Australia

Boundless Possible In Australia

9 January, 2020

Stick around for three years and become an Aussie

The Northern Territory (NT) in Australia has become a go-to destination for migrants wanted to become permanent residents of Australia. NT businesses sought to fill 520 positions with skilled migrants last year – a 263 per cent year-on-year rise after major changes to migration laws last year. The changes are the result of a deal between a population poor NT Government and the Australian Commonwealth Government.

Businesses in the NT facing a loss of staff can choose to employ the migrants if they cannot fill the vacancies with Australians, while skilled migrants can apply for permanent residency after working in the NT for at least three years. It is an opportunity bonanza for forward thinking individuals wishing to emigrate to Australia.

The NT Government is trying to boost the Territory’s flagging population with a range of measures including the Boundless Possible campaign, first home buyer incentives and industry development like onshore gas development. From the start of last year, the NT Designated Area Migration Agreement came into effect. Unlike the first agreement between the governments, this new agreement includes the permanent residency three years’ rule.

Local businesses have requested to fill 520 positions with skilled migrants in the first year of the new agreement, almost equalling the 573 positions sought for the entire four years of the first deal. So far, 52 local businesses have been endorsed by MigrationNT and have entered into Labour Agreements with the Department of Home Affairs. A further 37 businesses have received endorsement from MigrationNT and are working with Home Affairs in finalising Labour Agreements.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said his government advocated for the inclusion of the pathway to permanent residency in the second agreement, after listening to Territory business owners. “The Government’s number one priority is jobs for Territorians but access to, and retention of, a suitably skilled workforce is a key issue for many employers,” and “Every Territorian benefits when we attract more people to the Territory. More people means more jobs and a stronger economy, which means better schools, better hospitals and more police.” Mr Gunner said.

The new agreement identifies 117 shortage occupations, which employers can apply to fill with skilled international workers, up by 36 on the first DAMA. Employers who apply to fill positions with overseas nationals must first demonstrate they have been unable to fill the position locally.

Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alan Tudge said the Federal Government is committed to supporting the growth of regional Australia, which includes all of the NT. “Our first priority is always to fill jobs with Australians, but the immigration system can play an important role in helping to address regional skills gaps,” Mr Tudge said.

The “shortage” list includes accountants, bakers, farmers, baristas, child care workers, cooks, forklift drivers, mechanics, plumbers and truck drivers.

We are currently working with clients in the Northern Territory so don’t hesitate to Contact us for a confidential discussion and refer family, friends and colleagues and be rewarded.

BOUNDLESS POSSIBLE

4 Ways Data Is Improving Healthcare

8 January, 2020

The Power Of Healthcare Data

From therapy to x-rays, progressive technology is keeping us healthier, however 7% of all data produced by hospitals each year goes unused, but that’s beginning to change.

Hospitals produce 50 petabytes of data per year. This mass of information comprises clinical notes, lab tests, medical images, sensor readings, genomics, and operational and financial data. At the moment, 97% goes unused – but this is changing, with great potential to transform the quality of medical care.

Here are four ways data analysis is improving healthcare without adding staff or beds.

Boosting the humble X-ray

The X-ray is the oldest form of medical imaging, and still the most commonly used. Chest X-rays alone represent 40% of the 3.6 billion imaging procedures performed worldwide every year. But X-ray “reject rates” – the number of images that cannot be used due to poor image quality or patient positioning – can approach 25%.

To address this, software engineers have developed an application that helps clinicians pinpoint the root causes of rejected images. The app was piloted at the University of Washington Medical Centre, and has automated a process that once required 230 mouse clicks and nearly seven hours of work. Reducing reject rates saves time and resources while putting patients on the right path sooner.

Enabling collaboration

In oncology, the process of preparing for, conducting, and documenting tumour board meetings is frequently suboptimal and non-standardized. Each specialist aggregates data on a patient in a silo. As a result, meetings are spent switching back and forth between the different systems and technologies used across each discipline.

To address this, an alliance between Roche Diagnostics and GE Healthcare is combining and analysing patients’ diagnostic data — including genomics, tissue pathology, and biomarkers — with their medical imaging and monitoring data. From here, cloud-based data integrating software could fundamentally change the process of tumour board meetings, helping doctors make more informed, faster diagnoses and individualize treatments to each patient.

Tailoring therapies

Integrating data can have transformative effects across the entire healthcare ecosystem. GE Healthcare recently began a partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Centre (VUMC), to enable safer, more-precise immunotherapies.

The project will retrospectively analyse and correlate the immunotherapy responses of thousands of cancer patients with their demographic, genomic, tumour, cellular, proteomic, and imaging data. From here, AI-powered apps will help physicians identify the most suitable treatment for each patient.

