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Singapore's way of managing its own currency.
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IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here. The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.
Why Australia Sucks!!!
- Thread starter StinkiePeasants
- Start date
Singapore's way of managing its own currency.
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Google lah. I have no time to spoon feed people these days.
Busy investing why Europeans eg Dutch, German, Swiss etc are busy bringing tons of gold back from New York.
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-29/koukoulas-higher-wages-fewer-jobs-its-not-that-simple/6052010
[h=1]Higher wages, fewer jobs? It's not that simple[/h]Opinion By Stephen Koukoulas
Posted Thu at 5:19amThu 29 Jan 2015, 5:19am
Photo: If wages are too low, employment will be weaker and the economy poorer for it. (Alan Porritt: AAP)
To suggest that minimum wages are a path to poverty is emotive and arrogantly assumes workers will work for whatever pay is offered to them, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
The Institute of Public Affairs' Chris Berg reckons set minimum wages are "creating a poverty trap" given the laws do not allow firms to pay a wage below the legislated minimum which at the moment is $16.87 an hour.
This is not correct.
In his article in The Drum, Berg rightly notes that the laws of supply and demand work in the labour market, and he refers to a range of research papers that conclude that if the price of labour is too high, driven by a minimum wage, then employers will "shrink their workforces" which means less employment and higher unemployment.
Like many other low-wage proponents, Berg looks at the market dynamics of the labour force only from the demand side; that is, how much labour firms will demand given a particular minimum wage. The higher the wage, the lower the demand for labour; and the lower the wage rates, the higher the demand for labour. The issue of supply, which is an individual's willingness to supply their labour services for a given wage, is ignored.
The debate on wages and labour market flexibility needs to be framed around the fact that higher minimum wages increase workforce participation and when set with an eye to prevailing economic conditions, they increase the employment to population ratio.
Indeed, Australia's recent economic history in the period around 2008 to 2010 shows that the high point for participation and the employment to population ratio coincided with high wages growth and exceptionally low unemployment. Minimum wages were not a deterrent to the unemployment rate hitting 4 per cent or the employment to population ratio hitting a record high of 62.9 per cent.
To try to make his point, Berg wondered what would happen if the minimum wage were $168.70 an hour and not the current $16.87. He said, correctly, that demand for labour would be very limited, but he ignored the prospect of many people who had been outside the labour force (retirement or study for example) offering to supply their labour services for that sort of pay. The participation rate would boom, even if most of the new entrants to the workforce would be unemployed. I mention this to emphasise that the supply and demand dynamics of the labour market cut both ways.
For the low wage proponents and using Berg's musings again, how many workers would be willing to go to work if the minimum wage was cut to $8 an hour, or $4 an hour? What about zero dollars an hour, which is as ridiculous as the $168.70 Berg used to make his point. At these low wage rates, there is no doubt that demand for labour from employers would rise quite incredibly - firms would hire every possible worker at those rates, but how many workers would provide their services in such circumstances? At zero dollars, no one would.
This is the critical issue rarely, if ever, dealt with by those arguing against minimum wages.
It is also critical to note that periods of low wages growth generally coincide with falling workforce participation. Macroeconomic policy makers find this undesirable. The recent experience in the United States shows this all too clearly. The participation rate is currently below 63 per cent, down from 68 per cent before the financial crisis. Over these last seven years, wages growth has plummeted to rates at or below the inflation rate. In other words, low wages encourage people to withdraw their labour - stay out of the labour force.
In Australia, the same phenomenon is unfolding, albeit less starkly. The workforce participation rate has dropped by half a percentage point since late 2012 during which time annual wages growth has fallen from above 3.5 per cent to record lows of 2.6 per cent. Here is another example of workers reacting to disappointing pay prospects by withholding their labour.
There is a further critical element with minimum wage settings - savings to employers. When a firm is expanding and needs an additional worker, the minimum wage is the benchmark that it uses to hire extra workers. At the same time, the potential additional worker knows this wage when they apply for the vacancy. There is no expensive red tape for the business of drawing up specific contracts - negotiating the pay and terms and conditions with each applicant for the role - and there is no risk of disputes if the person successfully negotiates a higher pay rate than the existing workforce.
It would be time-consuming and expensive for large firms to negotiate with each worker on their appointment and as each contract came up for renewal. With a set minimum wage, this red tape is eliminated from the cost of doing business.
It is also possible that the minimum wage turns out to be lower than the worker might have negotiated with the employer if there was no set minimum wage. The more savvy negotiators might eke out a few extra dollars over and above the minimum which of course employers may be willing to pay without the guidelines of a minimum wage.
To suggest minimum wages are a path to poverty is emotive and arrogantly assumes workers will work for whatever pay is offered to them. Workers have some discretion to supply their labour or not, and if wages are too low, employment will be weaker and the economy poorer for it.
Stephen Koukoulas is a research fellow at Per Capita, a progressive think tank.
[h=1]Higher wages, fewer jobs? It's not that simple[/h]Opinion By Stephen Koukoulas
Posted Thu at 5:19amThu 29 Jan 2015, 5:19am
Photo: If wages are too low, employment will be weaker and the economy poorer for it. (Alan Porritt: AAP) To suggest that minimum wages are a path to poverty is emotive and arrogantly assumes workers will work for whatever pay is offered to them, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
The Institute of Public Affairs' Chris Berg reckons set minimum wages are "creating a poverty trap" given the laws do not allow firms to pay a wage below the legislated minimum which at the moment is $16.87 an hour.
This is not correct.
In his article in The Drum, Berg rightly notes that the laws of supply and demand work in the labour market, and he refers to a range of research papers that conclude that if the price of labour is too high, driven by a minimum wage, then employers will "shrink their workforces" which means less employment and higher unemployment.
Like many other low-wage proponents, Berg looks at the market dynamics of the labour force only from the demand side; that is, how much labour firms will demand given a particular minimum wage. The higher the wage, the lower the demand for labour; and the lower the wage rates, the higher the demand for labour. The issue of supply, which is an individual's willingness to supply their labour services for a given wage, is ignored.
The debate on wages and labour market flexibility needs to be framed around the fact that higher minimum wages increase workforce participation and when set with an eye to prevailing economic conditions, they increase the employment to population ratio.
Indeed, Australia's recent economic history in the period around 2008 to 2010 shows that the high point for participation and the employment to population ratio coincided with high wages growth and exceptionally low unemployment. Minimum wages were not a deterrent to the unemployment rate hitting 4 per cent or the employment to population ratio hitting a record high of 62.9 per cent.
