New Zealand, Australian gov'ts to hold Leaders' Meeting in New Year
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key will visit Australia from Jan. 27 to 29 next year for the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting and a joint meeting of senior Cabinet ministers.
It would be the second time the two prime ministers had convened a joint meeting of senior Cabinet ministers after the first in 2009, said a New Zealand government statement.
Key would be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Bill English and six other ministers some of them with portfolios with significant trans-Tasman responsibilities who would have the opportunity to engage individually with their Australian counterparts.
New Zealand Minister of Health Tony Ryall and Minister of Commerce Craig Foss would participate in the first meeting on Jan. 28 of the Ministerial Council to oversee work on establishing a joint therapeutics agency.
"The annual Leaders' Meeting provides an opportunity for both countries to start the New Year with a focus on issues of mutual interest in domestic policies, the bilateral relationship and regional and international affairs," said Key in the statement.
"That ministers on both sides of the Tasman have found time to participate in these meetings in January demonstrates the closeness of the trans-Tasman relationship."
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard had invited Key and the New Zealand Ministers as guests of the Australian government.
Editor: Yang Lina
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 14:12:52
WELLINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Net loss of migrants continues in New Zealand
Net loss of migrants continues in New Zealand
New Zealand's net migration loss continued in November, when departures exceeded arrivals by fewer than 100 people, the government statistics agency announced Wednesday.
Net losses had been recorded in eight out of the nine months since the February earthquake in Christchurch, which left at least 181 people dead, said a statement from Statistics New Zealand.
About 6,500 Christchurch residents had moved abroad since the earthquake, compared with 4,200 during the same period in 2010.
Since Feb. 22, when the devastating quake struck, 3,700 migrants had moved to Christchurch from overseas compared with 4, 800 during the same period last year.
New Zealand had a net loss of 600 migrants in the November year, the largest net loss since the September 2001 year, when the figure was 1,700, according to Statistics NZ.
In the November 2011 year, there was a net loss of 35,800 people to Australia -- the highest-ever recorded net loss to Australia, exceeding the previous high of 35,400 in the December 2008 year.
Meanwhile, the country saw net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,800), India (5,100), and China (4,600).
Editor: Fang Yang
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 13:22:17
WELLINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
New Zealand's net migration loss continued in November, when departures exceeded arrivals by fewer than 100 people, the government statistics agency announced Wednesday.
Net losses had been recorded in eight out of the nine months since the February earthquake in Christchurch, which left at least 181 people dead, said a statement from Statistics New Zealand.
About 6,500 Christchurch residents had moved abroad since the earthquake, compared with 4,200 during the same period in 2010.
Since Feb. 22, when the devastating quake struck, 3,700 migrants had moved to Christchurch from overseas compared with 4, 800 during the same period last year.
New Zealand had a net loss of 600 migrants in the November year, the largest net loss since the September 2001 year, when the figure was 1,700, according to Statistics NZ.
In the November 2011 year, there was a net loss of 35,800 people to Australia -- the highest-ever recorded net loss to Australia, exceeding the previous high of 35,400 in the December 2008 year.
Meanwhile, the country saw net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,800), India (5,100), and China (4,600).
Editor: Fang Yang
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 13:22:17
WELLINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
Australian catastrophes cost insurers $4.4 bln in 2011
Australian catastrophes cost insurers $4.4 bln in 2011
The cost of 2011 catastrophes in Australia has reached 4.35 billion AU dollars (4.4 billion U.S. dollars), the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) said on Wednesday.
ICA Chief Executive Rob Whelan said Australia had been struck by several of the biggest catastrophes of recent times, including Queensland floods, Cyclone Yasi, Perth bushfires, Victorian floods and severe storms and West Australian Margaret River bushfires.
He said insurers had received nearly 190,000 claims with a total reserved value of 4.35 billion AU dollars (4.4 billion U.S. dollars).
Releasing the annual figures on Wednesday, Whelan urged federal and state governments to do more to safeguard communities. "Insurance can't stop these catastrophes. It can only help once it's over," he said in a statement. "It's the role of governments to put in place the measures that make our communities safer places in which to live, especially those with a known exposure to risk from events such as flooding, cyclones and bushfires."
