-markets that allow the type of economic prosperity that immigration helps to strengthen.
7) Authentic free trade agreements (FTA) are likely to assist in better-managed flows of immigration because they encourage competition and development of markets. However, to be ‘free’ they need to operate without political manipulation and particularly without countries that are committed to undermining western freedoms.
Australian Government Work Skills Voucher Program
A greater emphasis of trade should be with countries that are emerging as free societies and economies. This allows them to properly understand and implement the principles of western trade and lift themselves out of poverty, while also making immigration flows for both countries less forced and more manageable. It is especially beneficial for poorer nations who need keep their citizens—particularly the young—and develop their country for future generations. 8) Australian Sovereignty means this nation is not just a space on the map where international treaties permit everyone to come.
Australia has a legal and moral right to protect its national borders. 9) Large-scale illegal immigration is closely linked with international human trafficking and crime syndicates.
These should be actively discouraged.Therefore, priority of processing should always be given to offshore special humanitarian visa applicants over illegal boat arrivals. 10) Immigration can only be successful when subsequent generations continue to appreciate not only their own distinct cultures but also the western liberals values that shaped this nation.
There are good reasons why western countries are attractive places of destination and equally a strong need to articulate the customs and heritage that shaped it. Schools should be a place of learning Australian history, including the Judeo-Christian heritage that profoundly shaped its constitution. From there we derive the fundamental ideas of separation of powers, property and human rights, consensual government, freedom of expression and religion, particularly the idea of separation of church and state which rightly understood means a secular state not without religion but one where no religion is privileged. Australian Christians recommends that refugees be allowed to seek Permanent Residence and Citizenship in Australia if, after 10 years, a return to the source nation remains hazardous.
This approach would be in the best interests of families, of the source nation, of international relations and global security. And it would allow 10 years for new arrivals to build relationships, develop skills and experience Australian life and culture. Integration is vitally important.
Foreign Aid Australian Christians acknowledges the historical generosity of Australians in assisting others who are in need, and endorses the provision of Australian foreign aid to improve infrastructure, raise living standards, and mitigate the effects of natural disasters in overseas countries. We favour a multifaceted effective and efficient foreign aid program that enhances mutual interests, builds inter-generational skills, partners with reputable Australian and overseas organisations, and employs robust accountability systems.
We encourage partnerships that promote life, liberty, and greater opportunity for human development. Australian Christians supports projects that strengthen the efforts of NGOs, assist persecuted minorities to improve their situation, and endeavour to raise the equality of women.
Foreign aid needs to balance Australia’s national interests of our poorest citizens with those of foreign countries. Australian Christians supports the new Colombo Plan, which will provide the opportunity for Australian students to gain experience in Asia Pacific countries by being awarded placements in universities in those countries.