Irish defy slump in 457 visa figures
The number of Irish citizens granted 457 sponsored working visas in the last financial year grew by eight per cent, bucking the overall trend which is down.
Of the top 15 source countries whose citizens avail of the scheme – whereby workers are sponsored to stay and work in Australia for up to four years – Ireland was the only country which did not see a significant decline in 457 visas.
There were 2,240 primary 457 visas granted to Irish citizens last year (compared to 2,080 the year before), with a further 880 secondary visas (partners, dependents).
The overall figures showed an 11 per cent drop in the number of primary applications for the 457 visa, while the number of visas granted declined by 13 per cent.
However, the figures for Irish 457 visa grants bucked that trend as the global financial crisis continues to ravage the country and people seek work elsewhere.
Nursing was the only area where visas grants rose – up 18 per cent on the previous financial year.
By state, NSW saw the biggest decline in visa grants (down 19 per cent), while Queensland declined by 11 per cent, WA by nine per cent, and Victoria by seven per cent.
The number of 457 visa applications actually increased in South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
It seems that most Irish 457 applications came from young and single people.
Unlike other source countries like South Africa and China which had more secondary applications than primary – implying sponsored individuals brought their families over here with them – most Irish 457 grants went to primary applicants, which suggests single workers.
by Aaron Dunne
Add comment August 26, 2009
WA Police may seek extradition of Meath man
Western Australian police and the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) may seek the extradition of a 25-year-old Meath man after he failed to appear in a Perth court.
Eamonn Driver, from Slane, was due to face charges in relation to the death of two Irish backpackers in 2007 in a fatal car crash.
The Irish Echo understands that a summons was served on him in Ireland in July but he failed to appear. He may now be extradited from Ireland to face those charges, although no final decision has as yet been reached on the matter.
Colm Reilly and Kiara Duncan, both from Meath, who were killed in a horror smash in Perth in 2007.
Mr Driver was due to face charges of causing the death of Colm Reilly, a 20-year-old builder from Slane, and Kiara Duncan, 20, a beautician from Kentstown in Co Meath.
It is alleged that Mr Driver was behind the wheel during the accident in October of 2007 which resulted in the deaths of Ms Duncan and Mr Reilly, and which left Mr Driver himself in hospital with a shattered pelvis.
Mr Driver allegedly lost control of the Toyota Corolla hatchback he was driving on Broun Avenue, in the Broadford area of the city, careering across the centre median of the road, flipping, and crashing head first into an oncoming Toyota Corona, driven by a 63-year-old woman, who escaped the crash without serious injury.
Up to seven people are believed to have been in the car at the time of the crash, with four of those passengers escaping without serious injuries.
Mr Reilly died instantly in the crash while Ms Duncan passed away three days later in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth.
Mr Driver’s failure to appear in court led Magistrate Barbara Lane to issue a warrant for his arrest.
by Aaron Dunne
Add comment August 26, 2009
Top 100 Irish Australians revealed
The Irish Echo newspaper has revealed the Top 100 Irish Australians of all time.
Drawn from all periods of Australian history since the arrival of the First Fleet, the list showcases the contribution Irish migrants and their descendants have made to this country.
The Top 100 includes 50 entries from New South Wales, 26 from Victoria, ten from Queensland, nine from Western Australia, three from South Australia and two from Tasmania.
The list includes Prime Ministers, Governors General, State Premiers and Archbishops as well as the odd bushranger. Inspirational Irish Australian characters from the worlds of music, film, exploration, business, the law, sport, philanthropy and medicine are also profiled.
The printed edition – which includes full details on all of the entries as well as our top 10 Irish Australian moments of the last 20 years – goes on sale today (Wednesday) from newsagents. To subscribe, call (02) 9555 9199.