Editor: Fang Yang
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 12:42:00
SYDNEY, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
The cost of 2011 catastrophes in Australia has reached 4.35 billion AU dollars (4.4 billion U.S. dollars), the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) said on Wednesday.
ICA Chief Executive Rob Whelan said Australia had been struck by several of the biggest catastrophes of recent times, including Queensland floods, Cyclone Yasi, Perth bushfires, Victorian floods and severe storms and West Australian Margaret River bushfires.
He said insurers had received nearly 190,000 claims with a total reserved value of 4.35 billion AU dollars (4.4 billion U.S. dollars).
Releasing the annual figures on Wednesday, Whelan urged federal and state governments to do more to safeguard communities. "Insurance can't stop these catastrophes. It can only help once it's over," he said in a statement. "It's the role of governments to put in place the measures that make our communities safer places in which to live, especially those with a known exposure to risk from events such as flooding, cyclones and bushfires."
Editor: Fang Yang
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 12:42:00
SYDNEY, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
New Zealand gov't plans outlined in Parliament opening
New Zealand gov't plans outlined in Parliament opening
The New Zealand government opened its second term Wednesday with promises to reduce debt, create jobs and to raise incomes while making the economy more competitive.
The promises were outlined by Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae in a speech at the new Parliament opening and set out the government's legislative agenda.
The speech included concessions by the center-right National Party to support parties ACT, United Future and the Maori Party.
Mateparae said the government's first term had seen New Zealand experience "three challenging years, including a major recession, the worst global financial crisis since the Great Depression, and a devastating series of earthquakes that destroyed whole parts of Christchurch."
"But in the worst of times we have seen the best of New Zealanders, as they have risen to these challenges."
The biggest risk to the New Zealand economy in the new parliamentary term was the European debt crisis, said Mateparae, who is the official representative of the Queen, New Zealand's head of state.
The government intended to return to an operating surplus in the 2014-2015 financial year and start to reduce core government debt as a proportion of gross domestic product, he said in the speech.
"This will be achieved through tight fiscal discipline, including new operating allowances of only 800 million NZ dollars (614.48 U.S. dollars) in each of the next two Budgets."
The National-led government had agreed with the right wing ACT party, which has just one member of parliament, to introduce legislation to limit the growth in core government spending to a maximum rate equal to a combination of population growth and inflation.
Mateparae also mentioned plans to partially privatize four state-owned energy companies and reduce the government's majority shareholding in the national carrier, Air New Zealand.
The National Party has pledged sell no more than 49 percent of the shares and to limit ownership by single entities, promises to be enshrined in legislation under its agreement with United Future.
Mateparae also outlined government intentions to clamp down on beneficiaries committing fraud and other crimes.
A ministerial committee on poverty would be established under the government's agreement with the Maori Party.
The government would continue investment in infrastructure with 12 billion NZ dollars to be spent on state highways over the next 10 years as well as investment in ultra-fast broadband and new sea freight facilities, said Mateparae in the speech.
The government had set aside 5.5 billion NZ dollars in the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Fund to help rebuilding infrastructure.
The government would continue its reform of securities law and legislation to ban anti-competitive behavior.
The Emissions Trading Scheme would be expanded to include the energy, transport and industrial sectors.
The government would also encourage oil and gas exploration.
Mateparae also said New Zealand's 50th Parliament should be celebrated.
"New Zealand can boast of an unbroken parliamentary democracy stretching back to the 1850s, and universal suffrage from 1893."
The National Party-led administration was returned to power in general elections held on Nov. 26.
Editor: An
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 08:46:20
WELLINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
The New Zealand government opened its second term Wednesday with promises to reduce debt, create jobs and to raise incomes while making the economy more competitive.
The promises were outlined by Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae in a speech at the new Parliament opening and set out the government's legislative agenda.
The speech included concessions by the center-right National Party to support parties ACT, United Future and the Maori Party.
Mateparae said the government's first term had seen New Zealand experience "three challenging years, including a major recession, the worst global financial crisis since the Great Depression, and a devastating series of earthquakes that destroyed whole parts of Christchurch."