To try to make his point, Berg wondered what would happen if the minimum wage were $168.70 an hour and not the current $16.87. He said, correctly, that demand for labour would be very limited, but he ignored the prospect of many people who had been outside the labour force (retirement or study for example) offering to supply their labour services for that sort of pay. The participation rate would boom, even if most of the new entrants to the workforce would be unemployed. I mention this to emphasise that the supply and demand dynamics of the labour market cut both ways.
For the low wage proponents and using Berg's musings again, how many workers would be willing to go to work if the minimum wage was cut to $8 an hour, or $4 an hour? What about zero dollars an hour, which is as ridiculous as the $168.70 Berg used to make his point. At these low wage rates, there is no doubt that demand for labour from employers would rise quite incredibly - firms would hire every possible worker at those rates, but how many workers would provide their services in such circumstances? At zero dollars, no one would.
This is the critical issue rarely, if ever, dealt with by those arguing against minimum wages.
It is also critical to note that periods of low wages growth generally coincide with falling workforce participation. Macroeconomic policy makers find this undesirable. The recent experience in the United States shows this all too clearly. The participation rate is currently below 63 per cent, down from 68 per cent before the financial crisis. Over these last seven years, wages growth has plummeted to rates at or below the inflation rate. In other words, low wages encourage people to withdraw their labour - stay out of the labour force.
In Australia, the same phenomenon is unfolding, albeit less starkly. The workforce participation rate has dropped by half a percentage point since late 2012 during which time annual wages growth has fallen from above 3.5 per cent to record lows of 2.6 per cent. Here is another example of workers reacting to disappointing pay prospects by withholding their labour.
There is a further critical element with minimum wage settings - savings to employers. When a firm is expanding and needs an additional worker, the minimum wage is the benchmark that it uses to hire extra workers. At the same time, the potential additional worker knows this wage when they apply for the vacancy. There is no expensive red tape for the business of drawing up specific contracts - negotiating the pay and terms and conditions with each applicant for the role - and there is no risk of disputes if the person successfully negotiates a higher pay rate than the existing workforce.
It would be time-consuming and expensive for large firms to negotiate with each worker on their appointment and as each contract came up for renewal. With a set minimum wage, this red tape is eliminated from the cost of doing business.
It is also possible that the minimum wage turns out to be lower than the worker might have negotiated with the employer if there was no set minimum wage. The more savvy negotiators might eke out a few extra dollars over and above the minimum which of course employers may be willing to pay without the guidelines of a minimum wage.
To suggest minimum wages are a path to poverty is emotive and arrogantly assumes workers will work for whatever pay is offered to them. Workers have some discretion to supply their labour or not, and if wages are too low, employment will be weaker and the economy poorer for it.
Stephen Koukoulas is a research fellow at Per Capita, a progressive think tank.
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-...till-toxic-a-decade-after-workchoices/6053800
[h=1]IR reform: still toxic a decade after WorkChoices[/h]Opinion By ABC's Alan Kohler
Posted Thu at 6:40amThu 29 Jan 2015, 6:40am
Photo: Joe Hockey at Parliament House on June 4, 2014 (AAP: Gary Schafer)
The last thing the Coalition wants to do is turn the 2016 election into another WorkChoices referendum, so expect the PC inquiry into workplace relations to be largely sidelined, writes Alan Kohler.
The Productivity Commission last week put out five issues papers on the workplace relations framework and missed the biggest issue of them all: WorkChoices.
There was no reference to the 2005 legislation in the papers at all, but this is now the industrial relations issue that trumps all others.
Nine years after WorkChoices came into effect and eight years after it caused a change of government in a landslide, it is still the most powerful force against even a sensible discussion of industrial relations reform, especially anything proposed by the Coalition.
Aha! It's WorkChoices again! The ghost/zombie/kraken/four horsemen of the apocalypse/alien invasion is back! Tony Abbott is trying to raise the monster, having said it's dead, buried and cremated.
Treasurer Joe Hockey, who was given the manure sandwich of selling WorkChoices as Employment and Workplace Relations minister in January 2007, was out this week explaining that any changes to the system would be taken to the next election.
Which means that whatever the Productivity Commission proposes, nothing will happen. The last thing the Coalition will want to do is spend the next 18 months talking about wages and weekend penalty rates, and then turn the 2016 election into another WorkChoices referendum.
The reason the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005 (WorkChoices) was such a mistake was that it tried to do two big things at once: remove the no disadvantage test and cut the unions out of the system.
It allowed the unions to campaign about penalty rates and going backwards while actually protecting their monopoly on bargaining. If John Howard had simply legislated to allow non-union agreements to be certified but had kept the no disadvantage test to protect penalty rates, and put off that one for another day, he might have gotten away with it.
He might have even gotten away with removing the no disadvantage test if unions' position as negotiators and workers' protectors had been preserved, and if that had been put off for another day.
But trying to do both together was a big mistake that has set back the cause of workplace reform for decades (it's now one decade, and the ground is still toxic).
As minister in 2007, Hockey tried to recover the disaster by adding the "Fairness Test", but it was too late.
The ALP won the election, Howard lost his seat, and the Fairness Test was later replaced by the ALP with the "Better Off Overall Test" (BOOT). Not just "no disadvantage", but better off.
The Productivity Commission identified a lot of issues that it will inquire into and report on in November this year, but this is the main one.
It will essentially be an inquiry into minimum standards - that is, the minimum wage and whether a worker can be allowed to go backwards in a new agreement.
It's possible, but not certain, that the PC will recommend that sort of flexibility, but very unlikely that any political party would go to an election with that as part of their policy. "Vote for us and get paid less." I don't think so.
The restaurant industry has long since given up on getting rid of penalties and has been focusing on weekend surcharges instead. In 2013 they were exempted by the ACCC from printing separate menus for the weekends or showing two lists of prices on the same menu if surcharges apply.
Retailers need to work on something similar. The problem with weekend penalty rates only arises if the price is the same on Friday as on Saturday and Sunday, when costs are higher.
Businesses and the government might be better off just focusing on weekend prices instead of wages, and not let the perfect drive out the good.
And if wages and conditions are preserved in legislation, then perhaps the Coalition could get a streamlined, non-union negotiating system though the 2016 election, although even that might be a little too courageous, Minister.
Alan Kohler is finance presenter on ABC News. He tweets at @alankohler.
[h=1]IR reform: still toxic a decade after WorkChoices[/h]Opinion By ABC's Alan Kohler
Posted Thu at 6:40amThu 29 Jan 2015, 6:40am
Photo: Joe Hockey at Parliament House on June 4, 2014 (AAP: Gary Schafer) The last thing the Coalition wants to do is turn the 2016 election into another WorkChoices referendum, so expect the PC inquiry into workplace relations to be largely sidelined, writes Alan Kohler.