Here’s the full list, in alphabetical order:
Mary Kate Barlow
Redmond Barry
Daisy Bates
Richard Bourke
Louis Brennan
Nathaniel Buchanan
Vincent Buckley
John Joseph Cahill
Arthur Calwell
Kev Carmody
Ben Chifley
Steve Cooney
Frank Costigan
David Cremin
John Curtin
Les Darcy
William Deane
Dan Deniehy
Charles Gavan Duffy
James Duhig
Eliza Dunlop
Myles Dunphy
Elizabeth Durack
Fanny Durack
Mary Durack
Patsy Durack
Kate Dwyer
Michael Dwyer
John Fahey
Mick Fanning
John Fihelly
Nicholas Fitzgerald
Errol Flynn
Mark Foy
Ursula Frayne
Lisa Gerrard
Francis Gillen
Anne Greene
Paddy Hannan
Patrick Hartigan
Mary Healy
Edmond Hogan
John F Hogan
Morgan Jageurs
Patrick Johnson
Trent Johnstone
Alan Joyce
Paul Keating
Ned Kelly
Tom Keneally
Tadhg Kennelly
Nicole Kidman
Marion Knowles
Peter Lalor
Damien Leith
Joseph Lyons
Oliver MacDonagh
Hugh Mahon
Daniel Mannix
James Martin
Samuel McCaughey
Isabella McDonagh
Paul McGeough
James Meehan
Dan Minogue
Herbert Moran
Patrick Moran
John Moriarty
Kerry Murphy
Marie Narelle
Doc Neeson
Lucas Neill
Sidney Nolan
CY O’Connor
Bernard O’Dowd
Patrick O’Farrell
Robert O’Hara-Burke
Cornelius O’Leary
Paddy O’Neill
Bill O’Reilly
Maurice O’Reilly
Maurice O’Shea
Paul O’Sullivan
John Hubert Plunkett
George Prendergast
Tom Power
James Quinn
Kevin Rudd
Michael Savage
Ursula Stephens
Henry Stoker
Jim Stynes
John Therry
John / James Toohey
Robert Torrens
PL Travers
Patrick Treacy
William Charles Wentworth
John Worrall
32 comments August 12, 2009
Irish American donates $102m to Queensland research
A renowned Irish American philanthropist has added to his glittering record of giving to worthy causes around the world by donating $102m to medical research in Queensland – the largest ever grant in Australian history.
Chuck Feeney, who made his fortune in duty-free shopping, transferred almost all of his personal fortune to a company he set up called Atlantic Philanthropies in 1982.
Since that time the organization has given away almost US$4bn to a range of worthy causes.
Irish American philanthropist Chuck Feeney.
Mr Feeney made his first round of donations back in the 1990s in support of several Queensland medical institutions, and in 2005 he made a further round of gifts to Australian organizations totalling $50m.
His recent $102m donation to Queensland medical research is his biggest to an Australian cause thus far – with $50m alone going to the Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Translational Research Institute which tests and researches biopharmaceuticals and treatments.
A further $27.5m will go to the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and another $25m to the Hub for Sustainable and Secure Infrastructure.
Feeney’s contribution will be matched by $177m from the Queensland Government and $325m from the federal government.
At a recent ceremony in Brisbane on July 27, alongside Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan, Feeney announced his latest round of grants to Australia.
“My dream is [that] what is discovered [through the research he is funding] will be used in other countries,” the modest and shy New Jersey native explained.
Premier Bligh spoke in glowing terms about Mr Feeney’s massive contribution.
“Chuck Feeney has proven himself over the past decade to be one of Queensland’s champions as a major benefactor toward our medical research community, there is no-one who is more dedicated,” she said.
“This is the biggest single donation in the nation’s history. Most of Mr Feeney’s work with Atlantic Philanthropies has been done quietly out of the media glare, so I am pleased that he is here today to share in this announcement.”
Mr Swan added that the joint contributions by the Australian government and Mr Feeney’s group set a fine example to others elsewhere in the world.
“Our partnership with Atlantic Philanthropies and the Queensland Government is a clear demonstration of how governments and private organizations can work together to invest in important infrastructure projects – these investments will leave a long-lasting benefit for the economy and improve future health outcomes for Australians,” he said.
“The Australian Government applauds the important and generous philanthropic contributions of Atlantic Philanthropies.”
Mr Feeney has also recently announced his desire that Atlantic Philanthropies give away every last penny before he dies, meaning that there could be more donations yet to come to Australia and Ireland in the coming years.
by Aaron Dunne
Add comment August 11, 2009
Archbishop hails Irish Queensland connection
The unique and historical links between the Catholic Church in Ireland and Australia came into particularly sharp focus recently when Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, spoke as a guest of honour at a special anniversary mass in Brisbane.
Archbishop Martin delivered a homily address to over 2,800 parishioners at St Stephen’s Cathedral as part of a Sesquicentenary Mass of Thanksgiving – to mark the 150th anniversary of the Church in Queensland – on July 30.
