Aussie routes among world's turbulence hotspots

SOURCE: Travel Advice by news.com.au

SOME of the most popular flight paths used by Australians have been named by experts as being among the world's most turbulent air routes.

Atmospheric researchers say the routes from Melbourne to Christchurch and Sydney to Los Angeles were notorious for the amount of turbulence frequently experienced by airlines.

University of Melbourne turbulence expert Todd Lane said any plane that flies over a mountainous region - which wreaks havoc with air flow - was more likely to have a "bumpy ride".

Dr Lane said the final stretch of the flight from Melbourne to Christchurch usually experienced turbulence due to the mountains surrounding the New Zealand city.

Flying over the Himalayas - as many flights from Australia to Europe do - was also a "common source" of turbulent activity, according to Dr Lane.

And trans-Atlantic flights during winter were notoriously bumpy.

"There's almost twice as much turbulence experienced in the winter months than in summer ... over Greenland," he said.


Pacific flights not so peaceful

Frequent storm activity over the Pacific Ocean has also caused problems for pilots.

"The Pacific route between Australia and the US is another (hotspot for turbulence)... that occurs almost all year round," Dr Lane said.

If anyone wanted to fly around the US during summer, they should do it in the morning, Dr Lane said.

"The US is terrible in the (northern) summertime because of storms.

"I'd always try to fly in the mornings ... storms predominately occur in the afternoons (in the US)."

But he said flying through turbulence was smoother on heavier planes.


No flight immune from turbulence

One of the world's foremost experts on turbulence, Larry Cornman from the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research, said no flight was immune to the phenomenon.

"If we knew where and when turbulence would occur ... we'd be out of work," Dr Cornman said.

"Nevertheless, we can make some general statements based on climatologies of aircraft encounters.

"Most commercial aircraft have on-board weather radars, so they typically avoid the 'main' parts of the thunderstorm; however, turbulence can occur in regions where the radar is not seeing much, but where there is visible cloud.

"Turbulence can also occur in the clear air on the sides and above rising thunderstorms ... (and this) seems to be a source of some very severe encounters - especially at night, when the pilot does not have any visual clues."


Danger of turbulence-related injures

More than 150 injuries caused by turbulence on Australian flights have been recorded in the last decade, according to the latest figures from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

"About a dozen in-flight turbulence injuries are reported in Australia each year to the ATSB, and many more go unreported," an ATSB report said.

"Some of these injuries are serious, and have resulted in broken bones and head injuries.

The ATSB described one incident that resulted in broken bones to passengers:

"In 2000, a Boeing 747 encountered clear air turbulence en route from Sydney to Osaka, Japan.

"When the (turbulence) struck, the seat-belt sign was not illuminated and people were moving about the cabin.

"During the turbulence two passengers sustained broken ankles… both of those passengers had been out of their seats during the turbulence."

300,000 skilled workers needed

SOURCE: News.com.au

AUSTRALIA'S economy cannot continue to grow without a lot more skilled migrant workers, Immigration Minister Chris Evans says.

Senator Evans warned today of an ageing population and a range of industries that could not find enough skilled workers to enable their businesses to grow.

"So there is a huge demand. We will meet it by upskilling our own people, but we have got to make sure we have got strong skilled migration as well if we are going to grow," the senator told Sky news.

"We will be investing an awful lot in the education revolution and skilling our own people.

"But the reality is we have an ageing population. Unless we have migration we are not going to be able to grow our workforce."

Under a revised immigration program announced this week, Australia will substantially lift its intake of migrants, particularly those with necessary skills.

That includes 190,300 in the permanent migration stream, 56,500 in the family stream and about 50,000 in the temporary skilled migration program - totalling more than 300,000.

This is the biggest yearly increase since the immigration program was launched in the 1940s.

Senator Evans said for the first time in the past year the workforce grew more from imported labour than from Australians taking new jobs.

"So we have got to have skilled migration to grow the economy. At the moment there is a real constraint on our capacity to grow because we just don't have enough workers," he said.

Senator Evans said there were significant skilled vacancies in the growth states, and there was a challenge to better connect those coming into Australia with areas where there were jobs.

"We don't want them all flocking into Sydney," he said.

"We actually want them going to Queensland, Western Australian and South Australia where there is huge demand for skills that they can't find elsewhere."

Opposition immigration spokesman Chris Ellison said the Government was continuing what the Coalition Government started.

He said the Coalition lifted the skilled migration content from 30 to 70 per cent of the total program.

"So we certainly don't disagree with the Government's announcement that it will be increasing the skilled migration program by 31,000," he said.

"But it is important that the Government resource the Department of Immigration to accommodate this."

Senator Ellison said the Opposition would be assessing the impact of the Government's public service efficiency cuts.

He said he had received complaints from business on the time it takes to employ a worker under the 457 visa temporary skilled immigrant program.

Senator Ellison said the Government had also forecast a rise in unemployment.

"The whole purpose of skilled migrations is to ensure you are bringing in skilled people to fill jobs where no local worker is available. It will require careful management," he said.

Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson acknowledged labour shortages existed in certain areas for skilled and unskilled workers.

"Why is it that Mr Rudd is planning and budgeting to put 134,000 Australians out of work over the next year and at the same time he wants to bring even more people into Australia?" he said.

Australia ETA Visa Requirement

The Electronic Travel Authority or ETA visa for Australia has got to be the easiest type of visitor visa to apply for and acquire online. This visa allows you to travel around Australia for twelve months on multiple visits. Each visit has a maximum of three months. Since it is only visitor visa, you cannot work in Australia but be able to study for a maximum of three months.