The Productivity Commission last week put out five issues papers on the workplace relations framework and missed the biggest issue of them all: WorkChoices.
There was no reference to the 2005 legislation in the papers at all, but this is now the industrial relations issue that trumps all others.
Nine years after WorkChoices came into effect and eight years after it caused a change of government in a landslide, it is still the most powerful force against even a sensible discussion of industrial relations reform, especially anything proposed by the Coalition.
Aha! It's WorkChoices again! The ghost/zombie/kraken/four horsemen of the apocalypse/alien invasion is back! Tony Abbott is trying to raise the monster, having said it's dead, buried and cremated.
Treasurer Joe Hockey, who was given the manure sandwich of selling WorkChoices as Employment and Workplace Relations minister in January 2007, was out this week explaining that any changes to the system would be taken to the next election.
Which means that whatever the Productivity Commission proposes, nothing will happen. The last thing the Coalition will want to do is spend the next 18 months talking about wages and weekend penalty rates, and then turn the 2016 election into another WorkChoices referendum.
The reason the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005 (WorkChoices) was such a mistake was that it tried to do two big things at once: remove the no disadvantage test and cut the unions out of the system.
It allowed the unions to campaign about penalty rates and going backwards while actually protecting their monopoly on bargaining. If John Howard had simply legislated to allow non-union agreements to be certified but had kept the no disadvantage test to protect penalty rates, and put off that one for another day, he might have gotten away with it.
He might have even gotten away with removing the no disadvantage test if unions' position as negotiators and workers' protectors had been preserved, and if that had been put off for another day.
But trying to do both together was a big mistake that has set back the cause of workplace reform for decades (it's now one decade, and the ground is still toxic).
As minister in 2007, Hockey tried to recover the disaster by adding the "Fairness Test", but it was too late.
The ALP won the election, Howard lost his seat, and the Fairness Test was later replaced by the ALP with the "Better Off Overall Test" (BOOT). Not just "no disadvantage", but better off.
The Productivity Commission identified a lot of issues that it will inquire into and report on in November this year, but this is the main one.
It will essentially be an inquiry into minimum standards - that is, the minimum wage and whether a worker can be allowed to go backwards in a new agreement.
It's possible, but not certain, that the PC will recommend that sort of flexibility, but very unlikely that any political party would go to an election with that as part of their policy. "Vote for us and get paid less." I don't think so.
The restaurant industry has long since given up on getting rid of penalties and has been focusing on weekend surcharges instead. In 2013 they were exempted by the ACCC from printing separate menus for the weekends or showing two lists of prices on the same menu if surcharges apply.
Retailers need to work on something similar. The problem with weekend penalty rates only arises if the price is the same on Friday as on Saturday and Sunday, when costs are higher.
Businesses and the government might be better off just focusing on weekend prices instead of wages, and not let the perfect drive out the good.
And if wages and conditions are preserved in legislation, then perhaps the Coalition could get a streamlined, non-union negotiating system though the 2016 election, although even that might be a little too courageous, Minister.
Alan Kohler is finance presenter on ABC News. He tweets at @alankohler.
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This bloke has reappeared after being sacked by News Corp.
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Must have ticked off the anti minimum wage lobby,,like large corporations and cheap ass business owners
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thxs neddy,i ma just kidding with ash, in fact i like to do research on on internet.
as for why europeansare bringing back gold, here is what i found...http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-...-bank-secretly-withdrew-122-tons-gold-new-yor
as for why europeansare bringing back gold, here is what i found...http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-...-bank-secretly-withdrew-122-tons-gold-new-yor
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Abbot will survive unless he resigns himself. But weather he can win the next election is questionable. The Liberals have a different management structure than Labour,,,right now his team is sticking by him,,and those that can challenge him are weary of getting the PM job as its a poison chalice. And also Rudd was overthrown by the faceless men of the Labour party,,the Liberals 'faceless men' are not that powerful and not as factionalised as Labour. In addition Abbot is in trouble as he have fallen under the thumb of big businesses, MNCs etc...but if these interest groups dont back him,,,they have no one else to bet on,,,but all in all,,politicians are a bunch of assholes,,,
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-01/abbott-determined-to-stay-on-as-pm/6060490
[h=1]Tony Abbott says he will not resign in wake of LNP's Queensland rout; result described as 'catastrophic' by federal MPs[/h] By political reporter James Bennett
Updated about 2 hours agoSun 1 Feb 2015, 3:56pm
YouTube: Abbott: Lessons to be learned from Queensland election
Photo: Tony Abbott has told reporters he is determined to stay on as PM (ABC News)
Related Story: Abbott 'terminally wounded' after LNP's 'catastrophic' Qld rout: MPs
Related Story: Senior MPs rally behind PM amid leadership speculation
Map: Australia
Tony Abbott says he remains determined to continue as Prime Minister, in spite of reports the Queensland election result has doomed his leadership.
Some federal Coalition MPs have described the LNP's loss in Queensland as "catastrophic" for the party and potentially terminal for Mr Abbott's leadership.
Queensland MPs Jane Prentice and Warren Entsch have both said there now need to be "discussions" about the issue, but Tony Abbott says he will not resign.
"The people of Australia elected me as Prime Minister and they elected my government to get on with the job of governing our country," he told reporters in Sydney today.
"The important thing is not to navel-gaze, it's not to look at ourselves, it's to get on with the job of being a better Government."
Mr Abbott attributed the LNP's Queensland defeat to state issues, but did acknowledge that his decision to knight Prince Philip had hurt Campbell Newman's campaign.
"It was a distraction for a couple of days, I accept that and I very much regret that," Mr Abbott said.
Earlier Federal Attorney-General and Queensland senator George Brandis moved to quash speculation of a challenge to Mr Abbott's leadership.
"The Cabinet is determinedly, unitedly and strongly behind the Prime Minister," Senator Brandis said on Sky News this morning.
"There is absolutely no appetite among the vast majority of my colleagues for this issue to arise or even to be visited."
Senior ministers Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull shared similar responses when asked separately about the Prime Minister's leadership and a potential challenge.
"The Prime Minister has my support. Next question," Ms Bishop said.
Mr Turnbull spoke to reporters from Los Angeles.
"The Prime Minister has my support. I'm a member of the Government, he has the support of the Government," he said.
[h=2]Abbott's approval rating just 27 per cent: poll[/h]A Galaxy poll published today in News Limited newspapers has Labor leading the Liberal-National Coalition 57 points to 43 on a two-party preferred basis.
Mr Abbott's personal approval rating is just 27 per cent.
While also backing the Prime Minister, another Queensland Liberal, Warren Entsch, this morning said the leadership needed to be addressed.