Organising hospitals

A small but growing number of hospitals are implementing NASA-style mission control Command Centres to manage their functions and services. The goal is to address the capacity, safety, quality, and wait-time issues that have plagued healthcare.

A hospital Command Centre pulls in streams of data from various systems, generating analytics that help staff predict what will happen in the next 24 to 48 hours. The data is displayed on Command Centre screens and on tablets and mobile devices. This allows staff to focus on delivering care, rather than organizing it.

The Power Of Healthcare Data

Foreign Tradies Are Flocking To Australia

7 January, 2020

Foreign tradies are flocking to Australia to take thousands of jobs construction bosses can't get locals to fill

Visas for mechanics, chefs, carpenters and electricians rose by 34 per cent
The figure comes after the Government vowed to give locals first pick of all jobs
Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said there aren’t enough locals to fill positions

Foreign workers are flooding into Australia to take thousands of jobs construction bosses can’t get locals to fill. New figures reveal the number of Australians taking up trades has declined over the past six years, while more temporary skilled worker visas are being handed out than ever before.

Visas granted for mechanics, chefs, welders, carpenters and electricians rose from 7,200 to 9,200 nationally from 2018 to 2019. In Queensland, that figure rose from 880 to nearly 1,200 in the same time period. The statistics come after the government revamped foreign worker visas and vowed to give Australians first pick of all available jobs.

Opposition immigration spokeswoman Kristina Keneally asked why the Coalition were letting the number of people on foreign worker visas grow – particularly in Queensland.

‘It’s clear the Morrison Government’s changes to the 457 visa system two years ago were an attempt to cover up their failure to train Queensland workers for Queensland jobs,’ she said.

Labor education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said the Coalition had created a ‘serious tradie shortage’ in the state.

‘Scott Morrison’s cuts to TAFE mean Queenslanders aren’t being trained in these critical trades,’ she said.

Other members of the Labor party said the Coalition Government ‘failed to train Queenslanders’.

But acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge maintained bosses only hire foreign workers when they can’t find locals to do the job.

‘We don’t want to hold up major projects in Australia because of lack of qualified people,’ he said.

The number of foreign tradies being accepted into the country was much higher than other jobs including managers, community workers, administration and sales.

Australia faces skills shortage due to failed training

More Great News About Australian Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs)

6 January, 2020

BOOSTING AUSTRALIA'S POPULATION: DAMA II MARKS SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR

Northern Territory businesses sought to fill 520 positions with skilled migrants in 2019 – a 263 per cent year-on-year increase – following a major change to the NT’s Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA).

DAMA II, a bilateral agreement between the Northern Territory and Federal Governments, came into effect on January 1, 2019 with the inclusion of a pathway to permanent residency.

Unlike the first DAMA between the two jurisdictions, DAMA II visa holders can apply for permanent residency after working in the Territory for at least three years.

As a result of this inclusion, local businesses have requested to fill 520 positions with skilled migrants in the first year of DAMA II – almost equalling the 573 positions sought for the entire four years of the first DAMA.

So far, 52 local businesses have been endorsed by MigrationNT and have entered into Labour Agreements with the Department of Home Affairs. These businesses can now hire overseas workers in positions they have not been able to fill by Australians.

A further 37 businesses have received endorsement from MigrationNT and are working with Home Affairs in finalising Labour Agreements.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said his government advocated for the inclusion of the pathway to permanent residency in the second agreement, after listening to Territory business owners.

“The Territory Labor Government’s number one priority is jobs for Territorians but access to, and retention of, a suitably skilled workforce is a key issue for many employers,” Mr Gunner said.

“That’s why our government fought hard for the inclusion of the pathway to permanent residency (PPR) in the DAMA II, to support our Territory businesses to fill job shortages with skilled international migrants and to keep workers in the Territory long term.”

The new agreement identifies 117 shortage occupations, which employers can apply to fill with skilled international workers, up by 36 on the first DAMA.

“We knew this new PPR and the addition of 36 extra occupations would appeal to Territory businesses and the huge increase in businesses seeking to fill positions with skilled migrants in the first year has proven it,” Mr Gunner said.

“Every Territorian benefits when we attract more people to the Territory. More people means more jobs and a stronger economy, which means better schools, better hospitals and more police.”

Employers who apply to fill positions with overseas nationals must first demonstrate they have been unable to fill the position locally.

“Our first priority is always to fill jobs with Australians, but the immigration system can play an important role in helping to address regional skills gaps,” Mr Tudge said.

“DAMA II provides a platform for local businesses to access the skills they need to meet their specific workforce requirements, where they have demonstrated Australians are not available to fill those jobs.

“Importantly, by giving local businesses the tools to attract skilled workers and boost the population of regional areas, we create more local jobs and a thriving economy.”