During his address, the visiting Archbishop paid special tribute to the many priests and nuns who had helped build the Church in the early days of the state, and in particular former Archbishop of Dublin Paul Cullen who would go on to become Ireland’s first cardinal in 1867.
“It was, of course, Archbishop Paul Cullen who chose and proposed to the Holy See the first Bishop of Brisbane, James Quinn,” Archbishop Martin said.
“Over the 26 years of his Episcopate in Dublin, the Holy See turned to Paul Cullen on numerous occasions to propose candidates to come to Australia to establish new dioceses or to become bishops of already existing dioceses.
“The Irish priests and sisters, who came to Australia in those early years, following the first groups of Irish immigrants, were very much filled with the same dynamism as Cullen and shared his rigorous style of Catholicism.
“In Ireland he had attempted to put in place the educational structures which would permit Catholics, for decades excluded from access to higher education, to be able to take their place as leaders in society.
“The early years of the Church here in Queensland were marked by a similar desire to produce a strong Catholicism with a clear sense of identity which would permit Catholics to exercise their rights fully and to impact for the good of society.
“I am happy to be here as Archbishop of Dublin and successor of Cardinal Cullen to celebrate this anniversary with you,” he added.
When Archbishop Martin, returns to Dublin he will once again confront issues surrounding the abuse of children by Catholic priests, brothers and nuns.
It emerged last week that a decision, on whether the latest report into child abuse in the Church can be published, will not be taken for at least another month.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern asked the High Court to decide if full disclosure of the Government-ordered inquiry into the Dublin Archdiocese could prejudice future prosecutions.
The Courts Service said the case will come before the High Court on September 8.
The Dublin Archdiocese report into allegations against a sample 46 priests has been completed but criminal proceedings against three of them have yet to be finalised. Under the law the minister must seek directions from the court if there are concerns about the impact of publishing findings ahead of any legal proceedings.
If the High Court finds that releasing the report could prejudice any criminal proceedings, it can halt the publication of part or all of the findings until court cases are completed.
The Archdiocese has confirmed up to 450 people have made abuse allegations against former priests since 1940.
The inquiry, headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy, investigated the sample of 46 priests, who have had complaints made against them over three decades since 1975.
by Aaron Dunne
and Brian Hutton
Add comment August 11, 2009
Victorian community group saves local church
St Brigid’s Church Hall in the small town of Crossley, Victoria, became party central for the Irish community last week as the Friends of St Brigid’s celebrated an epic victory in finally securing ownership of their local church and hall.
The group had been fighting to keep the facilities in community hands for the last three-and-a-half years since it first became known that the Catholic Church intended to sell the grounds.
But after having initially thought they had lost the fight to save the property, the news came through last week that the group had won the tender, and that work on their plans to establish an Irish Australian cultural centre there could now begin in earnest.
A delighted Friends of St Brigid’s secretary Teresa O’Brien told the Echo that the local community was “ecstatic” at the outcome and she thanked St Brigid herself for turning things in their favour.
“There was another party interested in the property who had a higher bid in than us, and we were told that it was too late and that this other couple were going to get it.
“We were all pretty devastated about it, but then something happened. St Brigid might have performed a miracle, we think. We walked in to the real estate agent to put in our bid, regardless of the fact that we knew we’d been out-bidded, and we were told that they’d decided to accept our offer.
“Whatever happened, someone had a change of heart. We’ll finally own our own community hall and church, so it’s great.
“We should be formally signing off on the papers in the next few days and then we’ll get to work on the cultural centre – I’m already getting phone calls from Melbourne and all over the place saying that they can’t wait to come on board and give us a hand with that.
“We’ll take a bit of a rest first – we’re pretty tired after three-and-a-half years of working on this – and then we’ll start work on that process, which should take about 18 months.”
“It’s pretty unbelievable that the dream we had of being able to hold on to our buildings had been realised,” she said.
by Aaron Dunne
1 comment August 11, 2009
Emigrants to share pain of Ireland’s budget cuts
Irish embassies and consulates will close and emigrant welfare funding will be slashed if the Cowen government accepts the recommendations of an official report into how to slash public spending.
Irish citizens over the age of 65 will also have to pay for their passports, unlike before.
The report, produced by the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes – dubbed An Bord Snip Nua – has put forward suggestions aimed at pulling over €5bn out of the government’s annual expenditure.
The group’s report, which was released in mid-July, has suggested that the closure of 21 embassies and consulates could save the Government as much as €14m ($24.5 m) annually.
