1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: My name is Lily Madden and I'm a proud Arunda 2 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: Bungelung Calcottin woman from Gadighl Country. The Daily oz acknowledges 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,319 Speaker 1: that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the 4 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres 5 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: Straight Island and nations. We pay our respects to the 6 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,639 Speaker 1: first peoples of these countries, both past and present. 7 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 2: Good morning and welcome to the Daily os It's Wednesday, 8 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 2: the thirteenth of December. I'm Sam. 9 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 3: That day, I'm Zara. 10 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:32,639 Speaker 2: Thank you. 11 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 3: The federal government has unveiled its new migration plan in 12 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 3: an effort to quote fix Australia's broken migration system. 13 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 4: When we arrived in government, we found a migration system 14 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 4: in tatters. We are going to make sure that we 15 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 4: bring numbers back under control and perhaps most importantly of all, 16 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 4: that we build a program that delivers for the national interest. 17 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 3: Now, under the new plan, the government will make it 18 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 3: harder for some international students to live and study here 19 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 3: in Australia. So we're going to outline what's going to 20 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 3: happen and how it will happen in today's deep Dive. 21 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:08,839 Speaker 3: The first Sam, It's making headlines. 22 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 2: An independent report into Australia's education system is calling for 23 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 2: better funding in public schools to close the gap between 24 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:23,400 Speaker 2: advantaged and disadvantaged students. An expert panel made several recommendations 25 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:26,760 Speaker 2: to improve student well being and performance and increase support 26 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 2: for educators. Recommendations included introducing standardized literacy and numeracy testing 27 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 2: for year one students and measures to help senior students 28 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 2: transition to life after school. The report's findings are expected 29 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 2: to inform how schools are funded under a new agreement 30 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 2: to be decided next year and implemented from twenty twenty five. 31 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,240 Speaker 3: New sexual harassment laws for Australian workplaces have come into effect. 32 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 3: Under the legislation, employers will be responsible for implementing a 33 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 3: proactive approach to prevent harassment from occurring in the workplace, 34 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 3: rather than a reactive response after the incident occurs. Workplaces 35 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 3: could be investigated by the Australian Human Rights Commission if 36 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 3: they fail to implement measures to prevent sexual harassment. 37 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 2: The CEO of Netball Australia, Kelly Ryan, has resigned, effective immediately. 38 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 2: It comes as the sport's peak body negotiates a new 39 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 2: collective player Agreement pay deal. Ryan said the timing felt 40 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,919 Speaker 2: right to hand over the reins. Since Ryan became CEO 41 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty one, the Diamonds won gold at the 42 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 2: Commonwealth Games and the Netball World Cup. Executive General Manager 43 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 2: Stacy West has been appointed Netball Australia's acting CEO. 44 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,079 Speaker 3: And the good news three Aussies are in the running 45 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 3: for a Golden Globe Award. Margot Robbie, Sarah Snook and 46 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 3: Elizabeth de Bickie have all been nominated. Robbie is up 47 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 3: for Best Female Actor in a Comedy for Barbie, whilst 48 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 3: Snook has been nominated for Best Female Actor in a 49 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 3: TV Show for her portrayal of Shivroy in Succession. Debicki 50 00:02:57,720 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 3: is up for Best Female Supporting Actor in a TV 51 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 3: Show Award, and that is for her performance as Princess 52 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 3: Diana in The Crown. The ceremony will take place on 53 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 3: the seventh of January. So Sam, Yesterday we uploaded a 54 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 3: story on Instagram about the government's new migration plan and 55 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 3: the very first comment we got was from someone called Jess, 56 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 3: who commented, would love a deep dive on the pod, Suggess. 57 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 3: If you are listening your wish is our command and 58 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 3: today we are going to deep dive into that topic. 59 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 3: So it's the government's new migration strategy and it came 60 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 3: as a result of a review of our country's migration 61 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 3: system and basically maps out where to from here. 62 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 2: How good is that for a feedback loop with the 63 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 2: audience that you can request a deep dive in the 64 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 2: comments and the next day here it is. So I'm 65 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 2: keen to dive into this. Why was there a review 66 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 2: in the first place. 67 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 3: So, as we all know, migration to Australia during COVID 68 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 3: nineteen all but stopped. We had, of course, those hard 69 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 3: borders closures and very very strict rules for letting people 70 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 3: into the country, so not many people arrived from overseas 71 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 3: between twenty twenty and twenty twenty one. But then naturally, 72 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 3: as the borders opened and Australia kind of re emerged 73 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 3: from COVID, we had waves of people coming into the 74 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 3: country and in the year to March twenty twenty three, 75 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 3: net migration to Australia grew by more than four hundred 76 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 3: and fifty thousand people. 