Graduates in full-time jobs edges higher

14/01/2019

(Translation appears in Arabic section)

Sydney - M E Times Int'l: The proportion of Australians who landed full-time jobs within a few months of graduating university in 2017 was slightly higher than the year before, but remains significantly lower than a decade ago.

A new government-funded survey has found 72.9 per cent of graduates in 2017 found full-time work within four months, compared to 71.8 per cent the year before.

The 2018 Graduate Outcomes Survey puts the gradually improving result reflects down to broader strengthening of the jobs market.

But the figure is still down from the 85.2 per cent of 2008 graduates who found full-time work within four months.

Saudi teen bound for Canada

Thailand: Saudi teenager Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, who was detained at a Bangkok airport while fleeing her family, has left Thailand on a flight bound for Canada. The UNHCR withdrew its refugee referral to Australia after the 18-year-old expressed a preference for Canada. Ms al-Qunun flew to Thailand from Kuwait and refused to return saying she feared her family would kill her after she renounced Islam. The woman posted videos about her ordeal on Twitter sparking global interest in her plight. Her Twitter page has since been deleted.

Tourism in Australia $43.2 billion in 2018

Sydney: International tourists spent a record $43.2 billion in Australia last year, with more visiting bush and coastal destinations.

Holiday-makers splurged a whopping $113.4 billion in Australia last year, with international and domestic tourists increasingly making trips to regional destinations.

Overseas travellers dropped $43.2 billion in the year to September, an increase of five per cent.

Minister Birmingham said there continued to be strong demand from China with visitor numbers up 13 per cent, reaching a record 1.3 million and spending up 15 per cent to a record $11.3 billion.

“We’re also seeing strong growth out of India, with visitor numbers jumping 21 per cent and spending reaching $1.5 billion,” Minister Birmingham said.

“The South and South-East Asia regions were also strong performers with 1.2 million visitors from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India collectively spending $5 billion during their travels.”

Suspect to face court over suspicious packages

Melbourne: Federal Police have confirmed a Victorian man has been arrested and charged in relation to a number of suspicious packages sent to more than a dozen consulates and embassies across Australia. The 48-year-old man from Shepparton, northeast of Melbourne, has been charged with sending dangerous articles to be carried by postal service and is due to appear in court on Thursday. The man allegedly sent 38 parcels to consulates and embassies in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, with substances suspected to have been sourced from his home. Police have recovered 29 packages that will undergo forensic testing to determine the material inside.

Labor eyes reform of work for dole program

Canberra: Labor is planning to overhaul the dole and welfare program if it wins federal government, with business reportedly backing the reforms.

The $7 billion Jobactive system has become a "box-ticking" exercise, Labor's employment services spokeswoman Terri Butler has said.

The program is supposed to help working age people on welfare find work but many employers reject the applications sent in by job services providers because of their unsuitability.

Council of Small Business of Australia chief executive Peter Strong said the process was an "absolute waste of time".

"We are creating millionaires on the back of the long-term unemployed by paying providers to offer a failed service," Mr Strong told the newspaper.

Peta Credlin eyeing a return to federal politics?

Sydney: A few years ago, Peta Credlin was seen as one of the most captivating and powerful women in the nation.

The chief of staff under former prime minister Tony Abbott was known for her tough and uncompromising leadership style. From 2013 to 2015, before Mr Abbott was toppled by Malcolm Turnbull, she ran a tight ship.

She’s since moved on to political commentary, with a regular newspaper column and TV slot, but speculation that Ms Credlin may run for the freshly vacated federal seat of Mallee has been rising over the past few weeks.

Federal MP Anthony Albanese announces split with wife Carmel Tebbutt

Sydney: Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has announced his 30-year relationship with wife, former NSW deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt, has ended.

The Federal Member for Grayndler announced the split in a personal statement today.

“I am deeply saddened that my relationship of 30 years with Carmel Tebbutt has ended in separation,” the former deputy prime minister and Labor’s current infrastructure spokesman said.

“We will continue to share parenting responsibilities for our 18-year-old son Nathan, who has successfully complete his HSC and has developed into an outstanding young man who we are both proud of.”

He said no third parties were involved and asked for their privacy to be respected.

The pair were once hailed a power couple rising through the ranks of federal and state politics together.

Ms Tebbutt was the Labor member for the former seat of Marrickville in New South Wales until the 2015 election.

She was also Deputy Premier of NSW from 2008 to 2011.

Ms Tebbutt retired from politics in 2015 and is currently chief executive of the NSW Mental Health Coordinating Council.

Mr Albanese’s popularity has put lingering pressure on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who bested him for the Labor leadership in 2013.

Mr Albanese got almost 60 per cent of the rank-and-file vote. Mr Shorten nudged him out with almost 64 per cent of caucus. Those close to Albanese believe he would have won the next election and Mr Albanese is known to privately agree.

Government MPs still call Mr Albanese “People’s Choice” when he stands up in parliament.

Mr Albanese served as Kevin Rudd’s deputy in 2013, and was a senior minister under both him and Julia Gillard.

NSW hail storm sees insurance claims top $675 million

Sydney: The bill for last months hail storm across NSW has risen to nearly $675 million in insurance claims. The Insurance Council of NSW reports claims from the monster hail storm in December have reached more than 81,000, with almost 60,000 of them involving vehicles. A spokesperson has dubbed the storm 'one of the most significant to hit Australia in the past decade'. As the weather bureau forecasts more storm conditions for Sydney's western suburbs in the coming days, the cost of extreme weather this summer looks set to climb.