This post was originally published on Michael West.
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Rates of homelessness are rising alarmingly, particularly among Australians aged 65 to 74. The government offered them nothing in the budget, in defiance of the Aged Care Royal Commission recommendations. Jeff Fiedler reports.
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Gold saving funds and gold ETFs have seen net inflow to the tune of Rs 184 crore and Rs 680 crore, respectively in the month of April
This post was originally published on The Asian Age | Home.
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The decision was taken at 589th meeting of the RBI’s central board of directors
This post was originally published on The Asian Age | Home.
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The company will commence supply of the COVID-19 virus detection kit from May 25, 2021
This post was originally published on The Asian Age | Home.
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The Red Cross failed to deploy a 5c blood test which could have averted thousands of Australians being infected with contaminated blood. Elizabeth Minter reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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The Budget cash splash in aged care has rendered the Royal Commission a political stunt as the billions in extra funding are not tied to reform measures or direct care and food for elderly Australians. Dr Sarah Russell reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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George, Erika R. and Martin, Jena and Van Ho, Tara, Reckoning: A Dialogue About Racism, Antiracists, and Business & Human Rights (April 22, 2021). WVU College of Law Research Paper Forthcoming, Washington International Law Journal, Vol. 30 (2021). Abstract below….
This post was originally published on Human Rights at Home Blog.
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Documents released under Freedom of Information reveal Australia approved 103 military export permits to UAE and Saudi during the Yemen war – and denied just three permit applications. Michelle Fahy investigates Australia’s escalating export trade in weapons with the Saudi dictatorship, in defiance of its international commitments.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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The graffiti says it all: “This is a bad place.” Why do states send children to facilities run by Sequel, after dozens of cases of abuse?
The vacant building that once housed the Riverside Academy in Wichita, Kansas, was covered in haunting graffiti: “Burn this place.” “Youth were abused here … systematically.” “This is a bad place.” The facility, run by the for-profit company Sequel Youth & Family Services, promised to help kids with behavioral problems. But state officials had cited the facility dozens of times for problems including excessive force by staff, poor supervision and neglect.
Riverside was just one residential treatment center run by Sequel. In a yearlong investigation, APM Reports found the company profited by taking in some of the most difficult-to-treat children and providing them with care from low-paid, low-skilled employees. The result has been dozens of cases of physical violence, sexual assault and improper restraints. Despite repeated scandals, many states and counties continue to send kids to Sequel for one central reason: They have little choice.
For much of its 20 year history, Sequel was able to avoid public scrutiny. But that changed recently in Oregon, when State Senator Sara Gesler began to investigate the conditions of kids the state placed under the company’s care. What she found led to Oregon demanding change and eventually severing ties with Sequel.
This is an update of an episode that originally aired on 11/21/20.
This post was originally published on Reveal.
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The vaccine is presently priced at Rs 948 plus 5% GST per dose with the possibility of a lower price point when local supply begins
This post was originally published on The Asian Age | Home.
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Muqeem Ahmed, UK,
UK statistics reflects businesses are working hard to overcome the loss caused by the pandemic. The past month has seen the largest increase in manufacturing in the UK in 27 years.
Product orders in the BMI index rose in April compared to March, and two-thirds of businesses expect production to improve over a one-year period. However, according to the data, the supply of products is surging for a long time and the prices of raw materials are rising, which sometimes reflects an increase in economic activity.
Last year, the UK economy contracted by 10% and output fell to a 300-year low. According to experts, even if the UK rapid develops this year, the economy will be able to reach the level before Corona in 2022.
Rising shipping costs to product makers are hampered by a shortage of microchips and raw materials used in vehicles and electronics. UK industries are facing business difficulties and stiff competition from members of the EU bloc following UK withdrawal to the EU.
This post was originally published on VOSA.
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The highest level of home care support costs $52,000. This $1000 a week buys, on average, less than nine hours of support. There’s plenty of skimming going on by aged care providers, some of whom are the nation’s biggest corporatised charities. With the budget expected to boost the number of home care packages without demanding any oversight, providers will be rubbing their hands with glee. Dr Sarah Russell reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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New studies show the Astra Zeneca vaccine, the workhorse of Australia’s vaccine program, is just 10% effective against the virulent South African Covid strain, which reached Indonesian shores this week. Callum Foote investigates.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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Pharmaceutical giant CSL is one of Australia’s greatest corporate success stories, although its profits were forged on the sacrifice of the many thousands of Australians who gave their blood for free. Elizabeth Minter investigates the deals which left victims of the infected blood scandal stranded without compensation.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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By Barry Guy, RNZ News sports reporter
New Zealand Rugby is accusing the Players’ Association of misrepresenting the reasons for their opposition to the Silver Lake deal.