"But in the worst of times we have seen the best of New Zealanders, as they have risen to these challenges."
The biggest risk to the New Zealand economy in the new parliamentary term was the European debt crisis, said Mateparae, who is the official representative of the Queen, New Zealand's head of state.
The government intended to return to an operating surplus in the 2014-2015 financial year and start to reduce core government debt as a proportion of gross domestic product, he said in the speech.
"This will be achieved through tight fiscal discipline, including new operating allowances of only 800 million NZ dollars (614.48 U.S. dollars) in each of the next two Budgets."
The National-led government had agreed with the right wing ACT party, which has just one member of parliament, to introduce legislation to limit the growth in core government spending to a maximum rate equal to a combination of population growth and inflation.
Mateparae also mentioned plans to partially privatize four state-owned energy companies and reduce the government's majority shareholding in the national carrier, Air New Zealand.
The National Party has pledged sell no more than 49 percent of the shares and to limit ownership by single entities, promises to be enshrined in legislation under its agreement with United Future.
Mateparae also outlined government intentions to clamp down on beneficiaries committing fraud and other crimes.
A ministerial committee on poverty would be established under the government's agreement with the Maori Party.
The government would continue investment in infrastructure with 12 billion NZ dollars to be spent on state highways over the next 10 years as well as investment in ultra-fast broadband and new sea freight facilities, said Mateparae in the speech.
The government had set aside 5.5 billion NZ dollars in the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Fund to help rebuilding infrastructure.
The government would continue its reform of securities law and legislation to ban anti-competitive behavior.
The Emissions Trading Scheme would be expanded to include the energy, transport and industrial sectors.
The government would also encourage oil and gas exploration.
Mateparae also said New Zealand's 50th Parliament should be celebrated.
"New Zealand can boast of an unbroken parliamentary democracy stretching back to the 1850s, and universal suffrage from 1893."
The National Party-led administration was returned to power in general elections held on Nov. 26.
Editor: An
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 08:46:20
WELLINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
Second New Zealand rescue flight en route to stricken Russian boat
Second New Zealand rescue flight en route to stricken Russian boat
A Royal New Zealand Airforce (RNZAF) aircraft carrying pumps, patches and other equipment Wednesday left to help the crew of Russian-flagged fishing boat Sparta, which is crippled in the icy waters of the Antarctic.
Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) search and rescue mission coordinator John Dickson said the aircraft had departed Christchurch at 9 a.m. and was expected to arrive at the Sparta's position about 4 p.m. Wednesday. The aircraft crew would then undertake trial runs before dropping the equipment onto the ice next to the stricken vessel.
This is the second aircraft sent by RNZAF to assist the Sparta rescue mission.
Dickson said in a statement the vessel was back on an even keel and the crew only needed to resume pumping occasionally to keep ahead of the water ingress.
The RCCNZ was still continuing to monitor the situation, including the weather conditions and the progress of various nearby vessels that have been tasked to assist.
The Norwegian vessel Seljavaer was heading away from the Sparta as it attempted to navigate a way around the heavy ice, while the Sparta's sister ship, the Chiyo Maru no. 3, was approximately still 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) away, but it was not ice strengthened and its approach was being slowed as it navigated the ice pack, according to the RCCNZ.
The ice-strengthened polar research vessel Araon was en-route and estimated to arrive in the area on Dec. 26.
The RCCNZ launched the rescue mission after the Sparta, with 32 crew aboard 15 Russians, 16 Indonesians and one Ukrainian issued a distress call around 3 a.m. on Friday from a position next to the Antarctic ice shelf, in the Ross Sea, about 2,000 nautical miles southeast of New Zealand.
The 48-meter vessel has a 30cm hole in the side which is 1.5 meters below the water line. The vessel is listing 13 degrees, and taking on water.
On Saturday, a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C130 Hercules dropped extra pumping equipment and fuel to the vessel.
