Greens Senator Nick McKim
It is not unheard of for governments to be found rushing legislation through the Senate, with tense negotiations lasting all night (remember Nick Xenophon’s pyjamas?), and amendments passing between the Senate and the House of Representatives. But usually those deadlines are because it’s the last sitting day before the winter break, or the summer break, or an election is just around the corner.
Now the government has a deadline to pass its divisive citizenship law reform, but this deadline was imposed by the Senate, after the Greens managed to pass a motion giving the government just four sitting days to debate the laws, or have them struck off the notice paper.
The original motion brought by the Greens’ Nick McKim would have struck the bill off immediately, but independent Senator Jacqui Lambie moved an amendment adding four sitting days, meaning Wednesday, October 18 is D day for the government.
The kicker? A number of government senators were absent, missing their chance to quash the motion late yesterday afternoon.
The motion was supported by the Greens, Lambie, the Nick Xenophon Team and Labor compared to only 29 votes from the Coalition, Cory Bernardi, Leyonhjelm and Hinch.
Usually government decides what legislation is on the notice paper, which includes both business for a particular sitting day, and legislation to be debated in future. Legislation sits on the notice paper until the government begins debate, or removes it from the notice paper. It’s believed that this is the first time in more than 20 years this has happened, with the last time in 1995 when West Australian Greens senator Dee Margetts moved a similar motion successfully.
The tough new changes, which involve a harder English test for potential citizens, and a longer permanent residency requirement, have been roundly criticised by legal experts and migrant advocacy groups. As reported by Crikey, New Zealanders living in Australia have held off applying for permanent residency or making decisions around higher education due to the instability caused by the stalemate around the changes.
The Greens oppose the changes and moved the motion because of the uncertainty experienced by permanent residents hoping to become Australian citizens. The bill as it stands does not contain any transition period for permanent residents, but a government majority Senate inquiry recommended watering down the English language requirements and introducing transition arrangements.
“This is a big win for the many thousands of people whose lives have been put on hold in the five months since this legislation was first announced,” Nick McKim said in a statement yesterday.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton must now negotiate with the crossbench to get the laws passed. The Greens and Nick Xenophon Team will oppose the changes, and while Lambie voted with the Greens this week, she broadly supports the laws but wants changes to the English language requirements.
There is a problem here…when you have foreign nurses working in our hospitals who cannot communicate with the patients, it leaves confusion in the minds of those on the receiving end.
How do these nurses gain tertiary qualifications, where there is a need to be fluent in reading and writing English? Is this even safe?
And that is only one profession/occupation…what is happening across the rest of the workforce???
That’s a furphy CML. We’re talking about citizenship, that is legal stability, security, democratic voting rights and a deeper connection to the country that you live in, not about work permits. The apocryphal “foreign nurse” who can’t speak English and can’t go to university is irrelevant here.
The Greens’ position is admirable – thousands of peoples’ live are being put on hold because Immigration has stopped processing applications. As well the not-yet-passed Bill backdates changes to 20 April, so applications lodged after that will need to meet the new requirements, even though they were lodged prior to the legislation being passed by Parliament. Pass the bill or drop it!
So am I Aorta…giving citizenship/permanent residence to people who can’t speak English sufficiently well to do the jobs they are in, is dangerous for the worker and, in the hospital setting, potentially catastrophic for patients.
Do you want a nurse operating equipment, the instructions for which they are unable to read? Let alone explain to a patient in language they can understand why this treatment is needed? Well good luck with that! After you have had your next heart attack, and been in this situation, I’ll ask you again!!
The wider implication of all this is…how are students with inadequate English language coming out of OUR universities with degrees? It is just NOT possible, unless someone else is doing the work for them, or the university is turning a blind eye.
Either way, this is just NOT ON!!
I spent the best part of 50 years in hospitals in several countries…all English speaking…and am now retired. But the feedback I get from those still in the field is very disturbing for both the practitioners and the patients. Perhaps you could do some research before sprouting your idealogical BS…the Greens indeed!!!!!
What you are referring to is the fact that temporary and permanent migration in many visa classes has been outsourced to the market and to employers who often want those to whom they can give lower wages and conditions. Many highly skilled occupations whether filled by temporary or permanent resident need a high standard of English.
However to be a good citizen, you don’t necessarily need that standard of English. Thousands, possibly millions of migrants to Australia over the years, including those from Europe in the second half of the last century never learnt more than basic working English because they were not given the opportunity. However they worked, earned an income, supported themselves, contributed to the community, raised good Aussie children and have been excellent citizens of Australia.
That also applies to those arriving now.
Out-foxing teh Coalition is not exactly that difficult at the moment.
Remember that simple forms have out-foxed them in the past.
There seems to be a wilful blindness here to the issues of citizenship, visa rorting, student diploma mills and refugee intake, jumbled together and garnished with obfuscation and look-over-there.
As CML notes in nursing, and anyone paying attention can see in many other fields, there are large numbers of people of dubious ability & legitimacy in positions which raise questions as to how this can occur.
I may have to buy stronger tinfoil for my hat because I don’t believe it is simple happenstance.
It’s funny to see you and CML lining up with Dutton, Hinch and Corey B. on this one AR and it’s sad to think that Dutton’s reforms are unlikely to address any of the issues you and CML have raised.
MacT – an idea cannot be diminished by the people holding it. The problem is that, like lice, fleas & other blood sucking parasites, pollies will attach themselves to whatever is passing if it looks like a free ride & feed.
Fair point about the idea and no argument re; parasites & pollies.
Immigration/overpopulation has been quite the “hot topic” here of late and while I agree with the gist of the Anti-arguments , I can’t help but think that this debate is a classic “first world problem” and wonder what indigenous folk would think if/when they read/heard about all this “white-fella wailing”. Perhaps they’d think the real problems/issues began over 200 years ago !