Thursday’s NZR annual general meeting unanimously backed the selling of a minority stake in its commercial arm to the US private equity firm.
Holding up the NZ$387.5 million (($281.8m) deal is the sign-off from the players, with All Blacks hooker Dane Coles yesterday saying the reservations were not just about the money.
New Zealand Rugby chairman Brent Impey questioned the players representatives.
“I do believe that the Players Association have not represented exactly what their position is, which was we are opposed to the deal philosophically but we’ll give that away if you give us more money,” said Impey.
Mediation between New Zealand Rugby and the Players’ Association is currently on hold.
Coles had said that they weren’t about to be rushed into any decision.
‘No rush to get into it’
“There’s no rush to get into it, this is a very big decision and it’s something we could look back on in a hundred years [and say] why did we make that decision, or we look back in a hundred years and be glad we made that decision,” Coles said.“I know the Players’ Association have got the players best interest at heart.”
“If it was about the money we would say yes, but it’s not about the money, it’s about leaving the game in the best hands and having the future as bright as we can and looking after everyone,” said Coles.
Impey said the deal would help the game at all levels.
“This is a commercial deal and is therefore going to benefit clubs, the 26 provinces and everybody in the game by getting money into it,” he said.
“Eighty percent of what we spend on rugby goes into the professional game, only 20 percent goes into the community game and so we need to change the paradigm because the game is struggling big time in our community, so this is all about money.”
Impey said the Players’ Association wanted 40 percent of what was coming in.
The Players Association has not commented since yesterday’s vote was taken at the New Zealand Rugby AGM.
Impey said Silver Lake was delighted with yesterday’s vote and they were being very patient over the ongoing stand-off with the players.
“We will go back into good faith bargaining [with the Players’ Association] over the next few weeks, but we are hopeful we will be able to strike a deal.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.
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By Barry Guy, RNZ News sports reporter
New Zealand Rugby is accusing the Players’ Association of misrepresenting the reasons for their opposition to the Silver Lake deal.
Thursday’s NZR annual general meeting unanimously backed the selling of a minority stake in its commercial arm to the US private equity firm.
Holding up the NZ$387.5 million (($281.8m) deal is the sign-off from the players, with All Blacks hooker Dane Coles yesterday saying the reservations were not just about the money.
New Zealand Rugby chairman Brent Impey questioned the players representatives.
“I do believe that the Players Association have not represented exactly what their position is, which was we are opposed to the deal philosophically but we’ll give that away if you give us more money,” said Impey.
Mediation between New Zealand Rugby and the Players’ Association is currently on hold.
Coles had said that they weren’t about to be rushed into any decision.
‘No rush to get into it’
“There’s no rush to get into it, this is a very big decision and it’s something we could look back on in a hundred years [and say] why did we make that decision, or we look back in a hundred years and be glad we made that decision,” Coles said.“I know the Players’ Association have got the players best interest at heart.”
“If it was about the money we would say yes, but it’s not about the money, it’s about leaving the game in the best hands and having the future as bright as we can and looking after everyone,” said Coles.
Impey said the deal would help the game at all levels.
“This is a commercial deal and is therefore going to benefit clubs, the 26 provinces and everybody in the game by getting money into it,” he said.
“Eighty percent of what we spend on rugby goes into the professional game, only 20 percent goes into the community game and so we need to change the paradigm because the game is struggling big time in our community, so this is all about money.”
Impey said the Players’ Association wanted 40 percent of what was coming in.
The Players Association has not commented since yesterday’s vote was taken at the New Zealand Rugby AGM.
Impey said Silver Lake was delighted with yesterday’s vote and they were being very patient over the ongoing stand-off with the players.