77 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 2: Give me a sense of where that fits in terms 78 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 2: of the usual average. 79 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 3: So it's a lot. The average in the years before 80 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 3: COVID was about two hundred thousand a year, so wow, 81 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 3: double that and then some. And essentially what the government 82 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 3: is saying is that those migration levels are unsustainable. Home 83 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 3: Affairs Minister Claire O'Neil went so far as to say 84 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 3: that the migration system here is broken, and she said 85 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 3: that the government needed a plan to bring migration numbers 86 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:54,719 Speaker 3: back to normal. 87 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,160 Speaker 4: When we arrived in government, we found a migration system 88 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 4: in tatters. It was a system that it wasn't working 89 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,479 Speaker 4: for workers, that wasn't working for business, and that was 90 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 4: not oriented towards meeting our national interest. Our government has 91 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 4: picked up this really ambitious reform project and what will 92 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 4: be launching to you today is a plan that will 93 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 4: see us address those major challenges in the system. We 94 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 4: are going to make sure that we bring numbers back 95 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 4: under control, that we build a better planned system around 96 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 4: essential things like housing, and perhaps most importantly of all, 97 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,040 Speaker 4: that we build a program that delivers for the national interest. 98 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 3: So here's the problem as the government sees it, and 99 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 3: this was what was set out in their strategy. I 100 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 3: think there are like five main problems, but i'll just 101 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 3: summarize them Essentially, the reason that they think that there 102 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:44,160 Speaker 3: needs to be a new strategy is there are too 103 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:48,359 Speaker 3: many instances of migrant worker exploitation, There are loopholes in 104 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 3: the system that are allowing people to stay in Australia 105 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 3: longer than they should be. There is quote insufficient regard 106 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 3: for pressures on housing and infrastructure in Australia, and skilled 107 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,359 Speaker 3: people are being turned off by what they call a 108 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 3: very complex and cumbersome migration system. So according to the government, 109 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 3: that is why they have released this new strategy. They 110 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,159 Speaker 3: say that all needs to change in order for Australia 111 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 3: to move forward. 112 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 2: And I think we can all agree that trying to 113 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 2: change a system is complex and as in demand as 114 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 2: our migration system is really ambitious. And the government sets 115 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 2: some pretty ambitious goals and even labeling that problem and 116 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 2: trying to overcome it, how are they going to actually 117 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 2: fix the system? 118 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, So, I mean, there are a few elements to 119 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 3: the plan, but I want to start with international students 120 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 3: because I think that that probably overlaps quite significantly with 121 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 3: the people listening today. So international students make up the 122 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 3: largest share of what's called permanently temporary, which sounds like 123 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 3: an oxymoron migrants, so that describes those who have lived 124 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 3: in Australia for years but without permanent residency. This year, 125 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 3: nine hundred thousand international students are enrolled to study in Australia. 126 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:05,000 Speaker 3: That's two point five percent higher than before COVID and 127 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 3: more than one hundred thousand students and graduates have lived 128 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 3: in Australia for more than five years. And the government 129 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,400 Speaker 3: has said that students in this category are vulnerable to 130 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 3: exploitation and are often working below their skill levels. 131 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 2: And how is that going to change that? 132 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 3: So essentially it's going to be harder for international students 133 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 3: to come to Australia. So students will need to get 134 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 3: a higher minimum result on a standardized English language test, 135 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 3: so they'll have to complete that test and get a 136 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:36,239 Speaker 3: higher result in order to come study here. The government 137 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 3: is also going to roll out something that's called the 138 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,320 Speaker 3: Genuine Student Test, and that will determine whether a visa 139 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:46,480 Speaker 3: applicants primary intention is to work rather than to study. 140 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 3: I think it's fair to say there were some strong 141 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 3: opinions about that in our comment section yesterday. I think 142 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,120 Speaker 3: not everyone agreed that that was the best way forward. 