From 1 july 2012 NZ Citizens to be Disadvantaged by Australian Immigration Rules

         Many New Zealand citizens living in Australia don’t think about applying for Australian permanent
residence. New Zealanders receive Special Category Subclass 444 visas on arrival to Australia in
most cases, and these allow them to live and work in Australia indefinitely.
Family members can obtain NZ Citizen Family Relation Subclass 461 visas, which also give full work
rights even if the family member is not an NZ citizen.
However, there are many advantages to obtaining Australian permanent residence, including:
1. Full Access to the free Australian health system – Medicare
2. Full Access to Australian social security benefits
3. Access to FEE-HELP student loans for higher education
4. Possibility of becoming an Australian citizen, giving a right to always return to Australia
Many New Zealanders working in Australia are actually eligible for permanent residence through the
Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa.
Under current ENS regulations, both the Special Category Subclass 444 visa, and the NZ Citizen
Family Relation Subclass 461 visa are qualifying visas for streamlined processing. NZ Citizens or
family members need to work in Australia for 2 years to qualify for an ENS visa, and would need to
be sponsored by an employer to get their permanent residence.
The ENS visa is currently one of the highest priority visas in the Australian migration program, and
many people can obtain permanent residence within a month or two of lodging their applications.
However, the ENS program will change from 1 July 2012. Neither the 444 nor the 461 will be
qualifying visas for streamlined processing, and this will mean that New Zealanders will find it much
more difficult to qualify for migration to Australia.
If they want to apply for ENS after 1 July, New Zealanders will in most cases need to pass a formal
skills assessment and show 3 years of work experience in their occupation to qualify. This means
higher costs, delays and quite possibly many New Zealanders without formal university or trade
qualifications missing out on permanent residence.

Australia experts call for energy drink warnings

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE CANBERRA: Researchers in Australia called for health warnings on caffeine-loaded energy drinks following a spike in the number of people reporting medical problems after drinking them. Health professionals from the University of Sydney's Medical School and the New South Wales Poisons Information Centre said reports of adverse reactions to drinks like Red Bull and V jumped from just 12 in 2004 to 65 in 2010. Over the seven years to 2010, 297 calls for assistance were recorded with at least 128 people hospitalised with symptoms including heart palpitations, agitation and stomach upsets. Of these, 20 people had more serious issues, such as seizures and hallucinations. The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday, said the average person affected was 17 years old and that they often mixed energy drinks with alcohol. "Our study demonstrates the extent of the growing problem in Australia with energy drink consumption and toxicity, particularly among adolescents," the study's authors wrote. "Given the clear evidence of toxicity and the growing number of hospitalisations associated with consumption of energy drinks... health authorities should increase awareness of the problem, improve package labelling and regulate caffeine content." They recommended that "labelling and any marketing of these products should include appropriate health warnings and the national poisons hotline number". A can of energy drink may contain up to 300 milligrams of caffeine -- compared to an average 65-120mg for a cup of drip coffee -- and Poisons Centre medical director Naren Gunja called for more thorough regulation. "Things to look at would be... how much caffeine do these drinks contain, how many can you buy at once, what age should you be when you buy them, should there be an age limit to being sold the drinks," he said.