"I think there's some more discussions that need to be had," Mr Entsch said.
"I'll certainly be part of those discussions."
Mr Entsch also conceded that the Prime Minister's decision to award a knighthood to Prince Philip had played a part in the LNP's loss in Queensland.
"People certainly suggest knighting the Duke of Edinburgh did not go over well in Queensland and it may have influenced some people's vote," he said.
Senator Brandis was more forthright, describing the knighthood issue as a "dangerous distraction" in the final week of campaigning.
"That one issue created a distraction that caused the Newman Government to lose momentum," he said.
Senator Brandis acknowledged that the result would have "federal implications", but firmly rejected suggestions it would bring the leadership issue to a head.
"The Prime Minister has the overwhelming support of the party room.
"There is no widespread appetite in the Liberal Party for a leadership change.
"We would be crazy to repeat the experience of the last Labor government, which failed because it tore down an elected leader."
Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss this morning conceded the federal Coalition had to learn from the election result.
"That agenda has been frustrated in the Senate because many of the good things we wanted to do we haven't been able to," he said.
"On the other hand we need to do more to explain to people at the federal level that we have delivered."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has told the ABC's Insiders program that there were "federal issues at stake" in Queensland.
Mr Shorten said the leadership was "up to the Liberal Party", but said the result should be seen as a rejection of the Federal Government's policies.
"If they think it's the salesman, not what they're selling, then they will have learnt nothing."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-01/abbott-determined-to-stay-on-as-pm/6060490
[h=1]Tony Abbott says he will not resign in wake of LNP's Queensland rout; result described as 'catastrophic' by federal MPs[/h] By political reporter James Bennett
Updated about 2 hours agoSun 1 Feb 2015, 3:56pm
YouTube: Abbott: Lessons to be learned from Queensland election
Photo: Tony Abbott has told reporters he is determined to stay on as PM (ABC News)
Related Story: Abbott 'terminally wounded' after LNP's 'catastrophic' Qld rout: MPs
Related Story: Senior MPs rally behind PM amid leadership speculation
Map: Australia
Tony Abbott says he remains determined to continue as Prime Minister, in spite of reports the Queensland election result has doomed his leadership.
Some federal Coalition MPs have described the LNP's loss in Queensland as "catastrophic" for the party and potentially terminal for Mr Abbott's leadership.
Queensland MPs Jane Prentice and Warren Entsch have both said there now need to be "discussions" about the issue, but Tony Abbott says he will not resign.
"The people of Australia elected me as Prime Minister and they elected my government to get on with the job of governing our country," he told reporters in Sydney today.
"The important thing is not to navel-gaze, it's not to look at ourselves, it's to get on with the job of being a better Government."
Mr Abbott attributed the LNP's Queensland defeat to state issues, but did acknowledge that his decision to knight Prince Philip had hurt Campbell Newman's campaign.
"It was a distraction for a couple of days, I accept that and I very much regret that," Mr Abbott said.
Earlier Federal Attorney-General and Queensland senator George Brandis moved to quash speculation of a challenge to Mr Abbott's leadership.
"The Cabinet is determinedly, unitedly and strongly behind the Prime Minister," Senator Brandis said on Sky News this morning.
"There is absolutely no appetite among the vast majority of my colleagues for this issue to arise or even to be visited."
Senior ministers Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull shared similar responses when asked separately about the Prime Minister's leadership and a potential challenge.
"The Prime Minister has my support. Next question," Ms Bishop said.
Mr Turnbull spoke to reporters from Los Angeles.
"The Prime Minister has my support. I'm a member of the Government, he has the support of the Government," he said.
[h=2]Abbott's approval rating just 27 per cent: poll[/h]A Galaxy poll published today in News Limited newspapers has Labor leading the Liberal-National Coalition 57 points to 43 on a two-party preferred basis.
Mr Abbott's personal approval rating is just 27 per cent.
While also backing the Prime Minister, another Queensland Liberal, Warren Entsch, this morning said the leadership needed to be addressed.
"I think there's some more discussions that need to be had," Mr Entsch said.
"I'll certainly be part of those discussions."
Mr Entsch also conceded that the Prime Minister's decision to award a knighthood to Prince Philip had played a part in the LNP's loss in Queensland.
"People certainly suggest knighting the Duke of Edinburgh did not go over well in Queensland and it may have influenced some people's vote," he said.
Senator Brandis was more forthright, describing the knighthood issue as a "dangerous distraction" in the final week of campaigning.
"That one issue created a distraction that caused the Newman Government to lose momentum," he said.
Senator Brandis acknowledged that the result would have "federal implications", but firmly rejected suggestions it would bring the leadership issue to a head.
"The Prime Minister has the overwhelming support of the party room.
"There is no widespread appetite in the Liberal Party for a leadership change.
"We would be crazy to repeat the experience of the last Labor government, which failed because it tore down an elected leader."
Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss this morning conceded the federal Coalition had to learn from the election result.
"That agenda has been frustrated in the Senate because many of the good things we wanted to do we haven't been able to," he said.
"On the other hand we need to do more to explain to people at the federal level that we have delivered."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has told the ABC's Insiders program that there were "federal issues at stake" in Queensland.
Mr Shorten said the leadership was "up to the Liberal Party", but said the result should be seen as a rejection of the Federal Government's policies.
"If they think it's the salesman, not what they're selling, then they will have learnt nothing."
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2009
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- 13,736
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Lower gasoline prices weren't enough to help Australians overcome worries about the overall economy, jobs and the nation's tight budget, with consumer confidence falling for the second week in a row. The new level of 112.4 in the ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index is the weakest reading in the past five easing cycles
SYDNEY, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Consumer confidence in Australia has continued to fall despite cheaper petrol prices and the chance of another interest rate cut, according to a new survey released on Tuesday.
The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index fell by 0.7 percent to 112.4 in the week ending Feb. 1 following a fall of 0.4 percent the previous week.
"The response of confidence to rate cuts is now the weakest of the last five easing cycles with concerns around the federal budget, the economic outlook and job security weighing on sentiment in 2014," ANZ chief economist Warren Hogan said in a statement.
"However, the initial response of confidence to rate cuts was closer to normal, with the added cash flow from lower rates and higher house prices providing a moderate boost to sentiment. This suggests that further rate cuts could provide some boost to confidence in coming months."
Economists last week said Australian households had received a 7 billion Australian dollar (5.45 billion U.S. dollar) benefit from cheaper petrol, equating to a 15 Australian dollar (11.7 U.S. dollar) benefit per family.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will decide on interest rate cuts later on Tuesday and Hogan said the central bank needed to ensure the local economy is boosted in the coming years.