“We will go back into good faith bargaining [with the Players’ Association] over the next few weeks, but we are hopeful we will be able to strike a deal.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Opinion polls are given far too much importance, particularly given their methodology is not transparent; their language can shape answers; and only a small percentage of those who are contacted respond. Yet polls may also independently shape voting choices. Michael Tanner reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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Menulog won plaudits for its promise to trial an “employment model”, yet in the wake of the Senate inquiry the battle to find consensus over what constitutes fair work in the gig economy remains in full swing. Workers – or “partners” as Uber calls them – still earn less than the minimum wage for employees not covered by an award or registered agreement and they receive no benefits or legal protections. Luke Stacey reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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Big Tech lobbyists and political donations are nixing privacy reforms across the US, reforms aimed to regulate the commercial use of personal data and provide more protection for citizens, Australia, beware. Todd Feathers reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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Australia’s premier tax cheat Exxon is one of a number of companies in the US using conflicting Facebook ads to target both liberals and conservatives, writes Jeremy B Merrill. The left wing sees narratives extolling Exxon tackling climate change while right wing Facebook users see ads asking for support to stop regulation.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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An investigation shows close links between the tobacco industry and the National Party as former deputy PM John Anderson plots his political comeback. In this final of our State Capture series on corporate members of political parties, Stephanie Tran reports on the company in which Anderson is a shareholder and its links to Phillip Morris.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
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Zaka Mohsin, Riyadh,
Saudi Minister of Manpower and Social Welfare, Engineer Ahmed Al-Rajhi has announced that three occupations in the labor market will be reserved only for Saudi citizens.
Saudi organizations, employ a large number of foreigners, including Pakistanis, but now Saudi citizens will be eligible for employment in all shops in shopping malls across Saudi Arabia. In addition to cafes and restaurants, Saudi citizens will also be allowed to work at major grocery stores. Under the new rules, restaurants, cafes, showrooms, indoor sales and marketing directors will be Saudi. The Assistant Commercial Directors will be Saudi. Locals will also be in charge of retail sales and account funds.
The Ministry of Manpower warned that all three decisions would be implemented by business centers. Violators will face penalties
This post was originally published on VOSA.
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Earlier, the central bank had projected retail inflation at 5.2 per cent for the 2021 March quarter
This post was originally published on The Asian Age | Home.
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UAE,
“The UAE has entered a landmark phase today,” tweeted Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the Emirates’ vice president and prime minister. “The first megawatt from the first Arab nuclear plant has entered the national power grid,” said Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the ruler of Dubai.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan too lauded the “historic milestone”.
“The start of commercial operations at the Barakah nuclear energy plant is a historic milestone for the UAE that significantly enhances the sustainability of our entire power sector,” he tweeted.
The UAE, which is made up of seven emirates, including the capital Abu Dhabi and freewheeling Dubai, is the fourth largest oil producer in the OPEC.
The country was built on oil, but is spending billions to develop enough renewable energy to cover half of its needs by 2050.
When fully operational, the four reactors of the Barakah plant will generate 5,600 megawatts, around 25 percent of the UAE’s electricity needs.
The plant started up in August when authorities pushed the button on the first of four reactors. Barakah, which means “blessing” in Arabic, is an Arab first. Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has said it plans to build up to 16 nuclear reactors, but the project has yet to materialize.
Barakah on the Gulf coast, west of Abu Dhabi was built by a consortium led by the Korea Electric Power Corporation at a cost of some $24.4 billion. Across the Gulf, Iran operates a Russian-built nuclear power plant at Bushehr on its southern coast.
This post was originally published on VOSA.
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COMMENT: By Jackson Kiakari in Port Moresby
I am from the Papua New Guinea generation that was born in the 1980s, raised in the 1990s but neglected, cheated and robbed in 2000s.
We were sent to school to be educated. They told us if you work hard and do well in school, you will get a good job. That all will be well.
So with juvenile enthusiasm and youthful vigour, we went out to conquer academia. But at the turn of the last corner, a different destination awaited.
Jobs were few. Nepotism had become entrenched. The economy wasn’t doing well. Tax was among the highest. Rent, utilities and cost of living had passed through the stratosphere!
Where is the promise? What happened to the dream? How did paradise go wrong?
Questions leading to more questions. We are told to just appreciate life, wake up at 6am, be at the office before 8am, give 40 hours of your life weekly for 50 weeks in a year, contribute to Nasfund, customary Obligations, “hevi” Pay Tax (which falls into a blackhole mostly) and die a sad miserable death after the struggle.
We’ve argued. We’ve protested. We’ve rallied. We’ve spoken out. On the streets. At private gatherings. On social media. But there is no change. It only gets worse.
More scandals… More abuse
More scandals. More deals. More abuse. More theft. A grim reality and a bleak future.Papua New Guinea belongs to 9+ million people. Not only 111 home grown princes and kings (there are a few good men).
