gavo

From news.com.au:

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_...55E421,00.html

SKILLED migrants will be granted three-year temporary residential visas if they agree to live in regional Australia.


NSW Premier Bob Carr says Sydney is overburdened / AAP


The Federal Government plan is aimed at easing the strain on Sydney, which is a magnet to new migrants.

Self-funded retiree migrants will also be given four-year residential visas if they agree to live in rural Australia and invest at least $500,000 in state or territory bonds.

It is also aimed at reversing the population drain from smaller states, especially South Australia and Tasmania.

From July 1, skilled migrants aged under 45 can obtain three-year temporary residents' visas if they commit to living and working in regional Australia.

They could apply for permanent residency after two years.

But if they don't stay in a regional area, their visa will be revoked after three years.

The Government will also introduce incentives to encourage self-funded retirees to migrate to the bush.

They will need at least $800,000 in savings, no dependants other than a spouse, have full private health insurance and invest a minimum $500,000 in state or territory bonds.

Premier Bob Carr has been a vocal critic of Australia's migration program, complaining Sydney is overburdened by newly arrived migrants, especially in the western suburbs.

"The way for the Federal Government to do this (fix the problem) is to cut the immigration intake by 30,000 per annum," Mr Carr said.

Past Government attempts to redirect skilled migration have only partly succeeded.

Just 8000 of the 66,050 skilled migrants to Australia in 2002-2003 arrived on visas granted under regional migration programs, up 92 per cent on the previous year.

Regional Victoria granted 4150 visas to people planning to settle under state-specific and regional migration initiatives.

Of the rest, 1300 were granted to people settling in South Australia, 1080 in the ACT and 650 in Queensland.

But a Monash University study last year found four out of five people given visas under programs to boost country areas, settled in the big cities – more than half in Melbourne.

Now, they will be unable to get a permanent residency visa.

Acting Prime Minister John Anderson said more incentives would be announced soon.

Labor's target is 45 per cent of all new migrants to be settled in the regions within three years.

How the incentive program will work

* From July 1, skilled migrants aged under 45 can obtain three-year temporary residents' visas if they live and work in regional Australia

* People can apply for permanent residency after just two years but if they leave theregional area, their visas will be revoked

* Incentives for self-funded retirees to migrate to regional Australia will be introduced

* Potential migrants will need to have $800,000 in savings and health insurance.

Banksia

The Acting Prime Minister (who lives in the bush) says "people quickly decided these are good places to live once they had 'tasted' them."

It's just that the locals have formed a different view.

The reality is society has moved on and access to education and better jobs than blacksmithing is becoming the expectation. People prefer shopping in supermarkets rather than a corner store with limited selection. Yes, there are supermarkets in the towns but obviously not the villages.

Asylum seekers on TPVs are happy to work there as are British doctors on temporary visas, but they are the ones the Liberal government wants to throw out of the country.

Polticians would much rather you read each press release in isolation rather than compare and contrast them.

The joke is that country people lobby for good roads: when they get them they drive to the next big centre and the local communities die. Then they complain. Again.