"The RBA can do that by emphasizing that lower petrol prices provide both extra cash flow to consumers and businesses, as well as a lower inflation trajectory which gives the scope to lower interest rates," he said.
"As such, this extra push to the economy should see growth accelerate back to trend in 2016 and 2017."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/business/2015-02/03/c_133966230.htm
SYDNEY, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Consumer confidence in Australia has continued to fall despite cheaper petrol prices and the chance of another interest rate cut, according to a new survey released on Tuesday.
The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index fell by 0.7 percent to 112.4 in the week ending Feb. 1 following a fall of 0.4 percent the previous week.
"The response of confidence to rate cuts is now the weakest of the last five easing cycles with concerns around the federal budget, the economic outlook and job security weighing on sentiment in 2014," ANZ chief economist Warren Hogan said in a statement.
"However, the initial response of confidence to rate cuts was closer to normal, with the added cash flow from lower rates and higher house prices providing a moderate boost to sentiment. This suggests that further rate cuts could provide some boost to confidence in coming months."
Economists last week said Australian households had received a 7 billion Australian dollar (5.45 billion U.S. dollar) benefit from cheaper petrol, equating to a 15 Australian dollar (11.7 U.S. dollar) benefit per family.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will decide on interest rate cuts later on Tuesday and Hogan said the central bank needed to ensure the local economy is boosted in the coming years.
"The RBA can do that by emphasizing that lower petrol prices provide both extra cash flow to consumers and businesses, as well as a lower inflation trajectory which gives the scope to lower interest rates," he said.
"As such, this extra push to the economy should see growth accelerate back to trend in 2016 and 2017."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/business/2015-02/03/c_133966230.htm
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Shit weather...
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-...tro-as-storm-rolls-through/6064048?section=wa
[h=1]Hail, lightning to hit Perth metro as storm rolls through[/h] Updated Mon at 8:54pmMon 2 Feb 2015, 8:54pm
Photo: Hail, possible flash flooding and damaging winds are expected in a storm bearing down on Perth this afternoon. (ABC News: Robert Koenig-Luck)
Map: Perth 6000
A storm front was expected to bring hail, damaging winds and possible flash flooding to Perth Monday afternoon and evening.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a storm warning for people west of a line between Carnarvon and Mandurah.
A front which swept through the city about 1:30pm knocked out power to about 16,000 homes across Perth, in suburbs including Swan View, Stratton, Seville Grove and Jane Brook.
Power had been restored to 12,000 homes, but 4,000 remained blacked out at 8:00pm Monday.
The bureau said that while this weather was not unusual for this time of the year, the storm could damage homes and make travel dangerous.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is advising people to close curtains and blinds, and stay inside away from the windows.
Electrical appliances should be unplugged, and people should not be swimming, boating or surfing on the river or ocean, DFES said.
Drivers were advised to slow down, switch on lights and keep a safe distance from other drivers.
Showers were predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday, with the chance of thunderstorms.
A top of 36 degrees Celsius was predicted for Tuesday.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-...tro-as-storm-rolls-through/6064048?section=wa
[h=1]Hail, lightning to hit Perth metro as storm rolls through[/h] Updated Mon at 8:54pmMon 2 Feb 2015, 8:54pm
Photo: Hail, possible flash flooding and damaging winds are expected in a storm bearing down on Perth this afternoon. (ABC News: Robert Koenig-Luck) Map: Perth 6000
A storm front was expected to bring hail, damaging winds and possible flash flooding to Perth Monday afternoon and evening.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a storm warning for people west of a line between Carnarvon and Mandurah.
A front which swept through the city about 1:30pm knocked out power to about 16,000 homes across Perth, in suburbs including Swan View, Stratton, Seville Grove and Jane Brook.
Power had been restored to 12,000 homes, but 4,000 remained blacked out at 8:00pm Monday.
The bureau said that while this weather was not unusual for this time of the year, the storm could damage homes and make travel dangerous.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is advising people to close curtains and blinds, and stay inside away from the windows.
Electrical appliances should be unplugged, and people should not be swimming, boating or surfing on the river or ocean, DFES said.
Drivers were advised to slow down, switch on lights and keep a safe distance from other drivers.
Showers were predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday, with the chance of thunderstorms.
A top of 36 degrees Celsius was predicted for Tuesday.
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And the weather for next week...
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/s...-spread-across-all-of-wa-20150205-137fk8.html
[h=1]Severe heatwave set to spread across all of WA[/h] Date
February 5, 2015 - 6:48PM
It's going to be hot, hot, hot across much of WA over the next week. Photo: Photo Bohdan Warchomij
Western Australia, NSW and Victoria are set to sizzle during a severe heatwave that is likely to linger for at least a week.
Intense heat into the mid-to-high 40s is building across northern WA.
The heat will spread across virtually all of WA and across southern Australia from Friday.
The Bureau of Meteorology says that by Sunday, severe heatwave conditions will be established across WA, the southern half of NSW and most of Victoria, with maximum temperatures across both eastern states to remain about the 40C mark until at least Thursday next week.
BOM spokesman Tony Leggett said a slow-moving high pressure system over the Great Australian Bight would produce hot, dry winds across the continent.
"Frontal systems which are often cool changes in southern Australia are being pushed south by the high, so they will have little effect for the next week.
The northern monsoon has also weakened, Mr Leggett said, and is not expected to return until the middle of next week at least, allowing northern WA to heat dramatically.
"If you don't have that monsoon cloud and rain, you don't have that cooling effect," Mr Leggett said.
Marble Bar, in the Pilbara, will not see a day below 43C in the next week, hitting 47C on Monday and Tuesday and 48C on Wednesday.
Gascoyne Junction in WA has a similar forecast, with a top of 48C by Tuesday and Wednesday.
After a mild week this week, temperatures in northern Victoria and southern NSW will jump to the mid-30C range on Friday, with a sustained run of temperatures in the high-30s to mid-40s for the following five days.
While none of the capitals is in the heatwave zone, Mr Leggett said hot days are still expected in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth.
Mr Leggett its unclear when the heatwave will end.
- AAP
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/s...-spread-across-all-of-wa-20150205-137fk8.html
[h=1]Severe heatwave set to spread across all of WA[/h] Date
February 5, 2015 - 6:48PM
It's going to be hot, hot, hot across much of WA over the next week. Photo: Photo Bohdan Warchomij
Western Australia, NSW and Victoria are set to sizzle during a severe heatwave that is likely to linger for at least a week.
Intense heat into the mid-to-high 40s is building across northern WA.
The heat will spread across virtually all of WA and across southern Australia from Friday.