All lives should matter. Both in the Christian Context and our Melanesian Culture. Yet the system has been mutated to favor the haves. The elites. The connected. While sons and daughters of ordinary folks are left to scavenge and get by.
We fight for little contracts, compete for tea boy roles. While foreigners get mega kina contracts. The fishing, logging and mining permits. No downstream processing. It’s good for us but bad for them. So it must not happen.
Those connected get the top jobs. Get the good land while we live with mosquitoes in settlements and villages. We get by on minimum wage and high tax. Blackouts, POTHOLES, crowded classrooms and closed aid posts. Em normal ah?
When will this change? Who will change it? Our fathers came from the colonial era. Schooled by “masters” and disciplined by the “cane” to accept whatever treatment dished out by the powers that be.
Subconsciously, they passed this onto us. Unfortunate but inherent. Do we go on accepting all this? Are we spectators in another man’s land? Is this what we want the children we love and raise today to inherit tomorrow?
Change must come
Nay! No! Never! It must change. Change must come. Not through peaceful rallies and patriotic speeches. No! It must come through something more powerful and potent.Change must come through the ballots. Yes. That’s how rubbish gets in. That’s how disaster is voted in. That’s how the status quo is maintained. And that’s how change must come!
I spent 17 years of my life to be a telecommunications engineer. I started out as a graduate engineer and worked hard because that is what I loved. Not to go sit in Parliament. But the way things are going, Parliament needs a complete overhaul. Because it affects everything that happens to us.
We are travelling in a bus on the journey of life. With our families and kantrimen. And the driver is drunk and careless. We cannot pretend all is well. Our families’ and our nation’s welfare is in the balance. We must act or crash! We must take back the driver’s seat!
Church, sports, work, farming, marketing, fishing and everything else will work well if the driver is sober and sound. Responsible and accountable. Parliament matters. It’s not a politician’s sport. It’s a country’s life.
But no. They come every 5 years and sponsor sports, donate to church groups, ground breaking and sky breaking ceremonies, lamb flaps, sips kola na 6 packs wantaim liklik koble and boom! We sell out future!
Issau, Jacob and the bowl of soup every 5 years. Then they go and deal with the foreigners, miners, loggers etc and sell our life, land and the future. And tax us heavily to redeem their carelessness and greed.
We are Melanesians
We are Melanesians. Our forefathers fought, killed and were killed protecting their land and families? Education was supposed to empower us. Not cage us. We pray for healing and deliverance.While the enemy is actioning his faith by using money and getting results. No surprise there. Faith without action is dead. Israel left Egypt for their Promised Land. But they had to fight, die and struggle for that dream.
Not just pray for healing. Isn’t that our Christianity? Faith and action working in tandem to produce results?
There is work to be done. And it requires all of us. Not Highlanders, Coastals or Islanders. It requires All ye sons to Arise. We are not our own enemies. It’s not about you or me. No! Can’t we see what’s happening? They sponsor division and infighting to distract our attention while they help themselves to our resources and land.
Enough of our in-house issues. Let’s rise as Papua New Guineans. United in the effort to rescue, protect and preserve our land for us today and our children tomorrow.
While we still have the strength. My generation has to rise and take lead. Or tomorrow, our sons will complete college and clean a Chinese kaibar for minimum wage!
Politics affects everything. Look no further then the current covid-19 lockdown. You can say it’s fake. No to vaccines. Whatever. But 111 men sitting in an air conditioned building driving fancy cars and living the dream decide for 9+ million. So which is it?
Arise for #PNG4PNG
Young men and women must arise from all 4 corners of Papua New Guinea and unite with a single theme – PNG 4 PNG.Government matters. It’s not for the wealthy and bigshots. It is where our land is protected or sold. Where our future is destroyed or preserved. We must complain less and start educating our families and communities. Get involved. It’s our land.
While soldiers are patrolling our borders from Vanimo to Daru, the real enemy is here with us. They don’t wear a uniform. They don’t carry guns. They use money to control elections and politicians.
We eat their money during elections and sell our land and future to their proxies. Their agents. Who come and promise to fight corruption and build a school. To alleviate our problems and give us the dream.
But they go in and serve the enemy. Why? Because they’re owned. Bought off and paid for. How gullible we are. Fighting for crumbs while they sit in restaurants and cut the biggest deals.
This has to stop. Good men still live here. My Land, My Future, My Vote – Not for Sale!