143 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 3: Those aren't the only reforms in relation to international students, 144 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 3: though the government will also target what's called ghost schools, 145 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 3: where some students are allegedly enrolled in study to get 146 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 3: a visa without actually attending classes. So now the Home 147 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 3: Affairs Minister will have the power to deem education providers 148 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 3: as high risk and essentially what that means is that 149 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 3: visa applications from those providers will be subject to more 150 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 3: scrutiny before being granted and they'll take longer to process. 151 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 2: Okay, So moving away from international students, what else did 152 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 2: the government announce to reform the system? 153 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:33,439 Speaker 3: So the government said that it is going to target 154 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 3: the sponsorship program. So sponsors are employers who employ a 155 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 3: migrant worker and in exchange, they vouch for them, and 156 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:44,679 Speaker 3: it's a system that's seeing temporary migrants come to depend 157 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:48,199 Speaker 3: on one single employer because when you're sponsored, you're kind 158 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 3: of limited in changing workplaces because they're the reason that 159 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 3: you're in the country or that you can stay in 160 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 3: the country. Rather, the government says there have been some 161 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 3: cases of workers being exploited under this ship's system. So 162 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 3: it's setting up an approved list of employers that can 163 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 3: sponsored temporary migrant workers and they'll have to update details 164 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 3: like how many migrant workers they employ and so on. 165 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:14,640 Speaker 3: The government's also bringing in this thing called a Skills 166 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 3: in Demand visa, which it says will give some workers 167 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 3: a path to permanent residents. And remember we said that 168 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 3: there was this skills shortage that the government had identified, 169 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 3: so that is their way of rectifying that issue. Not 170 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 3: everyone agrees those Shadow Immigration Minister Dan tian So, the 171 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 3: coalition's immigration spokesperson, so that changing the sponsorship system could 172 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:40,560 Speaker 3: adversely impact the amount of temporary migrants working in hospitals 173 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:43,680 Speaker 3: and schools, working in regional areas, and he said the 174 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:46,719 Speaker 3: government's treated regional Australia as an afterthought. 175 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:48,640 Speaker 2: What else has been the response to the announcement. 176 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 3: Well, Dantean said that the government had quote opened the 177 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 3: doors to record migration when Australians were suffering from housing 178 00:09:56,360 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 3: shortages and a rental crisis. And there's certain may emerged 179 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 3: as a bit of a talking point in politics this week, 180 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 3: this idea that because we have high numbers of migrants 181 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 3: coming into the country, that that is directly impacting the 182 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 3: housing crisis that we're experiencing in the country at the moment. 183 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 3: The Greens, as expected, did not agree with the Opposition 184 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,839 Speaker 3: on this one. They accused Labor of blaming migration for 185 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 3: the crisis and said there's very little difference between the 186 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 3: major parties. According to Nick McKim, who is the Greens' 187 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 3: immigration spokesperson, he said Australia's housing crisis has been caused 188 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 3: by forty years of deliberate underinvestment in social housing by 189 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 3: both major parties. So the Greens, they're trying to kind 190 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 3: of dismantle this argument that migration is somehow directly impacting 191 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:49,840 Speaker 3: the housing crisis. The government did acknowledge the strain on 192 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 3: housing and infrastructure, as I mentioned at the top, but 193 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 3: it certainly seemed to be part of this broader migration 194 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 3: strategy that they're looking to bring in. So it's a 195 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 3: major chain to our system and it'll be really interesting 196 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 3: to see how that unfolds and what it looks like 197 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 3: and how it actually impacts those migration numbers and who 198 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:11,080 Speaker 3: is coming into the country in the years to come. 199 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:13,360 Speaker 2: So this is one of the last kind of major 200 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 2: reforms we're going to hear about this year from Australian politics. 201 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,960 Speaker 2: Politicians take a bit of time off over December and January, 202 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 2: so we'll expect this conversation to ramp up again when 203 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,320 Speaker 2: Parliament returns in the new year. That's all we've got 204 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 2: time for today on the Daily OS. Remember this whole 205 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 2: episode was based on a comment that we got on 206 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 2: Instagram from a listener. But you don't have to hop 207 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:38,839 Speaker 2: over bit to Instagram if you don't want to. You 208 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,079 Speaker 2: can actually just comment in Spotify on this episode. Give 209 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:44,640 Speaker 2: us your thoughts, send us in the direction of the 210 00:11:44,679 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 2: conversations you want to hear, and we'll do our best 211 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 2: to chase those stories down for you. We'll be back 212 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:59,320 Speaker 2: again tomorrow morning. Until then, have a wonderful Wednesday.