Closure of Irish missions around he world will make it more difficult for hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens abroad to get consular assitance and would be potentially damaging to Ireland’s relations with the countries in which closures take place.
“The Group has identified scope for a structural reduction of at least 65 staff across the department [of foreign affairs]. A significant proportion of the department’s expenditure is in respect of its overseas missions,” the report says.
“There are approximately 300 Department of Foreign Affairs officials working in the 76 Irish embassies and consulates. Approximately 300 staff are recruited locally by the missions to work as drivers, household staff, porters, etc.
“This totals 646, and contrasts with the situation in 1989 when there were 40 missions employing some 200 Irish staff and some 200 local staff.”
The Group has also recommended that funding for ‘emigrant services’ be cut by €1m.
“Given the budgetary crisis and the impact that this is having on the delivery of services, the Group recommends that the allocation for expenditure on Support for Irish Emigrant Services be reduced,” the report says.
This would constitute a seven per cent cut across the board.
In 2008, the Irish government contributed €15m to Irish groups in Britain, the US, Canada, South Africa, Argentina, China and Australia.
Over 90 per cent of this funding went to Irish groups in Britain and the United States.
Irish welfare organisations in Australia received almost €163,000 which translates to 1.7 per cent of the total spend.
The Irish Echo understands that the department is trying to ensure that any cuts do not affect “front-line services” but welfare groups around Australia are highly reliant on Irish government funding.
“An Bord Snip” has also recommended efficiencies in the delivery of passport services, through greater use of on-line services and charging full price to all passport applicants.
“Under Programme D – promoting trade, investment and culture – the Department of Foreign Affairs and several non-commercial semi-State bodies have staff located abroad who are involved in promoting the Irish economy and Ireland as a tourist and cultural location.
“Since the smaller operations have little scope for achieving efficiencies and economies of scale, and the potential for developing synergies between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the agencies, the Group recommends that the embassy network be rationalised and that the process be driven by reducing the number of embassies and consulates to 55 with a consequent reduction in staff of 65 posts between HQ and missions, with the aim of realising, over time, savings of up to €14m in a full year.”
The Echo, meanwhile, understands that the management advisory committee of the Department of Foreign Affairs has met to look at how the required savings might be achieved with a less radical reduction in frontline services.
The Group was chaired by Colm McCarthy, an economist at UCD, who was joined by Donal McNally, second secretary general in the Department of Finance.
The Group is also assisted Maurice O’Connell, former Governor of the Central Bank, William Slattery, the managing director of State Street International, Mary Walsh, a former partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Pat McLaughlin, a business consultant and former deputy chief executive of the Health Services Executive (HSE).
by Aaron Dunne and Billy Cantwell
1 comment July 29, 2009
Community rallies around Irish dancing family
The son of well-known Irish dancing teacher Jan Currie-Henderson, and brother of former Riverdance star Craig Henderson, has made an amazing recovery from horrific injuries sustained in a freak injury at Airlie Beach last month.
Andrew Henderson suffered an horrendous fall inside his apartment block in the north Queensland town, falling heavily and in the process fracturing his skull in three places and breaking both his legs.
He was placed in an induced coma, and was transferred from the local Proserpine Hospital to Townsville.
The operation he needed to save his life gave him just a two per cent chance of survival, but, incredibly, Andrew has pulled through and is now expected to make a full recovery.
But, as his distraught brother Craig explained to the Echo, “Andrew has a long way to go”.
“He’s doing a lot better now. He can get up and move around and things like that but he’s still got a lot of work to do. There’s definitely a long road ahead for a full rehabilitation,” Craig said.
Craig said that his brother – who had worked as the manager of the Cock ‘n’ Bull in Bondi Junction last year before moving up to Airlie Beach – had fallen down the stairs at his apartment complex.
Craig also explained how the news had taken the well-known Irish Australian family aback.
“It was a big shock for us. I was asleep in bed at about three in the morning when the buzzer in my apartment started going off. A flashlight came in through my front window, and it was the police.
“They told me he’d been involved in a serious accident and that he was in an induced coma in Proserpine Hospital.
“He was then airlifted to Townsville and one of the doctors called me from there. I was down as his next of kin so I had to consent to the operation.
“They said there was a 98 per cent chance that he wouldn’t survive, but that if they did nothing he would most likely just die.
“So obviously I told them to go ahead with it. It was a hell of a gamble to have to take, but in the end he survived it.