Jackson Kiakari is young Engan man who grew up in Gerehu. He is an engineering graduate from Unitech and held a senior middle management position at ANZ Bank. He is widely regarded as representing the next generation of leaders in Papua New Guinea, and he is contesting the Moresby North-West By-election in the capital.
This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.
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COMMENT: By Jackson Kiakari in Port Moresby
I am from the Papua New Guinea generation that was born in the 1980s, raised in the 1990s but neglected, cheated and robbed in 2000s.
We were sent to school to be educated. They told us if you work hard and do well in school, you will get a good job. That all will be well.
So with juvenile enthusiasm and youthful vigour, we went out to conquer academia. But at the turn of the last corner, a different destination awaited.
Jobs were few. Nepotism had become entrenched. The economy wasn’t doing well. Tax was among the highest. Rent, utilities and cost of living had passed through the stratosphere!
Where is the promise? What happened to the dream? How did paradise go wrong?
Questions leading to more questions. We are told to just appreciate life, wake up at 6am, be at the office before 8am, give 40 hours of your life weekly for 50 weeks in a year, contribute to Nasfund, customary Obligations, “hevi” Pay Tax (which falls into a blackhole mostly) and die a sad miserable death after the struggle.
We’ve argued. We’ve protested. We’ve rallied. We’ve spoken out. On the streets. At private gatherings. On social media. But there is no change. It only gets worse.
More scandals… More abuse
More scandals. More deals. More abuse. More theft. A grim reality and a bleak future.Papua New Guinea belongs to 9+ million people. Not only 111 home grown princes and kings (there are a few good men).
All lives should matter. Both in the Christian Context and our Melanesian Culture. Yet the system has been mutated to favor the haves. The elites. The connected. While sons and daughters of ordinary folks are left to scavenge and get by.
We fight for little contracts, compete for tea boy roles. While foreigners get mega kina contracts. The fishing, logging and mining permits. No downstream processing. It’s good for us but bad for them. So it must not happen.
Those connected get the top jobs. Get the good land while we live with mosquitoes in settlements and villages. We get by on minimum wage and high tax. Blackouts, POTHOLES, crowded classrooms and closed aid posts. Em normal ah?
When will this change? Who will change it? Our fathers came from the colonial era. Schooled by “masters” and disciplined by the “cane” to accept whatever treatment dished out by the powers that be.
Subconsciously, they passed this onto us. Unfortunate but inherent. Do we go on accepting all this? Are we spectators in another man’s land? Is this what we want the children we love and raise today to inherit tomorrow?
Change must come
Nay! No! Never! It must change. Change must come. Not through peaceful rallies and patriotic speeches. No! It must come through something more powerful and potent.Change must come through the ballots. Yes. That’s how rubbish gets in. That’s how disaster is voted in. That’s how the status quo is maintained. And that’s how change must come!
I spent 17 years of my life to be a telecommunications engineer. I started out as a graduate engineer and worked hard because that is what I loved. Not to go sit in Parliament. But the way things are going, Parliament needs a complete overhaul. Because it affects everything that happens to us.
We are travelling in a bus on the journey of life. With our families and kantrimen. And the driver is drunk and careless. We cannot pretend all is well. Our families’ and our nation’s welfare is in the balance. We must act or crash! We must take back the driver’s seat!
Church, sports, work, farming, marketing, fishing and everything else will work well if the driver is sober and sound. Responsible and accountable. Parliament matters. It’s not a politician’s sport. It’s a country’s life.
But no. They come every 5 years and sponsor sports, donate to church groups, ground breaking and sky breaking ceremonies, lamb flaps, sips kola na 6 packs wantaim liklik koble and boom! We sell out future!
Issau, Jacob and the bowl of soup every 5 years. Then they go and deal with the foreigners, miners, loggers etc and sell our life, land and the future. And tax us heavily to redeem their carelessness and greed.
We are Melanesians
We are Melanesians. Our forefathers fought, killed and were killed protecting their land and families? Education was supposed to empower us. Not cage us. We pray for healing and deliverance.While the enemy is actioning his faith by using money and getting results. No surprise there. Faith without action is dead. Israel left Egypt for their Promised Land. But they had to fight, die and struggle for that dream.
Not just pray for healing. Isn’t that our Christianity? Faith and action working in tandem to produce results?
There is work to be done. And it requires all of us. Not Highlanders, Coastals or Islanders. It requires All ye sons to Arise. We are not our own enemies. It’s not about you or me. No! Can’t we see what’s happening? They sponsor division and infighting to distract our attention while they help themselves to our resources and land.
