Australia welcomes new residents under the new Pacific Engagement Visa
Successful applicants of the Pacific Engagement Visa, have started to settle into their new lives in Australia.
The PEV grants permanent residency to citizens from the Pacific and Timor-Leste, chosen through a random ballot it's similar to the "Green Card Lottery" seen in the US.
Those selected can apply for a visa, and up to 3,000 visas are available each round.
Jehhand Topai and her daughter just touched down in Australia on the weekend, joining her partner, who was previously employed under the PALM scheme in regional New South Wales town, Casino.
An accounting officer in PNG, she resigned from her job last October for the visa application.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Abbie Chatfield breaks down as she announces 1 month hiatus
The podcaster says she is leaving her phone in Australia while she goes on holiday overseas to help 'reset' from the relentless bullying and trolling she receives.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Harm to living standards': World Bank's chilling economic warning
The World Bank has sounded the alarm predicting global growth is on track for its weakest year since the global financial crisis and worst decade since the 1960s, but Australia could once again prove to be the lucky country. Analysis released this week by the World Bank predicts global growth will slow to 2.3 per cent in 2025, down from 2.8 per cent this time last year. This is a downgrade of 0.4 per cent since the start of the year. If the World Bank's forecasts come true, this would be the weakest period outside of the worldwide recessionary periods of the GFC from 2007-2009 and the Covid pandemic at the beginning of the decade. This follows similar downgrades to growth from the International Monetary Fund, which in April said global growth would slump from 3.3 to 2.8 per cent, while expecting Australia's GDP to drop to just 1.6 per cent. While the OECD also believes growth will slow from 3.3 per cent in 2024 to 2.9 per cent in both the 2025 and 2026 calendar year. The World Bank predicts this could impact everyday people for years to come. 'Without a swift course correction, the harm to living standards could be deep,' the report said. 'International discord – about trade, in particular – has up-ended many of the policy certainties that helped shrink extreme poverty and expand prosperity after the end of World War II. 'This year alone, our forecasts indicate the upheaval will slice nearly half a percentage point off the global GDP growth rate.' WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY? Australia is not immune to any slowdown in global growth, but it is unlikely to drag us into a recession. AMP chief economist Shane Oliver told NewsWire weaker global growth would affect the Australian economy in three main ways. 'Firstly, weaker global growth means less demand for Australia's exports in terms of volume,' he said. 'Secondly, it will potentially mean lower commodity prices which means lower national income. 'Thirdly, a hit to confidence. People in Australia hear what is going on in the rest of the world which means they are less likely to spend whether they are a consumer or a business.' Previously in times of economic stress, the Australian economy has been bailed out by its commodities as other nations stimulate their economy, but this time around Dr Oliver says 'it gets harder' as the world won't stimulate the economy as hard. 'The IMF, OECD and the World Bank have all revised down growth but it's not negative, so it's not a debilitating shock or a global recession in a technical sense,' he said. 'There's no need for the government or the RBA to come to the rescue like it did during the GFC or the pandemic.' Even though the Australian economy as a whole is tipped to slow, with Dr Oliver forecasting growth of around 1.6 per cent for the calendar year, there is a bright spot for homeowners. 'I think it is likely the Reserve Bank will likely cut interest rates more than they would've thought this year and why growth in Australia won't get above 2 per cent,' Dr Oliver said. WHY IS GROWTH SLOWING Without naming names, the World Bank is blaming the fallout from US President Donald Trump's trade policies. As part of his American first initiative, Mr Trump announced a raft of tariff policies across sectors and countries. On April 2 Mr Trump announced 'cheating' countries who ran a significant trade surplus with the United States were hit with 'reciprocal tariffs', while every country including Australia is being slapped with the 'base tariff' of 10 per cent. Through negotiations, these tariff rates have changed, but countries including China are facing total tariffs of around 55 per cent. While the entire 138-page report fails to mention US President Donald Trump's tariff policy, it makes clear trade tensions, global instability and a reversal of current trade policies are the main reasons why they are sounding the alarm. 'The forces behind the great economic miracle over the last 50 years which drove more than one billion people out of extreme poverty have swung into reverse,' it wrote. In order to correct the course, the World Bank says countries need to rebuild trade relations. 'The evidence is clear: economic co-operation is better than any of the alternatives – for all parties,' the World Bank's report said. 'Our analysis suggests that if today's trade disputes were resolved with agreements that halve tariffs relative to their levels in late May, 2025, global growth could be stronger by about 0.2 percentage point on average over the course of 2025 and 2026.'