The first four year DAMA between the Federal and NT Governments commenced in 2015 and was the first in Australia where a broader range of shortage occupations was available than those identified in standard skilled migration programs.

DAMA II is a five year agreement between the two jurisdictions.

Australian DAMA Visa - TSS 482 to 186 visa PR - Age English Salary + Occupations - DAMA NT SA VIC

Why Australia Is The Next Place To Expand Your Business

3 January, 2020

Australia's Dynamic Industries

The Australian Government welcomes foreign investment. As the Australian Government’s investment promotion agency, Austrade works to inform investors about growth opportunities in five areas which play to our strengths, jointly agreed by Australian and State and Territory Governments:

Agribusiness and food
Major infrastructure
Tourism infrastructure
Resources and energy
Advanced manufacturing, services and technology

Within advanced manufacturing, services and technology, Austrade focuses on highlighting growth opportunities for investment in Australian medical and materials sciences and technologies, and digital technologies.

Australia has achieved significant global success in the energy and resources, agribusiness, education, tourism and financial services industries.

The country is also developing and commercialising new disruptive technologies in a range of sectors, including agriculture, education, financial services and healthcare.

Australia is renowned for its resources sector, upon which Asia continues to rely to help fuel its industrialisation. Australian agricultural commodities and premium food are in high demand worldwide, as are its tourism, education, wealth management, healthcare and professional services.

Australia is:

the world’s largest producer of gold, iron ore and uranium
a major global producer of agricultural commodities
a leader in investment management, with the sixth largest pool of funds under management in the world
the world’s third most popular destination for students
the seventh largest international tourism market.

GLOBALLY SUCCESSFUL IN FIVE KEY INDUSTRIES

Australia is a major producer of in-demand agricultural commodities, premium food and natural resources. The nation is a leading destination for international tourists and students in tertiary education. It also has large, expanding, sophisticated financial markets, including the world’s sixth largest pool of managed fund assets.

A LEADER IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Australia’s transition to a services-based economy is driving the development of new technologies in agriculture, education, financial services and health, among other sectors. This includes the use of blockchain in finance, immersive simulation technologies in education, robotics in medical procedures and the Internet of Things in agriculture.

ABUNDANT RESERVES OF MINERAL AND ENERGY RESOURCES

Australia’s natural resources continue to be a vital contributor to the nation’s wealth. It has the world’s largest resources of iron ore, gold, lead, zinc, nickel, rutile and zircon, as well as the second largest bauxite, cobalt, silver and copper reserves. Australia also has the world’s largest uranium reserves and the second largest brown coal deposits, enabling it to play an important role in supplying the world’s energy needs.

Why Australia is the next place to expand your business

Australia Holds World Record For Longest Period Of Growth Among Developed Economies

2 January, 2020

Austrade estimates that Australia holds the record for the longest period of recession-free growth for a developed economy

According to the latest National Accounts figures recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia holds the record for the longest period of recession-free growth for a developed economy.

The latest outcome is a positive sign that Australia’s economy is maintaining the solid momentum and has entered its 28th year of uninterrupted annual economic growth.

Australia is the only country in the developed world with a period of uninterrupted economic growth of this length, based on the typically recognised definition of an economic recession being a decline in GDP for two or more consecutive quarters.

All 34 member countries in the Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development (OECD) have experienced at least one period of two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth since 1991. Many of these economies experienced two episodes of negative growth during that period – one in 2001 following the collapse of the ‘dot.com bubble’, and one during the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC).

The period since 1991 is the longest growth phase Australia has recorded for at least the past 50 years. It has seen the economy register an average growth rate of 3.2% per annum.

The next longest period, during which Australia’s economic year-ended growth remained positive was between 1961 and 1971. In the 1970s and 1980s, Australia’s growth phases lasted only seven or eight years before another recession hit.

On a quarter-to-quarter basis national accounts figures represented the 104th positive growth rate since the economy started to recover in Q3 1991, following the two consecutive negative growth rates in Q1 and Q2 1991.

By Austrade’s count, Australia’s consecutive quarters of positive growth have now exceeded all OECD member countries including the Netherlands (96 quarters between Q1 1982 to Q2 2008), Ireland (78 between Q3 1986 and Q1 2007), South Korea (77 since the Asian Financial Crisis in 1998) and Canada (68 between Q2 1991 and Q3 2008).

Australia’s economic resilience over the past two decades has been the envy of many countries. Australia sailed through the Asian economic crisis of 1997–98, prospered through the US stock market bust and recession of 2001 and continued to grow through the GFC of 2008–09.

Australia has managed to deliver a solid economic performance relative to other developed economies, while adjusting to the end of its mining boom of the 2000s.