Dickson said weather in the area remained reasonably good, with occasional snow showers and cloud, but was forecast to worsen on Thursday.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 08:41:13
WELLINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
A Royal New Zealand Airforce (RNZAF) aircraft carrying pumps, patches and other equipment Wednesday left to help the crew of Russian-flagged fishing boat Sparta, which is crippled in the icy waters of the Antarctic.
Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) search and rescue mission coordinator John Dickson said the aircraft had departed Christchurch at 9 a.m. and was expected to arrive at the Sparta's position about 4 p.m. Wednesday. The aircraft crew would then undertake trial runs before dropping the equipment onto the ice next to the stricken vessel.
This is the second aircraft sent by RNZAF to assist the Sparta rescue mission.
Dickson said in a statement the vessel was back on an even keel and the crew only needed to resume pumping occasionally to keep ahead of the water ingress.
The RCCNZ was still continuing to monitor the situation, including the weather conditions and the progress of various nearby vessels that have been tasked to assist.
The Norwegian vessel Seljavaer was heading away from the Sparta as it attempted to navigate a way around the heavy ice, while the Sparta's sister ship, the Chiyo Maru no. 3, was approximately still 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) away, but it was not ice strengthened and its approach was being slowed as it navigated the ice pack, according to the RCCNZ.
The ice-strengthened polar research vessel Araon was en-route and estimated to arrive in the area on Dec. 26.
The RCCNZ launched the rescue mission after the Sparta, with 32 crew aboard 15 Russians, 16 Indonesians and one Ukrainian issued a distress call around 3 a.m. on Friday from a position next to the Antarctic ice shelf, in the Ross Sea, about 2,000 nautical miles southeast of New Zealand.
The 48-meter vessel has a 30cm hole in the side which is 1.5 meters below the water line. The vessel is listing 13 degrees, and taking on water.
On Saturday, a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C130 Hercules dropped extra pumping equipment and fuel to the vessel.
Dickson said weather in the area remained reasonably good, with occasional snow showers and cloud, but was forecast to worsen on Thursday.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 08:41:13
WELLINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
New Zealand authorities lay new charges against grounded ship's officers
New Zealand authorities lay new charges against grounded ship's officers
New Zealand shipping authorities have laid further charges against the Filipino master and second officer of the cargo vessel Rena, which run aground on a reef off the east of North Island.
Both men appeared Wednesday in the Tauranga District Court and were remanded on bail without plea on all charges until Feb. 29, 2012.
The men, whose names and identities were suppressed in a court order, have been charged under the Crimes Act with willfully attempting to pervert the course of justice by altering ship's documents subsequent to its grounding on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga on Oct. 5.
The master faces four charges under the Act, and the second officer (navigation) three charges, said Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) in a statement.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Both men already face one charge each under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) relating to the "discharge of harmful substances from ships or offshore installations."
The RMA charge carries a maximum penalty of a fine of 300,000 NZ dollars (230,000 U.S. dollars), or two years in prison, and 10, 000 NZ dollars for every day the offending continues.
They also face one charge each under the Maritime Transport Act 1994 (MTA) of "operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk."
The MTA charge carries a maximum penalty of 10,000 NZ dollars or a maximum term of imprisonment of 12 months.
MNZ would make no further comment while the matter is before the courts, it said.
Containers are still being removed from the ship with the latest total number removed at 243, said MNZ.
A total of 256 containers, include those removed from the Liberian-flagged Rena by the Svitzer salvage team, and those recovered from the water, had been landed ashore for processing.
Beach clean-up and wildlife teams had been washing rocks and releasing seabirds rescued from the polluted water. Weather conditions are forecast fine for the salvage operation over Christmas.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 07:50:19
WELLINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
New Zealand shipping authorities have laid further charges against the Filipino master and second officer of the cargo vessel Rena, which run aground on a reef off the east of North Island.
Both men appeared Wednesday in the Tauranga District Court and were remanded on bail without plea on all charges until Feb. 29, 2012.
The men, whose names and identities were suppressed in a court order, have been charged under the Crimes Act with willfully attempting to pervert the course of justice by altering ship's documents subsequent to its grounding on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga on Oct. 5.
