Andrew Bartlett › Comments

European nations are playing into the hands of human traffickers by tightening immigration policies at a time when their economies increasingly depend on migrant labor the United Nations high commissioner for refugees said Monday. - Andrew Bartlett

number of people per dwelling has also risen slightly for the first time in many years. - Andrew Bartlett

serotonin-enhancing antidepressants can jeopardize one's ability to fall in love. - Andrew Bartlett

People who claim that population growth is the big environmental issue are shifting the blame from the rich to the poor By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian, 29th Septeember 2009 It’s no coincidence that most of those who are obsessed with population growth are post-reproductive wealthy white men: it’s about the only environmental issue for which they can’t be blamed. - Andrew Bartlett

Facing an uncertain future in Indonesia, it’s hardly surprising that some refugees and asylum seekers try to continue on to Australia - Andrew Bartlett

Last Friday she learnt that Medicare had withdrawn her provider eligibility, meaning her patients would no longer receive benefits from the health scheme. The Medicare edict followed Dr Douglas's move to become a permanent resident. Under the rules, a doctor in her position without full Australian general practitioner accreditation, automatically loses Medicare rights the position confronting Dr Douglas was suffered by many others because of a system designed to protect local doctors from competition. - Andrew Bartlett

Washington ­ To understand the complexities of migration you would have to listen to 1 billion stories - one from each of the people on the move across the globe. What appears to be a ma... - Andrew Bartlett

THE federal government has asked international students to form a representative body to promote their interests. International students met Education Minister Julia Gillard yesterday to discuss the problem of representation for them. Representation is at present split across different bodies and ethnic groups and the National Liaison Committee has lost credibility since coming under the control of Chinese businessman Master Shang, whose aggressive style has alienated universities. The Greens yesterday reiterated a call for the creation of an independent education commission that would be a national "one-stop shop" for international student welfare, which would also monitor providers. - Andrew Bartlett

A paper from the Parliamentary Studies Centre at ANU - Andrew Bartlett

In Heaven His throne is made of gold/The ark of his Testament is stowed/A throne from which I'm told/All history does unfold./Down here it's made of wood and wire/And my body is on fire/And God is never far away. - Andrew Bartlett

the complex and ever changing maze of immigration policies and regulations in the USA - Andrew Bartlett

Hi greetings to u in the Big Apple. "start spreadin' the News eh !" - Barry

academic article from the Harvard Law Review - Andrew Bartlett

Background note from the federal Parliamentary Library - Andrew Bartlett

The poeple of Kiribati and Tuvalu are concerned about the impact of climate change on their homelands, but reject the term 'climate change refugees' - Andrew Bartlett

Tuvalu and impacts of cliamte change - Andrew Bartlett

What should we make of legislators who equate people smuggling with human trafficking? - Andrew Bartlett

Malaysian authorities have arrested five immigration officers suspected of selling illegal immigrants from Myanmar to human traffickers, police said Tuesday. It is the first time Malaysia has found evidence that government officials were involved in the forced labor exploitation of Myanmar migrants at its border with Thailand _ an accusation that prompted the U.S. State Department to put Malaysia on a list of top trafficking offenders last month. - Andrew Bartlett

In Malaysia, our immigration laws, particularly the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155), do not make a distinction between a refugee and an illegal immigrant (whether economic or otherwise). It is in this regard that Malaysia continues to arrest, and deport, refugees in the country. - Andrew Bartlett

media statement by Sharman Stone - Andrew Bartlett

In a new “special report” released on July 1, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) regurgitates an old and deeply flawed argument: that immigration causes pollution. Specifically, the report claims that, because immigration increases the size of the U.S. population, it also increases U.S. energy consumption, which increases U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, which contributes to global warming. - Andrew Bartlett

Bills to tighten controls on foreign residents will probably increase the hardships faced by applicants for refugee status, Amnesty International Japan's refugee officer, Tomoko Ishii, told The Japan Times recently. Under the present system, many municipalities knowingly issue alien registration cards to illegal residents so they can send them notice of various public services, including public school enrollment and medical services available for children and pregnant women. Under the new legislation, however, illegal residents will not be registered by any government bodies and therefore municipalities will have difficulty making sure they are notified of such public services. According to Ishii, about 2,000 foreign residents, mainly from Myanmar, have applications pending for refugee status, and about half are thought to be here illegally. - Andrew Bartlett

It's high time Kyoto's methane factor mistake was fixed, argues Geoff Russell. - Andrew Bartlett

Details the science which shows the major impact of methane from livestock on climate change - Andrew Bartlett

Melbourne 22-23 September - Andrew Bartlett

Malaysia's traffickers prey on refugees - Andrew Bartlett

People trafficking in Thailand and Malaysia - Andrew Bartlett

AFL footballer Harry O'Brien writes about his sister's speech on the suicide of their father. - Andrew Bartlett

Leaders at yesterday's Council of Australian Governments meeting discussed the much-publicised problems that Indian students have faced and agreed on the importance of extending Australian hospitality to young people who come here to study. One of the ways recommended to achieve this goal was through supporting greater contact between students and local communities. An international student roundtable is planned for September 14-15 in Canberra. Students will be able to raise issues affecting them, including accommodation, welfare and safety. Their ideas will be considered at the inaugural ministerial council on tertiary education in November. - Andrew Bartlett

CHINA'S most famous dissident, the courtly, professorial Liu Xiaobo, 53, was taken by security officers from his home in Beijing last December and held incommunicado for six months, mostly in a room without windows at a secret location. Last week he was shifted to a detention centre and charged with inciting subversion of state power, the crime for which other dissidents, such as activist Hu Jia, also have been sentenced. For those found guilty, the maximum penalty is 15 years. - Andrew Bartlett

In October 1977, this magazine ran a cover story on the promising field of renewable energy. From today’s vantage point, the article is noteworthy mainly for how uncannily its description of the country’s energy crisis and possible solutions applies to the crisis we’re in now. - Andrew Bartlett