The nation is expected to realise an average annual real GDP growth of 2.7% between 2019 and 2023, according to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook October 2018. The latest average growth rate over the next five years is the highest among major advanced economies and up from an average growth rate of 2.6% between 2014 and 2018.

Australia's GDP growth is 'unmatched by any other developed nation'

Australia Relaxes English Requirement For Migrant Farm Workers & Offers Pathway To Permanent Residency

31 December, 2019

Great Opportunities For Migrant Farm Workers In Australia

Australian horticulture farmers will be able to sponsor overseas workers to work in their farms from next year with the Australian government relaxing English language requirements and offering a pathway to permanent residency to skilled and semi-skilled foreign workers.

Around Australia farmers grappling with difficulties in hiring and retaining farm workers, have been demanding a standalone Agriculture visa. While the Federal Government isn’t amenable to the idea, it has introduced a few measures, including allowing farmers to sponsor overseas workers.

The government has announced special labour agreements with the horticulture industry that will allow farmers to hire skilled and low-skilled migrant workers where Australian workers aren’t available.

The arrangement commencing on January 1, 2020 offers the workers concessions in the English language requirements and minimum salary that a sponsoring employer is required to pay them.

“Our first priority is always to fill jobs with Australians, but the immigration system can play an important role in helping to address regional skills gaps and grow local economies,” Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alan Tudge said.

Horticulture employers will be able to apply to the Department of Home Affairs to sponsor migrant workers to come to Australia to work in one of the 31 approved occupations under the new arrangement.

Agriculture Minister Senator McKenzie said the arrangement will address the desperate need for workers in rural and regional Australia.

“This is about recognising that horticulture is a developed industry and requires a skilled workforce to continue to grow,” Ms McKenzie said.

We are working with a number of regional areas to assist in filling their skills gaps so Contact us for a confidential discussion and refer family, friends and colleagues and be rewarded.

Come Live Our Philausophy

Australian Visas: What’s Changed From 1st July 2019

30 December, 2019

Level of immigration to Australia had the centre stage

The level of immigration to Australia had the centre stage for the better part of this last year with the Government announcing some of the most significant changes seen in the recent years.

Some of the most significant changes to Australia’s immigration system in recent years took effect this year.

Immigration cap lowered:

Following months of posturing on the issue of growing congestion in Sydney and Melbourne, the Federal Government announced in March this year that it will cut back Australia’s annual permanent immigration intake to 160,000. The intake has been capped at 190,000 since 2011 but the actual intake fell to just over 162,000 in 2017-18 for the first time in over a decade.

The impact of the overall cut will be absorbed by Skilled Independent visas that allowed people to live and work anywhere in Australia.

The government said the cap will be maintained for the next four years.

New regional visas:

The government also announced an increase in the number of visa places for regional Australia with 23,000 skilled visas being reserved for those willing to live and work in the regions.

The two new provisional regional visas were introduced in November this year – Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa and Skilled Work Regional Visa will have 9,000 and 14,000 places respectively within the annual immigration cap of 160,000.

Visa holders of these subclasses will be required to spend at least three years in regional areas in order to become eligible to apply for permanent residency, instead of two years. A new regional permanent visa will be introduced in 2022.

International students will be able to access an additional year of post-study visa if they study in an educational institute in the regions, outside of Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and southeast Queensland.

Extra points for skilled migration:

Visa applicants sponsored or nominated for these regional visas will have the benefit of five extra points towards their points test.

The government has also announced an additional 10 points for applicants with a skilled spouse and for those without a spouse. There are extra points for qualifications in STEM subjects as well.

New parent visa:

The new Temporary Sponsored Parent visa applications are being accepted from 1 July 2019. The visa – first promised ahead of the 2016 federal election – is being made available this year after the legislation it was tied to passed through the federal parliament in October last year.

The new visa is linked to a sponsorship framework under which Australian citizen or permanent residents have to first apply to become approved sponsors. Once they are approved as sponsors, their parents will be able to apply for the visa that will allow them to stay in Australia for a continuous period of up to five years with a single opportunity for renewal. The total number of visas issued is capped at 15,000 per year.

Citizenship changes abandoned:

According to media reports, the Federal Government has abandoned the legislation that would have made migrants to wait longer and prove they have competent English proficiency before they could apply for Australian citizenship.

After the Bill passed through the House of Representatives, it was struck off the Senate notice paper in October 2017 due to a joint opposition by the Greens, Labor and some cross bench senators.

Since then, the government had softened its stand on English requirements, scaling it down to ‘moderate’, but couldn’t get the required support to pass it in the Senate.

There are currently significant opportunities throughout Australia across a broad range of occupations.

Australia is the most successful multi cultural country in the world so Contact us for a confidential discussion and refer family, friends and colleagues and be rewarded.

Boundless Possible In Australia