The Bureau of Meteorology says that by Sunday, severe heatwave conditions will be established across WA, the southern half of NSW and most of Victoria, with maximum temperatures across both eastern states to remain about the 40C mark until at least Thursday next week.
BOM spokesman Tony Leggett said a slow-moving high pressure system over the Great Australian Bight would produce hot, dry winds across the continent.
"Frontal systems which are often cool changes in southern Australia are being pushed south by the high, so they will have little effect for the next week.
The northern monsoon has also weakened, Mr Leggett said, and is not expected to return until the middle of next week at least, allowing northern WA to heat dramatically.
"If you don't have that monsoon cloud and rain, you don't have that cooling effect," Mr Leggett said.
Marble Bar, in the Pilbara, will not see a day below 43C in the next week, hitting 47C on Monday and Tuesday and 48C on Wednesday.
Gascoyne Junction in WA has a similar forecast, with a top of 48C by Tuesday and Wednesday.
After a mild week this week, temperatures in northern Victoria and southern NSW will jump to the mid-30C range on Friday, with a sustained run of temperatures in the high-30s to mid-40s for the following five days.
While none of the capitals is in the heatwave zone, Mr Leggett said hot days are still expected in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth.
Mr Leggett its unclear when the heatwave will end.
- AAP
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- Jul 17, 2011
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- 10,331
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-07/penalty-rates-under-fire-ahead-of-fair-work-commission/6077582
[h=1]Weekend, public holiday penalty rates should be cut, business groups to tell Fair Work Commission[/h] AM
By Louise Crealy
Updated about an hour agoSat 7 Feb 2015, 3:17pm
Business groups plan to push for a reduction in weekend penalty rates when they front the Fair Work Commission.
The retail sector award was one of many rates being examined in a review still underway by the Commission, which last year saw a 25 per cent reduction in Sunday rates for casuals working in hospitality.
Individual industries, retail and hospitality, want the Commission to consider each award individually.
Particular focus will be on Sunday rates and public holiday pay, which employers say lead to restaurant and shop closures, low productivity and dissatisfaction from customers.
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) will make a claim to have Sunday penalty rates slashed by 50 per cent.
ARA director Russell Zimmerman said Sunday rates in particular were a huge issue for retailers, and double time rates were not sustainable.
"Retailers are paying double time or 100 per cent on Sunday. So that means that rates are sitting up, getting close to around $50 an hour on a Sunday for a senior retail employee," he said.
"And it's just not sustainable in this day and age to be paying that kind of rate on a Sunday.
"But I think the important part is, particularly in the restaurant and catering industry, obviously you can put a surcharge on your meals, but you can't necessarily do that in retail."
[h=2]Retailer's costs 105 per cent of profit on Sunday: group[/h] Mr Zimmerman said for some retailers, it was not even financially worthwhile to open on Sundays.
"It's costing them more than what they're [profiting] on a Sunday. In particular, I've got a retailer who tells me it costs him 105 per cent to open on a Sunday," he said.
However, in some cases retailers who operate in shopping centres must open, therefore they roster on a very bare minimum of staff.
We believe that in a contemporary environment, in the restaurant industry, one shouldn't have to pay penalties for working after hours.
Restaurant and Catering Australia chief executive John Hart
"Consumers complain, naturally, because the service on a Sunday is not up to scratch and retailers just simply can't afford to put those [extra staff] on," Mr Zimmerman said.
Sunday and public holiday rates of pay are also a big concern within the hospitality industry.
Restaurant and Catering Australia (R&CA) chief executive John Hart said higher penalty rates have resulted in one-third of restaurants now staying closed on Sundays and half on public holidays.
"We certainly believe that, in this day and age, there is no difference to working on a Sunday to working on a Saturday, and therefore we believe Sundays should be paid at the Saturday rate," he said.
"We also believe that in a contemporary environment, in the restaurant industry, one shouldn't have to pay penalties for working after hours.
"That's when most of our people work and certainly in the morning, at 6:00am when a lot of cafés are open, that is not a penalty time. It should be just ordinary hours."
[h=1]Weekend, public holiday penalty rates should be cut, business groups to tell Fair Work Commission[/h] AM
By Louise Crealy
Updated about an hour agoSat 7 Feb 2015, 3:17pm
Business groups plan to push for a reduction in weekend penalty rates when they front the Fair Work Commission.
The retail sector award was one of many rates being examined in a review still underway by the Commission, which last year saw a 25 per cent reduction in Sunday rates for casuals working in hospitality.
Individual industries, retail and hospitality, want the Commission to consider each award individually.
Particular focus will be on Sunday rates and public holiday pay, which employers say lead to restaurant and shop closures, low productivity and dissatisfaction from customers.
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) will make a claim to have Sunday penalty rates slashed by 50 per cent.
ARA director Russell Zimmerman said Sunday rates in particular were a huge issue for retailers, and double time rates were not sustainable.
"Retailers are paying double time or 100 per cent on Sunday. So that means that rates are sitting up, getting close to around $50 an hour on a Sunday for a senior retail employee," he said.
"And it's just not sustainable in this day and age to be paying that kind of rate on a Sunday.
"But I think the important part is, particularly in the restaurant and catering industry, obviously you can put a surcharge on your meals, but you can't necessarily do that in retail."
[h=2]Retailer's costs 105 per cent of profit on Sunday: group[/h] Mr Zimmerman said for some retailers, it was not even financially worthwhile to open on Sundays.
"It's costing them more than what they're [profiting] on a Sunday. In particular, I've got a retailer who tells me it costs him 105 per cent to open on a Sunday," he said.
However, in some cases retailers who operate in shopping centres must open, therefore they roster on a very bare minimum of staff.
We believe that in a contemporary environment, in the restaurant industry, one shouldn't have to pay penalties for working after hours.
Restaurant and Catering Australia chief executive John Hart
"Consumers complain, naturally, because the service on a Sunday is not up to scratch and retailers just simply can't afford to put those [extra staff] on," Mr Zimmerman said.
Sunday and public holiday rates of pay are also a big concern within the hospitality industry.
Restaurant and Catering Australia (R&CA) chief executive John Hart said higher penalty rates have resulted in one-third of restaurants now staying closed on Sundays and half on public holidays.
"We certainly believe that, in this day and age, there is no difference to working on a Sunday to working on a Saturday, and therefore we believe Sundays should be paid at the Saturday rate," he said.
"We also believe that in a contemporary environment, in the restaurant industry, one shouldn't have to pay penalties for working after hours.
"That's when most of our people work and certainly in the morning, at 6:00am when a lot of cafés are open, that is not a penalty time. It should be just ordinary hours."