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Victoria to ban rent bidding outlawed in major crackdown on price hikes
Victoria's rental market has become a pressure cooker, and desperate tenants are offering hundreds above asking price just to secure a roof over their heads. Would-be renters are forking out far more than advertised prices and offering months of rent in advance in a bid to beat fierce competition across Melbourne, with inspections drawing dozens of applicants and many being repeatedly knocked back. One man, attending his sixteenth inspection in two weeks, told the Herald Sun rent bidding — where tenants offer more than the listed rent — was 'the easiest way' to lock in a lease, especially in the inner suburbs. 'It's been really hard,' he said. 'It's really competitive, especially in these suburbs where people really want flats.' Another renter said he would rent bid if he could afford to, while a third, searching in the northern suburbs with two friends, said someone he knew secured a home by offering six months' rent upfront. 'I think that's fair enough with how competitive it is,' he said. A report by the Victorian Council of Social Services (VCOSS) last year found rental bidding remained an issue despite laws banning landlords and agents from soliciting it, with intense competition often pushing tenants to voluntarily offer more. Tenants Victoria advocacy director Damien Patterson said the practice often flew under the radar. 'It's a really tight rental market; it's likely that a lot of renters are proactively offering higher bids and that'll help them secure a home,' Mr Patterson said. 'Oftentimes it takes place as a discussion between just two people – the person who's making a bid and the agent – so it can really be hard for people to know whether they have lost out.' Mr Patterson said he was 'really pleased' about the new rules. 'We know that everybody needs a home and that renters are looking inside their budget, so it will be fairer when people are only expected to pay the advertised price,' he said. One 27-year-old renter from Melbourne's inner west said he'd been applying for months with no success. 'Every inspection feels like a cattle yard – 10 people lining up for the same house,' he said. 'Agents are asking for everything short of a DNA sample. 'Proof of income, references, extra pet bonds, and even then, agents aren't responding. It's brutal.' The VCOSS report described 'intense competition' in the market, with many renters applying for more than 60 homes before being forced to move into poorer quality or less suitable properties. From November, all forms of rent bidding will be banned under new state legislation that prohibits agents and landlords from accepting or encouraging offers above a property's fixed listed rent. Price ranges and 'offers over' listings will also be outlawed, with penalties of up to $47,422. While agents have long been banned from encouraging bidding, prominent Melbourne buyers' advocate and investor Cate Bakos said desperate tenants often made unsolicited offers in hopes of standing out. 'If someone's been to ten or fifteen inspections, missed out every time, and they're feeling desperate, they start gauging their competition,' Ms Bakos said. 'Most rental inspections are public, and when you're standing in a queue of 20 people, it's pretty clear you're not the only one applying.' Ms Bakos said hoped the new laws would close loopholes. 'The difference with the new ban is that it clamps down on situations where tenants offer six months' rent upfront, or try to 'incentivise' landlords with higher-than-asked payments,' she said. A Richmond agent told the Herald Sun rent bidding was 'not encouraged' but still occurred, especially among renters in shadehouses or student groups, whom some landlords were reluctant to lease to. Consumer Affairs Victoria received 53 contacts about rent bidding in the 2023-24 financial year, but only seven between July and December 2024. While this may reflect a drop in agent-driven bidding, advocates believe voluntary bidding remains underreported. Renters and Housing Union general secretary Harry Millward said conditions had only worsened since that report was published. 'Renters are choosing between heating and eating as they struggle to make ends meet,' Mr Millward said. 'Nobody should be spending more than 30 per cent of their income if they've got another option, but the thing is a lot of people don't have another option.' Investors leaving the market have further shrunk rental supply. Between July and December 2024, Consumer Affairs Victoria received more than 35,000 enquiries about rental issues — including maintenance, lease terminations and tribunal disputes. A CAV spokesperson said the agency was closely monitoring compliance. 'Rental bidding and demanding an unlawful bond amount are breaches of Victoria's renting laws and our renting task-force takes this conduct very seriously,' they said. 'We encourage anyone who has concerns about potential rental bidding or other breaches to report it to us.' Housing All Australians director Robert Pradolin said unaffordable housing had far-reaching consequences. 'With a roof over someone's head, they are more likely to be productive citizens of society and pay taxes and avoid the unintended human consequences that manifest in physical and mental health problems, family violence … and long-term welfare dependency,' Mr Pradolin said. His comments follow growing calls to treat housing as essential infrastructure — on par with roads and health — to ensure Australia's long-term economic and social stability. 'We need to put this in the classification of fundamental infrastructure for a future prosperous country.'