Enough of our in-house issues. Let’s rise as Papua New Guineans. United in the effort to rescue, protect and preserve our land for us today and our children tomorrow.
While we still have the strength. My generation has to rise and take lead. Or tomorrow, our sons will complete college and clean a Chinese kaibar for minimum wage!
Politics affects everything. Look no further then the current covid-19 lockdown. You can say it’s fake. No to vaccines. Whatever. But 111 men sitting in an air conditioned building driving fancy cars and living the dream decide for 9+ million. So which is it?
Arise for #PNG4PNG
Young men and women must arise from all 4 corners of Papua New Guinea and unite with a single theme – PNG 4 PNG.Government matters. It’s not for the wealthy and bigshots. It is where our land is protected or sold. Where our future is destroyed or preserved. We must complain less and start educating our families and communities. Get involved. It’s our land.
While soldiers are patrolling our borders from Vanimo to Daru, the real enemy is here with us. They don’t wear a uniform. They don’t carry guns. They use money to control elections and politicians.
We eat their money during elections and sell our land and future to their proxies. Their agents. Who come and promise to fight corruption and build a school. To alleviate our problems and give us the dream.
But they go in and serve the enemy. Why? Because they’re owned. Bought off and paid for. How gullible we are. Fighting for crumbs while they sit in restaurants and cut the biggest deals.
This has to stop. Good men still live here. My Land, My Future, My Vote – Not for Sale!
Jackson Kiakari is young Engan man who grew up in Gerehu. He is an engineering graduate from Unitech and held a senior middle management position at ANZ Bank. He is widely regarded as representing the next generation of leaders in Papua New Guinea, and he is contesting the Moresby North-West By-election in the capital.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Asia Pacific Report newsdesk
The Chinese worker who left police custody on the way to the airport on Thursday night had a charge of absconding – which carries a maximum sentence of five years – withdrawn when he appeared in the Auckland District Court today.
The worker, who was said by his lawyer to be in a very distressed state after 10-days in custody, had opened an unlocked door of the patrol car on the way to the airport and got out.
He had hoped to recover lost property and money he was owed. He then walked for seven hours’ confused and disoriented before speaking to an early morning exerciser who spoke Mandarin and they agreed that he should surrender himself to the police again, according to a statement by Unite Union.
- READ MORE: China’s reaction to deported workers should be considered – lawyer
- Trafficking claims after Chinese workers detained in Auckland
The worker’s lawyer, Matt Robson, who represents nine of the 10 Chinese workers detained, said he had suffered migrant labour exploitation and he should be released to allow the allegations to be investigated.
However, the magistrate said he had no power to do so and the worker was remanded in police custody again on outstanding immigration matters.
The worker asked to speak to the court and begged to be able to work in New Zealand so that he could earn back the large amount of money paid in fees to get here and provide for his parents, wife and child back in China.
Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi has said this case was not one of trafficking. The person he had delegated the authority to make this decision reportedly did so after examining the email trail documents for 20 minutes.
False promises, huge fees
But the government’s own website on trafficking includes the circumstances of these workers who were recruited and made false promises in China and paid huge fees for fake visas that they thought would be work visas and were then told they could change from their visitor status once they arrived, which was a lie.At the top of the site page is a summary statement:
“The United Nations defines people trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by deceptive, coercive or other improper means for the purpose of exploiting that person. It is a global crime, committed at the expense of victims who are robbed of their dignity and freedom.”
Unite Union advocate Mike Treen asked Minister Kris Faafoi to explain which part of “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by deceptive, coercive or other improper means for the purpose of exploiting that person” did not apply in this and so many other cases that were not investigated.
This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.
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Asia Pacific Report newsdesk
The Chinese worker who left police custody on the way to the airport on Thursday night had a charge of absconding – which carries a maximum sentence of five years – withdrawn when he appeared in the Auckland District Court today.
The worker, who was said by his lawyer to be in a very distressed state after 10-days in custody, had opened an unlocked door of the patrol car on the way to the airport and got out.
He had hoped to recover lost property and money he was owed. He then walked for seven hours’ confused and disoriented before speaking to an early morning exerciser who spoke Mandarin and they agreed that he should surrender himself to the police again, according to a statement by Unite Union.
The worker’s lawyer, Matt Robson, who represents nine of the 10 Chinese workers detained, said he had suffered migrant labour exploitation and he should be released to allow the allegations to be investigated.