The master faces four charges under the Act, and the second officer (navigation) three charges, said Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) in a statement.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Both men already face one charge each under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) relating to the "discharge of harmful substances from ships or offshore installations."
The RMA charge carries a maximum penalty of a fine of 300,000 NZ dollars (230,000 U.S. dollars), or two years in prison, and 10, 000 NZ dollars for every day the offending continues.
They also face one charge each under the Maritime Transport Act 1994 (MTA) of "operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk."
The MTA charge carries a maximum penalty of 10,000 NZ dollars or a maximum term of imprisonment of 12 months.
MNZ would make no further comment while the matter is before the courts, it said.
Containers are still being removed from the ship with the latest total number removed at 243, said MNZ.
A total of 256 containers, include those removed from the Liberian-flagged Rena by the Svitzer salvage team, and those recovered from the water, had been landed ashore for processing.
Beach clean-up and wildlife teams had been washing rocks and releasing seabirds rescued from the polluted water. Weather conditions are forecast fine for the salvage operation over Christmas.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 07:50:19
WELLINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
Afghanistan soldiers killing Australians linked to insurgency: Defense Force
Afghanistan soldiers killing Australians linked to insurgency: Defense Force
Australian troop commander in Afghanistan on Tuesday said Afghan soldiers who killed four Australian troops in separate attacks have been all linked to the insurgency.
Australia commanding officer of the Mentoring Task Force (MTF-3) in Uruzgan Province Lieutenant Colonel Chris Smith, said there was no connection between the three attacks, in which 10 other Australian soldiers were wounded.
"We don't fully understand the motives of all of those individuals but we have some hints," he was quoted by ABC News on Tuesday.
"It would appear that all three are unrelated and it would appear that they are insurgent related ... either directly or indirectly."
Smith reported that one of the individuals was found to have Taliban propaganda.
"We believe that plus some other indicators would suggest that he has come to dislike foreign intervention in Afghanistan. But we are not sure of what the reason is," he said.
He said insurgents helped another make his getaway, and the most important aspects they have learned from this incident was focusing intelligence resources on the Afghan National Army (ANA) to try and identify, through some indicators, individuals who might be likely to do something like this.
Earlier on May 30, an Afghan soldier shot dead Lance Corporal Andrew Jones, an army cook. He fled but was tracked to his home district and killed by US troops when he resisted arrest.
After the incident, on October 29, three Australian troops, Corporal Ashley Birt, 22, Lance Corporal Luke Gavin, 27, and Captain Bryce Duffy, 26, were killed and wounding seven others by an Afghan soldier who opened fire on a group of Australian soldiers at a patrol base in northern Kandahar province. He was immediately shot dead.
In the latest incident on November 8, an Afghan soldier shot and wounded three Australians troops and remained unfound. Defence force was therefore conducting investigations of these attacks.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-12-20 21:12:14
CANBERRA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua)
Australian troop commander in Afghanistan on Tuesday said Afghan soldiers who killed four Australian troops in separate attacks have been all linked to the insurgency.
Australia commanding officer of the Mentoring Task Force (MTF-3) in Uruzgan Province Lieutenant Colonel Chris Smith, said there was no connection between the three attacks, in which 10 other Australian soldiers were wounded.
"We don't fully understand the motives of all of those individuals but we have some hints," he was quoted by ABC News on Tuesday.
"It would appear that all three are unrelated and it would appear that they are insurgent related ... either directly or indirectly."
Smith reported that one of the individuals was found to have Taliban propaganda.
"We believe that plus some other indicators would suggest that he has come to dislike foreign intervention in Afghanistan. But we are not sure of what the reason is," he said.
He said insurgents helped another make his getaway, and the most important aspects they have learned from this incident was focusing intelligence resources on the Afghan National Army (ANA) to try and identify, through some indicators, individuals who might be likely to do something like this.
Earlier on May 30, an Afghan soldier shot dead Lance Corporal Andrew Jones, an army cook. He fled but was tracked to his home district and killed by US troops when he resisted arrest.