The application for an Australian ETA is processed immediately online and recorded on the Australian Government systems. You won't be needing a stamp or label on your passport because your ETA visa is electronically stored and checked before you board your flight to Australia.

ELIGIBILITY
Application for an ETA visa is only eligible for the following passport holders:

Andorra
Austria
Belgium
Brunei
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hong Kong (SAR)
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Malaysia
Malta
Monaco
The Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Republic of San Marino
Singapore
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States of America

Australia Visa Requirement (ETA)
* You must be out side Australia to apply for this visa
* You must meet health and character requirements
* You must have an incentive to return home
* You must have sufficient funds to cover your trip to Australia and back

A Global Approach To Migration

MIGRATION has emerged as one of the defining issues of the 21st century. With hundreds of millions of people now living outside their countries of birth, the hot topic of people mobility has grown in visibility and significance.

The development of modern transportation and telecommunications has led to a steady growth of people motivated to move – and with the ability to do so. Not surprisingly, this growing surge of people across national boundaries has often raised fears and controversy in both sending and receiving countries.

This sensitive issue is fertile ground for those willing to pander to political populism and xenophobia.

Public perceptions of migration – whether based on evidence or emotions – play a critical role in determining policy choices available to governments in managing what is an unstoppable trend.

The world is changing at a rate that some of us might find discomforting, even bewildering.

International migration is playing a decisive role in speeding up that process of change. It is reshaping the economic, social and cultural profile of the familiar world we grew up in.

Helping to bring some much-needed balance to the often heated debate – and exploding a number of myths along the way – has been a growing body of research looking into the costs and benefits of migration. Most of these studies come to a surprising conclusion – or at least one that is out of step with much popular sentiment – the boom in migration has for the most part been good for sending and receiving countries.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans yesterday said an increase in migration to Australia had been driven substantially by demand for skilled workers and the needs of the Australian economy.

Public perception is often that migration grows out of and causes further poverty in both sending and receiving countries – not to mention possible social friction and workplace disruption.

But what emerges from empirical research is not merely that migration is inevitable given the understandable desire for people to move to improve their life chances. This iron law has governed the movement of people for as long as we have graced the planet.

A growing body of evidence also points to migration being an essential and potentially beneficial component of the economic and social life of every country and region.

For developed countries wanting to maintain healthy growth rates, immigration offers an alternative source of people and labor at a time of declining population and shortages of skilled workers.

For developing countries it can help relieve unemployment and population pressures, as well as ready supply of money from remittances sent to those who remain at home.

So the question no longer becomes one of whether to have migration but how to manage it effectively in order to ramp up its positive effects and reduce any negative impacts.

Given this evidence, it is essential that a comprehensive and co-operative approach be adopted to international migration management.

The economic and social interests of Australia and the international community are better served by managing immigration rather than erecting substantial blockades to the movement of people across the globe.

Source - The Advertiser

Getting Around Australia

Traveling to Australia, whether for the holidays or a business trip, the best way to get around Australia is to rent a car, aside from buses and trains. Major cities and venues are at long distances, unless you can afford to fly all around the country, renting a car would be a good choice. You can drive anywhere and visit all places you want to.

Australia is an ideal place for adventurers, wonderful beaches, beautiful national parks, historical places and buildings, and great food! As a tourist, using credit cards in Australia is the common yet wiser way to spend money. You can use it in restaurants, department stores, supermarkets and gas stations at major cities.

Adventure travelers are attracted most on Australia's outback. This is one of Australia's amazing and beautiful places to visit. But the outback is also a dangerous place. I suggest you travel along with a group, and don't forget to bring your camera, sunglasses, first-aid kit, compass and a mobile phone. Travel the outback using a 4WD or you won't get anywhere else.

Lots of people would come on a working holiday visa, they want to try out living in Australia for a couple of months or a year, get a job to see if they fit in the Australian economy and if they liked it they apply for permanent residency!

It's easy to travel around Australia once you get the hang of it. There are many Australian online services that offers cheap accommodation, car hire, tours, and even discounts on airfares. So that it will be easy to arrange everything while your outside the country and waiting for the processing of your Australian visa.

Before traveling to Australia, make sure you gather enough information of the places you want to visit, pack all necessary things, bring extra cash and a map.

Capping of Contributory Parent Category Visas

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship today announced the capping of a series of Contributory Parent visa categories in light of continued high demand for these visas.


Caps are determined by the minister and used to ensure that the planning levels for various components of the migration program are not exceeded.


The numbers for particular subclasses were determined by the relative demand for each visa subclass as a proportion of the total planning level.


Once a specified visa class cap is reached, no more visas can be granted for the remainder of the migration program year, which in this case is the end of June 2008.


It is important to note the capping power does not affect visa grants for applicants who have previously been granted a temporary Contributory Parent visa and who are now applicants for the corresponding permanent Contributory Parent visa.


The total planning level for Contributory Parent visas for 2007-08 is 3500.


The visa subclasses and the new caps are as follows:


* Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) (Class UU(T)) (Subclass 884): 29

* Contributory Aged Parent (Class DG (P)) (Subclass 864): 300

* Contributory Parent (Temporary) (Class UT (T)) (Subclass 173): 650

* Offshore Subclass 143 – Contributory Parent (Class CA (P)): 2521



Resource: http://www.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2008/d08036.htm