However, the magistrate said he had no power to do so and the worker was remanded in police custody again on outstanding immigration matters.
The worker asked to speak to the court and begged to be able to work in New Zealand so that he could earn back the large amount of money paid in fees to get here and provide for his parents, wife and child back in China.
Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi has said this case was not one of trafficking. The person he had delegated the authority to make this decision reportedly did so after examining the email trail documents for 20 minutes.
False promises, huge fees
But the government’s own website on trafficking includes the circumstances of these workers who were recruited and made false promises in China and paid huge fees for fake visas that they thought would be work visas and were then told they could change from their visitor status once they arrived, which was a lie.At the top of the site page is a summary statement:
“The United Nations defines people trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by deceptive, coercive or other improper means for the purpose of exploiting that person. It is a global crime, committed at the expense of victims who are robbed of their dignity and freedom.”
Unite Union advocate Mike Treen asked Minister Kris Faafoi to explain which part of “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by deceptive, coercive or other improper means for the purpose of exploiting that person” did not apply in this and so many other cases that were not investigated.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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By Jason Brown in Auckland
Worldwide anti-corruption rankings – or first world whitewash?
Long-standing questions about the fairness of corruption ratings and rankings from Transparency International surveys now have answers.
From the Pacific, at least.
For example, why was New Zealand dropped from TI’s Global Corruption Barometer (GCB)?
“I do know about this because we tried to get NZ included,” says Transparency International New Zealand chair Julie Haggie.
“Unfortunately it is a funding issue.”
This lack of funding means supposedly more corrupt “developing” countries are scrutinised more closely than allegedly cleaner “developed” countries, fuelling criticisms of bias against developing and poor countries.
GCB surveys the public
Unlike Transparency International’s much better-known Corruption Perceptions Index, the GCB surveys members of the public about actual experiences of corruption, not just “perceptions” from “experts” and “business leaders”.So how did the gap between the two surveys come about?
“Funding for the GCB Pacific came out of aid funding from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia) and Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand) under the Pacific reset and Pacific Stepup programmes,” said Haggie.
“Their funding specifically excludes activities in donor giving countries that are not directed out to the Pacific.”
However, New Zealand did feature – once – in the barometer survey.
That 2013 survey found that 3 percent of those responding reported incidents of bribery – some 30 people directly, or around 80,000 people if taken as a representative sample of the wider New Zealand population.
Those experiences are all but ignored across government websites there, with GCB survey results mentioned only once.
Responses from Berlin
So why was New Zealand dropped from the barometer?Islands Business sent questions to the press section at the global headquarters of the Berlin-based organisation in early February, but got no reply.
Asked for help with getting a response from Berlin, Haggie replied that:
“As I understand it this was not a TI decision.
“They did have a limited pool of funding which may have determined how many small Pacific nations they could include. Australia was not included in this set as well, I think they were previously included in an Asian GCB which NZ was not included in.”
Haggie is correct – Australia has disappeared from the barometer as well.
In 2017, however, Australia reported a bribery rate of 4 percent, or just short of a million people if those surveyed are representative of the general population.
Lacks funding for survey
At the same time Transparency International claims it lacks funding to survey actual corruption in Australia and New Zealand, both countries are instead funding research that focuses attention on corruption – in the Pacific.“We are undertaking research this year which will look at the connection between money laundering and corruption across the Pacific,” said Haggie.
While this will no doubt be welcomed by island-based anti-corruption campaigners, criticism of the fairness of Transparency International surveys go well beyond Australia and New Zealand.
Global concerns go back years, focused around developed countries ignoring their own backyard.
Similar concerns were already long standing enough for the inventor of the index to withdraw from future surveys over a decade ago.
“In 1995, I invented the Corruption Perceptions Index,” wrote Passau University professor Graf Lambsdorff in a 2009 email to the TI network, “and have orchestrated it ever since, putting TI on the spotlight of international attention.
“In August 2009, I informed Cobus de Swardt, managing director of TI, that I am no longer available for doing the Corruption Perceptions Index.”
Gaps in the Pacific
Back in 2021, Transparency International’s Pacific regional perspective Miriam Mathew agrees there are gaps.“When New Zealand was last included in the GCB in 2013, it was undertaken as part of a global rather than a regional report, and TI had access to other sources of funding covering corruption measurement tools globally,” Mathew said.