After the incident, on October 29, three Australian troops, Corporal Ashley Birt, 22, Lance Corporal Luke Gavin, 27, and Captain Bryce Duffy, 26, were killed and wounding seven others by an Afghan soldier who opened fire on a group of Australian soldiers at a patrol base in northern Kandahar province. He was immediately shot dead.
In the latest incident on November 8, an Afghan soldier shot and wounded three Australians troops and remained unfound. Defence force was therefore conducting investigations of these attacks.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-12-20 21:12:14
CANBERRA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua)
Australia should defend asylum policy: UN refugee agency
Australia should defend asylum policy: UN refugee agency
The United Nations' refugee agency said on Tuesday the deaths of asylum seekers on a boat near Indonesia reinforced the need for international solidarity on refugee policy.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said it is deeply saddened by the loss of life in the sinking. The UNHCR hopes to work with Indonesian authorities to register survivors as asylum seekers and determine if they could be given refugee status.
"The incident is a tragic reminder of the desperate and dangerous measures people will resort to when they are fleeing persecution in their home countries and seeking better protection and a brighter future," it said in a statement.
"This tragedy also reinforces the need for renewed international solidarity and cooperation to find protection options for people that would help reduce the need for these perilous journeys by boat."
Australian Federal Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said the government had been concerned such loss of life was inevitable under the current asylum seeker policy impasse.
He said the government wants the opposition to support legislation amending the Migration Act to allow asylum seekers arriving by boat to be sent to Malaysia for processing.
"We believe that in order to have a proper deterrent to stop people risking their lives at sea then you need to have a properly constructed regional offshore processing arrangement," Bowen told Sky News.
"We are seeing ... people smugglers having no regard for human life whatsoever and putting more people onto dangerous boats.
The Australian Greens' Immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson- Young said the best way to reduce the number of people using people smugglers was to beat their business model. It is reported that the asylum seekers paid up to 6,200 U.S. dollars each for their failed attempt to reach Australia.
She said increasing Australia's humanitarian intake and resettling more asylum seekers from camps in Indonesia and Malaysia was one of the measures to prevent similar tragedy while Labor government recently changed its party platform to aspire to lift Australia's refugee intake to 20,000 from 13,750. "What we can do is try to give people safer options," Hanson- Young said. "We should be offering more support to do that."
However, the opposition said the tragedy is linked to Labor government's decision to dismantle aspects of the coalition's border protection policy following the 2007 federal election.
Coalition senator Mitch Fifield said temporary protection visas were being abandoned as was an offshore processing center on Nauru.
"Sadly we have seen over 14,000 people come by boat courtesy of people smugglers and we have seen over 260 boats," Fifield told Sky News.
"This is a tragedy, but it is hard to get away from the fact that the uptake in the people-smuggler business happened after the current government changed their policies."
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said Labor refuses to acknowledge it is responsible for an asylum seeker policy that encourages people to get on boats.
"This government has processed no one offshore," he said.
"We made very clear to the government over many months why we believed the Malaysian policy was a failure," he said on ABC Television.
"It is incumbent upon the government to put a concrete proposal to the coalition so we can work together."
He claimed that there were no concrete proposal by the Labor government and he believed the coalition's policy to reopen an asylum seeker processing center on Nauru can be done under current law.
An asylum boat carrying more than 250 people from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, headed for Australia, sank and capsized in high seas earlier on Saturday.
Indonesian officials reported 49 people had been rescued. Some survivors were found on an island, 200 kilometers away from the site of the shipwreck, and were taken to hospital in the town of Puger to be treated for severe dehydration.
English.news.cn 2011-12-20 20:23:39
by Vienna Ma
CANBERRA, Dec. 20 ( Xinhua)
The United Nations' refugee agency said on Tuesday the deaths of asylum seekers on a boat near Indonesia reinforced the need for international solidarity on refugee policy.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said it is deeply saddened by the loss of life in the sinking. The UNHCR hopes to work with Indonesian authorities to register survivors as asylum seekers and determine if they could be given refugee status.
"The incident is a tragic reminder of the desperate and dangerous measures people will resort to when they are fleeing persecution in their home countries and seeking better protection and a brighter future," it said in a statement.