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If this story is true and these poms that got deported are as good as they say they are,,the aussies have screwed up big time...let in terrorists and bums as 'refugees' and kick out productive immigrants..aussies are dumb fucks...
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/immigration-red-tape-set-to-deport-wa-family-20150213-13d8sc.html
[h=1]Immigration red tape set to deport WA family[/h] Date
February 13, 2015
A UK family living in Perth say they face deportation after 11 years in WA because of an unfortunate series of events following an application for permanent residency.
Geoff and Susan Metcalfe and their three children originally came to Australia in 2004 on a 457 business visa. One of the requirements was that they invest in or establish a business.
Mr Metcalfe, 55, with a UK lifetime career in the construction and transport industries, set about the development of a construction business aimed at the banking sector. A core focus was the internal construction and fitout of surburban bank branches - and the business flourished, until the Global Financial Crisis.
Almost overnight bank customers started withdrawing their orders and Mr Metcalfe saw his business virtually disappear.
"We'd ploughed millions into the busines over the years and were employing 26 workers at a factory we'd established in Osborne Park. Then the same banks that had pulled their orders from us, came after us when our cashflow began to dry up," Mr Metcalfe said.
"We lost just about everything and had to begin again."
Susan went back into full time work in the health sector while daughters, Hollie, 24, and Chelsie, 19, finished uni and school, supported by part-time work and then entered the full time workforce.
Son, Ashley, 27, a qualified carpenter, moved to Port Hedland and began a carpentry construction business in which Mr Metcalfe is heavily involved. That company now employs 16 people and is set for expansion.
The Metcalfes' wrangle with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection really began when they lodged an application for permanent residency with a migration agent.
Theys say the agent didn't lodge their application, skipped with their $5000 fee, and was later struck off the migration agents' professional register. That meant the Metcalfe's had missed their residency application deadline and were not allowed to submit one in retrospect.
Appeals and submissions to the Minister for Immigration, now Peter Dutton, followed, supported by character references from customers, and state and federal MPs.
But they have so far been unsuccessful.
"The last submission didn't even get to the minister. His bureacrats wouldn't pass it up the line because they claimed certain information hadn't been presented," Mr Metcalfe said.
"We know that it's in his power to grant discretion but how can he if he doesn't know about our case?"
The Metcalfes - less Ashley who has Australian residency and a three-year-old son - are now packing up their Sorrento home and face an uncertain future in the UK.
"Because we have been out of the country and EU for so long, we won't qualify for any assistance for at least three months. The British Consulate did offer that there was a desk at Heathrow that could point us toward various charitable agencies. We're going into a state of limbo," Mr Metcalfe said.
"We don't want to leave. This is our home. I spend a lot of time up in the Pilbara with my son and I just love what's going on - the roads, the ports, the rail, the ships. We just want to be a part of it."
If the Metcalfes are deported, it will be at least three years before they can be reunited in Australia.
"It's going to tear the family apart - we're going to miss seeing our grandson and the girls, their nephew, grow up.
Their fate rests in Minister Dutton hearing their plea.
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has been contacted for comment.
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/immigration-red-tape-set-to-deport-wa-family-20150213-13d8sc.html
[h=1]Immigration red tape set to deport WA family[/h] Date
February 13, 2015
A UK family living in Perth say they face deportation after 11 years in WA because of an unfortunate series of events following an application for permanent residency.
Geoff and Susan Metcalfe and their three children originally came to Australia in 2004 on a 457 business visa. One of the requirements was that they invest in or establish a business.
Mr Metcalfe, 55, with a UK lifetime career in the construction and transport industries, set about the development of a construction business aimed at the banking sector. A core focus was the internal construction and fitout of surburban bank branches - and the business flourished, until the Global Financial Crisis.
Almost overnight bank customers started withdrawing their orders and Mr Metcalfe saw his business virtually disappear.
"We'd ploughed millions into the busines over the years and were employing 26 workers at a factory we'd established in Osborne Park. Then the same banks that had pulled their orders from us, came after us when our cashflow began to dry up," Mr Metcalfe said.
"We lost just about everything and had to begin again."
Susan went back into full time work in the health sector while daughters, Hollie, 24, and Chelsie, 19, finished uni and school, supported by part-time work and then entered the full time workforce.
Son, Ashley, 27, a qualified carpenter, moved to Port Hedland and began a carpentry construction business in which Mr Metcalfe is heavily involved. That company now employs 16 people and is set for expansion.
The Metcalfes' wrangle with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection really began when they lodged an application for permanent residency with a migration agent.
Theys say the agent didn't lodge their application, skipped with their $5000 fee, and was later struck off the migration agents' professional register. That meant the Metcalfe's had missed their residency application deadline and were not allowed to submit one in retrospect.
Appeals and submissions to the Minister for Immigration, now Peter Dutton, followed, supported by character references from customers, and state and federal MPs.
But they have so far been unsuccessful.
"The last submission didn't even get to the minister. His bureacrats wouldn't pass it up the line because they claimed certain information hadn't been presented," Mr Metcalfe said.
"We know that it's in his power to grant discretion but how can he if he doesn't know about our case?"
The Metcalfes - less Ashley who has Australian residency and a three-year-old son - are now packing up their Sorrento home and face an uncertain future in the UK.
"Because we have been out of the country and EU for so long, we won't qualify for any assistance for at least three months. The British Consulate did offer that there was a desk at Heathrow that could point us toward various charitable agencies. We're going into a state of limbo," Mr Metcalfe said.
"We don't want to leave. This is our home. I spend a lot of time up in the Pilbara with my son and I just love what's going on - the roads, the ports, the rail, the ships. We just want to be a part of it."
If the Metcalfes are deported, it will be at least three years before they can be reunited in Australia.
"It's going to tear the family apart - we're going to miss seeing our grandson and the girls, their nephew, grow up.
Their fate rests in Minister Dutton hearing their plea.
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has been contacted for comment.
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http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/perth-family-query-fair-go-of-deportation-20150217-13gjdb.html
[h=1]Perth family query 'fair go' of deportation[/h] Date
February 17, 2015 - 5:08PM
[h=3]Ray Sparvell [/h] [h=4]Reporter[/h] View more articles from Ray Sparvell
Email Ray
Flashback: First day in an Aussie school for Ashley, Hollie and Chelsie Metcalfe.
A Sorrento family being deported back to the UK on Friday over a visa wrangle believes that immigration bureaucrats have not lived up to the Australian value of a "fair go".
Fairfax Media revealed last week that Geoff Metcalfe, 55, his wife Susan and daughters Holllie and Chelsie are completing the sad task of packing up their possessions and preparing to say goodbye to their Pilbara-based son and brother, Ashley.