“If future opportunities arise to survey New Zealand (and Australia) for the GCB, we would be very interested to do so, as of course it does leave gaps in our understanding of people’s lived experience of corruption around the world and in the region.“
Ironically, Transparency International itself has referred to concerns about a whitewash by first world countries in other spheres.
Quoting an Oxfam report in May last year, titled “Blacklist or whitewash?”, TI noted the example of the European Union, which leaves its own countries off lists of tax havens.
Jason Brown is founder of Journalism Agenda 2025 and writes about Pacific and world journalism and ethically globalised Fourth Estate issues. This article was originally published in Islands Business news magazine and is republished with permission.
This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.
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By Jason Brown in Auckland
Worldwide anti-corruption rankings – or first world whitewash?
Long-standing questions about the fairness of corruption ratings and rankings from Transparency International surveys now have answers.
From the Pacific, at least.
For example, why was New Zealand dropped from TI’s Global Corruption Barometer (GCB)?
“I do know about this because we tried to get NZ included,” says Transparency International New Zealand chair Julie Haggie.
“Unfortunately it is a funding issue.”
This lack of funding means supposedly more corrupt “developing” countries are scrutinised more closely than allegedly cleaner “developed” countries, fuelling criticisms of bias against developing and poor countries.
GCB surveys the public
Unlike Transparency International’s much better-known Corruption Perceptions Index, the GCB surveys members of the public about actual experiences of corruption, not just “perceptions” from “experts” and “business leaders”.So how did the gap between the two surveys come about?
“Funding for the GCB Pacific came out of aid funding from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia) and Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand) under the Pacific reset and Pacific Stepup programmes,” said Haggie.
“Their funding specifically excludes activities in donor giving countries that are not directed out to the Pacific.”
However, New Zealand did feature – once – in the barometer survey.
That 2013 survey found that 3 percent of those responding reported incidents of bribery – some 30 people directly, or around 80,000 people if taken as a representative sample of the wider New Zealand population.
Those experiences are all but ignored across government websites there, with GCB survey results mentioned only once.
Responses from Berlin
So why was New Zealand dropped from the barometer?Islands Business sent questions to the press section at the global headquarters of the Berlin-based organisation in early February, but got no reply.
Asked for help with getting a response from Berlin, Haggie replied that:
“As I understand it this was not a TI decision.
“They did have a limited pool of funding which may have determined how many small Pacific nations they could include. Australia was not included in this set as well, I think they were previously included in an Asian GCB which NZ was not included in.”
Haggie is correct – Australia has disappeared from the barometer as well.
In 2017, however, Australia reported a bribery rate of 4 percent, or just short of a million people if those surveyed are representative of the general population.
Lacks funding for survey
At the same time Transparency International claims it lacks funding to survey actual corruption in Australia and New Zealand, both countries are instead funding research that focuses attention on corruption – in the Pacific.“We are undertaking research this year which will look at the connection between money laundering and corruption across the Pacific,” said Haggie.
While this will no doubt be welcomed by island-based anti-corruption campaigners, criticism of the fairness of Transparency International surveys go well beyond Australia and New Zealand.
Global concerns go back years, focused around developed countries ignoring their own backyard.
Similar concerns were already long standing enough for the inventor of the index to withdraw from future surveys over a decade ago.
“In 1995, I invented the Corruption Perceptions Index,” wrote Passau University professor Graf Lambsdorff in a 2009 email to the TI network, “and have orchestrated it ever since, putting TI on the spotlight of international attention.
“In August 2009, I informed Cobus de Swardt, managing director of TI, that I am no longer available for doing the Corruption Perceptions Index.”
Gaps in the Pacific
Back in 2021, Transparency International’s Pacific regional perspective Miriam Mathew agrees there are gaps.“When New Zealand was last included in the GCB in 2013, it was undertaken as part of a global rather than a regional report, and TI had access to other sources of funding covering corruption measurement tools globally,” Mathew said.
“If future opportunities arise to survey New Zealand (and Australia) for the GCB, we would be very interested to do so, as of course it does leave gaps in our understanding of people’s lived experience of corruption around the world and in the region.“
Ironically, Transparency International itself has referred to concerns about a whitewash by first world countries in other spheres.
Quoting an Oxfam report in May last year, titled “Blacklist or whitewash?”, TI noted the example of the European Union, which leaves its own countries off lists of tax havens.
Jason Brown is founder of Journalism Agenda 2025 and writes about Pacific and world journalism and ethically globalised Fourth Estate issues. This article was originally published in Islands Business news magazine and is republished with permission.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.