"This tragedy also reinforces the need for renewed international solidarity and cooperation to find protection options for people that would help reduce the need for these perilous journeys by boat."
Australian Federal Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said the government had been concerned such loss of life was inevitable under the current asylum seeker policy impasse.
He said the government wants the opposition to support legislation amending the Migration Act to allow asylum seekers arriving by boat to be sent to Malaysia for processing.
"We believe that in order to have a proper deterrent to stop people risking their lives at sea then you need to have a properly constructed regional offshore processing arrangement," Bowen told Sky News.
"We are seeing ... people smugglers having no regard for human life whatsoever and putting more people onto dangerous boats.
The Australian Greens' Immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson- Young said the best way to reduce the number of people using people smugglers was to beat their business model. It is reported that the asylum seekers paid up to 6,200 U.S. dollars each for their failed attempt to reach Australia.
She said increasing Australia's humanitarian intake and resettling more asylum seekers from camps in Indonesia and Malaysia was one of the measures to prevent similar tragedy while Labor government recently changed its party platform to aspire to lift Australia's refugee intake to 20,000 from 13,750. "What we can do is try to give people safer options," Hanson- Young said. "We should be offering more support to do that."
However, the opposition said the tragedy is linked to Labor government's decision to dismantle aspects of the coalition's border protection policy following the 2007 federal election.
Coalition senator Mitch Fifield said temporary protection visas were being abandoned as was an offshore processing center on Nauru.
"Sadly we have seen over 14,000 people come by boat courtesy of people smugglers and we have seen over 260 boats," Fifield told Sky News.
"This is a tragedy, but it is hard to get away from the fact that the uptake in the people-smuggler business happened after the current government changed their policies."
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said Labor refuses to acknowledge it is responsible for an asylum seeker policy that encourages people to get on boats.
"This government has processed no one offshore," he said.
"We made very clear to the government over many months why we believed the Malaysian policy was a failure," he said on ABC Television.
"It is incumbent upon the government to put a concrete proposal to the coalition so we can work together."
He claimed that there were no concrete proposal by the Labor government and he believed the coalition's policy to reopen an asylum seeker processing center on Nauru can be done under current law.
An asylum boat carrying more than 250 people from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, headed for Australia, sank and capsized in high seas earlier on Saturday.
Indonesian officials reported 49 people had been rescued. Some survivors were found on an island, 200 kilometers away from the site of the shipwreck, and were taken to hospital in the town of Puger to be treated for severe dehydration.
English.news.cn 2011-12-20 20:23:39
by Vienna Ma
CANBERRA, Dec. 20 ( Xinhua)
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
15 Fletcher Jones stores to be closed in Australia
Fifteen Fletcher Jones stores across Australia will be closed immediately, while 61 staff of the Australian clothing company will be made redundant, administrator Cor Cordis said on Wednesday.
Fletcher Jones has recently been placed in administration after 93 years of trading. Administrator Cor Cordis said the 15 stores to be closed were chosen through trading performance over time.
The redundancies include 53 retail staff and eight head office staff.
The company's remaining 30 stores will continue to trade as normal.
"As administrators it was important that we acted quickly to shore up the viability of Fletcher Jones to make it an attractive acquisition so it can keep trading," Cor Cordis Managing Partner Bruno Secatore said on Wednesday.
Secatore said the administrators had received a better-than- expected response from companies interested in buying Fletcher Jones.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-12-14 13:40:51
SYDNEY, Dec. 14 (Xinhua)
Fletcher Jones has recently been placed in administration after 93 years of trading. Administrator Cor Cordis said the 15 stores to be closed were chosen through trading performance over time.
The redundancies include 53 retail staff and eight head office staff.
The company's remaining 30 stores will continue to trade as normal.
"As administrators it was important that we acted quickly to shore up the viability of Fletcher Jones to make it an attractive acquisition so it can keep trading," Cor Cordis Managing Partner Bruno Secatore said on Wednesday.
Secatore said the administrators had received a better-than- expected response from companies interested in buying Fletcher Jones.
Editor: Yamei Wang
English.news.cn 2011-12-14 13:40:51
SYDNEY, Dec. 14 (Xinhua)
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