“He was in an induced coma for two weeks and then they slowly started to bring him out of it, and that took about another week and a half for him to come around.”
Doctors told Craig that Andrew’s fractured skull had helped to save his life.
“It meant that the brain had room to move when it swelled.”
Craig told us that Andrew’s prognosis was good “but it will be a very long rehab – somewhere between six months and two years. We’ll take it one week at a time.”
A fundraiser to assist the family with Andrew’s rehabilitation has been organised by the NSW Branch of the Australian Irish Dancing Association and will take place in the Penrith Gaels club on August 1.
Tickets for the event cost $20, and there will also be a raffle on the night. For more information log on to www.aidansw.com.au or call Allison on 0405 182 582.
“The reaction from everyone involved in NSW has been really very humbling to be honest.
“As a family it’s something we would never have expected, but it’s really been a massive help,” Craig added.
by Aaron Dunne
Add comment July 29, 2009
Galway man sentenced to one year in jail
A 26-year-old Galway man has been sentenced to 12 moths in jail after an assault on a fellow Irish national in Perth in October of last year.
Gordon Melia was sentenced to 12 months in prison, with possible parole after six months, for assaulting 28-year-old Monaghan native Kieran Byrne at the Burswood Casino in the early hours of October 5.
CONVICTED: Galway man Gordon Melia has been sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Mr Byrne, originally from Castleblaney, was left with a broken nose and a broken cheekbone, as well as a permanent loss of vision, after the attack.
He underwent extensive reconstructive surgery and remained unconscious for 30 hours after the attack.
District Judge Richard Keen described the attack, which was captured on CCTV, as “callous and cowardly”, adding, “these sort of offences by young people in our society when under the influence of alcohol are far too frequent.
“The message just has to get out that this sort of senseless violence will not be tolerated.”
Melia pleaded guilty to the charge of grievous bodily harm, with defence lawyer Blair Doncon adding that his client had been “very, very drunk”.
Mr Doncon also added that when his client viewed the security footage of the incident he was dismayed by his behaviour and sincerely regretted what had happened.
The offence occurred after exchanges between Melia and his friends and Mr Byrne and his friends. The two men did not know each other.
The court was told that Mr Byrne walked away and was talking on his mobile phone when Melia tapped him on the shoulder, turned him around and punched him twice in the face.
VICTIM: Monaghan native Kieran Byrne was left with a permanent loss of vision after being assaulted in Perth.
Melia had been in Perth on a Working Holiday Visa and, shortly after the offence, had flown to Victoria for a visit.
When he heard WA police were looking for him, he handed himself in to Victorian police on December 5 and was extradited to face charges.
by Aaron Dunne
4 comments July 23, 2009
NSW court frees local accused of Mayo man’s manslaughter
An Australian man charged with manslaughter in relation to the death of Irishman Colm Kenny in Byron Bay in May of 2008 has walked free from a courtroom in northern New South Wales.
Samuel Buultjens, 20, from nearby Newrybar, faced court charged with the manslaughter of the 30-year-old from Ballycastle in Co Mayo, but was allowed to walk free after Lismore local magistrate Robyn Denes decided that any jury decision convicting him would be an “unsafe verdict”.
A murder charge had originally been laid against the 20-year-old, but that was later reduced to manslaughter.
However, after hearing from a number of witnesses to the incident, Ms Denes decided that the evidence given would be of “hindsight bias” and set the man free.
Ms Denes questioned how much evidence had been “impacted” on by people reading about the matter, and possibly reconstructing it in a way as to be “favourable to the deceased”.
Mr Buultjens had originally admitted to the attack on Mr Kenny and handed himself in to police three days after the incident, telling police in a statement that: “I threw another punch and I remember it connecting… I remember him tripping, falling back, and hitting his head”.
However, despite this admittal, and the fact that there were a number of witnesses present, Judge Denes decided Mr Buultjens could not be safely convicted by a jury.
Prosecuting lawyer, Brendan Queenan, had argued that the case should go before a jury as “a single punch manslaughter”, but defence barrister Peter Hamill asserted that Mr Kenny may have fainted and then fallen.
He also made reference to a heart condition that had been revealed by an autopsy on Mr Kenny’s body.
Mr Kenny, a civil engineer and former Mayo minor Gaelic footballer, passed away in the early hours of May 18 at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital after spending a week in an induced coma.
by Aaron Dunne
Add comment July 22, 2009