The farewell will be even more poignant as Ashley is the father of three-year old Jai, who may not see his grandparents and aunties for up to three years.
Sue Metcalfe with newborn grandson Jai.
Mr Metcalfe is resigned to their imminent departure but remains upset with a system that can grant citizenship to people who might fit Tony Abbott's claim of those who are "taking us for mugs", while denying the opportunity to others who have demonstrated their willingness to embrace Australian values.
"The bureaucrats should be custodians of the value of a fair go but they have an appeals process where procedural fairness can't be challenged. How can that be fair?" Mr Metcalfe said.
"It's a hard stance and there's no way of testing it."
Packing boxes signals the end of an era for the Metcalfe family in Perth.
The Metcalfe's last appeal to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Michaelia Cash, was supported by federal member Melissa Price and local member Brendon Grylls but was rejected by department officials without being referred to Senator Cash.
A spokesman for Sen Cash said the department received a high volume of submissions and appeals like the Metcalfes.
"I can assure you that every one of those is thoroughly assessed. There's no such thing as a snap decision. The volume of documentation over the life of one of those submissions and appeals is staggering," he said.
Geoff and Susan Metcalfe with grandson, Jai.
"We are aware of the human dimension of every case but it is also the responsibility of every individual to ensure that their visa remains lawful."
The Metcalfe's troubles began after a migration agent, who absconded with the Metcalfe's fees, did not lodge an application for their new visa. They were not allowed to file a new application in retrospect. And that's when their troubles with officials began.
Mr Metcalfe said he believed most Australians would want their representatives, whether ministerial or bureaucratic, to deal everybody an even hand.
"I understand that there has been a tightening up of immigration eligibility in the wake of events over the past few years. I think we have got caught up in that. There doesn't seem to be any room for discretion," he said.
The Metcalfes originally came to Australia on a business visa and ploughed their money into establishing a construction firm that prospered until the global financial crisis.
"We lost everything in the GFC ... business, home, everything but we're not complaining because that's the risk you accept as an entrepreneur. You dust yourself off and start again," Mr Metcalfe said.
Since the collapse of the business, he has become involved in his son Ashley's growing Pilbara carpentry construction business. Wife Susan and daughters are in full-time employment in Perth but have to leave their jobs on Thursday.
"We love Australia. We embraced the values and we've made a strong contribution and a new life for ourselves. It's wrenching to have to leave, particularly without Ashley and Jai," Mr Metcalfe said.
The Metcalfes will have another sad farewell when they leave behind their two pet cavoodles, Oliver and Pierre.
"A friend is going to look after them until we sort out our lives and, hopefully, we will be reunited with them," Mr Metcalfe said.
The family holds out faint hope for a ministerial change of heart but keep packing.
"We're still taking with our lawyers but there's nothing to suggest anything is going to change," Mr Metcalfe said.
Their flight leaves Perth around 5pm on Friday.
[h=1]Perth family query 'fair go' of deportation[/h] Date
February 17, 2015 - 5:08PM
- 32 reading now
[h=3]Ray Sparvell [/h] [h=4]Reporter[/h] View more articles from Ray Sparvell
Email Ray
Flashback: First day in an Aussie school for Ashley, Hollie and Chelsie Metcalfe.
A Sorrento family being deported back to the UK on Friday over a visa wrangle believes that immigration bureaucrats have not lived up to the Australian value of a "fair go".
Fairfax Media revealed last week that Geoff Metcalfe, 55, his wife Susan and daughters Holllie and Chelsie are completing the sad task of packing up their possessions and preparing to say goodbye to their Pilbara-based son and brother, Ashley.
The farewell will be even more poignant as Ashley is the father of three-year old Jai, who may not see his grandparents and aunties for up to three years.
Sue Metcalfe with newborn grandson Jai.
Mr Metcalfe is resigned to their imminent departure but remains upset with a system that can grant citizenship to people who might fit Tony Abbott's claim of those who are "taking us for mugs", while denying the opportunity to others who have demonstrated their willingness to embrace Australian values.
"The bureaucrats should be custodians of the value of a fair go but they have an appeals process where procedural fairness can't be challenged. How can that be fair?" Mr Metcalfe said.
"It's a hard stance and there's no way of testing it."
Packing boxes signals the end of an era for the Metcalfe family in Perth.
The Metcalfe's last appeal to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Michaelia Cash, was supported by federal member Melissa Price and local member Brendon Grylls but was rejected by department officials without being referred to Senator Cash.
A spokesman for Sen Cash said the department received a high volume of submissions and appeals like the Metcalfes.
"I can assure you that every one of those is thoroughly assessed. There's no such thing as a snap decision. The volume of documentation over the life of one of those submissions and appeals is staggering," he said.
Geoff and Susan Metcalfe with grandson, Jai.
"We are aware of the human dimension of every case but it is also the responsibility of every individual to ensure that their visa remains lawful."
The Metcalfe's troubles began after a migration agent, who absconded with the Metcalfe's fees, did not lodge an application for their new visa. They were not allowed to file a new application in retrospect. And that's when their troubles with officials began.
Mr Metcalfe said he believed most Australians would want their representatives, whether ministerial or bureaucratic, to deal everybody an even hand.
"I understand that there has been a tightening up of immigration eligibility in the wake of events over the past few years. I think we have got caught up in that. There doesn't seem to be any room for discretion," he said.
The Metcalfes originally came to Australia on a business visa and ploughed their money into establishing a construction firm that prospered until the global financial crisis.
"We lost everything in the GFC ... business, home, everything but we're not complaining because that's the risk you accept as an entrepreneur. You dust yourself off and start again," Mr Metcalfe said.
Since the collapse of the business, he has become involved in his son Ashley's growing Pilbara carpentry construction business. Wife Susan and daughters are in full-time employment in Perth but have to leave their jobs on Thursday.
"We love Australia. We embraced the values and we've made a strong contribution and a new life for ourselves. It's wrenching to have to leave, particularly without Ashley and Jai," Mr Metcalfe said.
The Metcalfes will have another sad farewell when they leave behind their two pet cavoodles, Oliver and Pierre.
"A friend is going to look after them until we sort out our lives and, hopefully, we will be reunited with them," Mr Metcalfe said.
The family holds out faint hope for a ministerial change of heart but keep packing.
"We're still taking with our lawyers but there's nothing to suggest anything is going to change," Mr Metcalfe said.
Their flight leaves Perth around 5pm on Friday.
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They MUST tell you the reasons.
You can always try NZ but costs there have gone up again.
For angmohs, many are leaving for home after getting another citizenship here.
Angmohs are so lucky.
Last edited:
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