Author: Ophelia Vardapetian

 The Guardian(London)
 Wednesday 8:00 PM GMT
Gladys Berejikilian calls for immigration cut - but it could cost NSW
The New South Wales premier, herself the daughter of immigrants, wants
state's migrant intake halved
by Michael McGowan and Nick Evershed
Gladys Berejiklian has become the latest politician to weigh into
Australia's population debate, calling for a return to "Howard-era
immigration levels".
On Wednesday the New South Wales premier, herself the daughter of
Armenian immigrants, called for a halving of the state's migrant
intake, citing concerns about population growth in Sydney.
But a Guardian analysis of immigration data shows any reduction in
migration in Australia would involve hard and potentially costly
choices for the state's economy.
While permanent arrivals in Australia are at the same level as they
were under the Howard government, the increase in net overseas
migrants has been driven by the lucrative international student
market, tourists and skilled workers.
On Wednesday in an interview with the Daily Telegraph Berejiklian said
immigration in NSW had been allowed to "balloon out of control".
"It's time to tap the brakes and take a breather on immigration levels
to this state. We should return to Howard-era immigration levels in
NSW," she said.
"I'm the daughter of proud immigrants myself, but it's clear that
successive federal governments have allowed the rate of immigration to
NSW to balloon out of control."
But an analysis of migration figures by Guardian Australia shows that
while net overseas migration has grown in NSW, the bulk of the
increase has come from international students who inject billions of
dollars into the state's economy.
And permanent migration figures are on par with the end of the Howard
era - after almost doubling during his 11 years in power, a point the
prime minister, Scott Morrison, made on Wednesday.
"In the current planning year, NSW had requested more than 5000
additional migrants into NSW, well I'll take it from those comments by
Gladys that she would like now those assigned to states like South
Australia or other places, and we can do that," Morrison said on
Wednesday.
"But our current permanent immigration levels are running just a
little over 160,000 - that was the level of permanent immigration that
was running at the time of the conclusion of the Howard government,
and so those levels have been pretty consistent for some time, they
used to be a bit higher than that in terms of what the permanent
intake had been a few years ago and that's come down somewhat over the
last year or so and I expect it to sort of remain at about these
levels."
Similarly the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, suggested issues of
perceived overcrowding in Sydney related to infrastructure.
"What I would say to Gladys Berejiklian is we stand ready to work with
you to invest in the necessary infrastructure to ensure that this
great state of NSW has the right services and the right infrastructure
to support the population that it has," Frydenberg told reporters in
Sydney.
"The number of permanent visas have come down quite significantly, we
are a very proud migrant nation."
According to government statistics permanent migration to Australia
almost doubled during the Howard era, from 85,802 in 1996-97 to
161,217 in 2006-07. In 2016-17 the permanent migrant intake was
183,608, mostly via skilled visas.
But that figure was set to fall to about 160,000 in 2017-18 because of
changes to the visa migration program made by Peter Dutton in 2015.
In 2016-17 net overseas migration to NSW was 104,480, up from 73,570 in 2006-07.
But that growth has been driven in large part by the increased
reliance by universities on revenue from international students and by
tourists and skilled workers.
In 2016-17 those three categories accounted for 59% of temporary visa
holders in NSW. Since 2006-07 there has been a 92% increase in the
number of people in NSW on international student visas.
Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson urged
policymakers "to tread carefully to ensure any policy change does not
damage Australia's successful international education sector which is
a major income-earner for our economy.
"International education is the second biggest export in NSW,
injecting $11.2bn into the NSW economy each year and supporting more
than 46,000 jobs. "It's a hugely important income earner - bigger than
tourism - and international students also make a huge cultural and
social contribution to the state and Australia."
In a statement Berejiklian confirmed that the government wanted to
halve net overseas migration, but her office did not specify where
they wanted to see the cuts come from.
The premier instead wants the level of migration to be considered at a
COAG meeting.
The comments come during a difficult period for the premier and the
Liberal government in NSW.
The week has been dominated by negative headlines and protests against
her support for a controversial advertisement for a horse race on the
Sydney Opera House, and recent polling suggests the Labor opposition
is now neck-and-neck with the government.
Berejiklian was critical of Labor leader Luke Foley earlier this year
after he used the term "white flight" to describe the shifting
demographics in western Sydney during an interview.
At the time she described the comments as "deeply divisive, dangerous
and nasty".
But on Wednesday Berejiklian said Sydney had been forced to "wear the
pain" of increased migration, blaming previous infrastructure spending
in Sydney for not keeping pace with population growth.
"My government has been playing catch-ups building the schools,
hospitals, roads and transport links our state needs to deal with our
growing population after years of do-nothing Labor governments," she
said.
"But it's becoming increasingly clear that the current growing rate of
immigration to our state needs to be ­addressed. This is an
opportunity for a new dawn on this important issue."
The Coalition has been in government in NSW since April 2011.

                                        Tuesday, 
Police General Risks Criminal Charges
        • Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - General Levon Yeranosian, the commander of Armenian interior troops, 
21 June 2014.
General Levon Yeranosian, the controversial former commander of Armenian 
interior troops, could be prosecuted over the use of force against 
anti-government protests in Yerevan last spring, it emerged on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for the Special Investigative Service (SIS), Marina Ohanjanian, 
told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that the law-enforcement agency 
has summoned Yeranosian for questioning. She gave no details.
Yeranosian’s lawyer, Tigran Safarian, said his client is suspected of ordering 
riot police to use excessive force against the protesters led by Nikol 
Pashinian on April 16 and April 22. He has signed a formal pledge not to leave 
Armenia pending investigation, said Safarian.
In the April 16 incident, Pashinian and hundreds of his supporters tried to get 
through a police cordon and approach the parliament building in Yerevan in a 
bid to prevent the country’s longtime leader, Serzh Sarkisian, from holding on 
to power. Security forces used stun grenades and batons to stop the crowd. 
Pashinian and several other individuals were injured in the clash.
Armenia - Opposition supporters clash with riot police near the parliament 
building in Yerevan, 16 April 2018.
Pashinian and his top associates were detained on April 22 as they led an 
anti-government demonstration elsewhere in Yerevan. The nationwide protests 
only intensified in the following hours, leading Sarkisian to resign on April 
23. His resignation was announced shortly before the release of the detained 
oppositionists.
Pashinian fired Yeranosian just days after being elected prime minister on May 
8. Armenian human rights groups and media had for years accused the general of 
serious human rights violations.
Democracy Key To Regional Peace, Says Pashinian
        • Sargis Harutyunyan
U.S. - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks to his Armenian counterpart 
Nikol Pashinian at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in New York, 24 September 
2018.
Democratization is essential for peace and stability in the South Caucasus, 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said during the Nelson Mandela Peace 
Summit held at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday.
“I come from a region where unfortunately bloody conflicts, corrupt system of 
governance, animosity between people overshadow wisdom and the need for 
peaceful coexistence,” Pashinian told the summit attended by dozens of world 
leaders.
“Democracies are not supposed to wage wars against each other,” he said. “I 
hope that one day our region’s democratic development will rule out the risks 
of hostilities, wars and hatred. Armenia has firmly embarked on this path and 
strongly stands for regional peace, stability and reconciliation.”
Pashinian swept to power in May after weeks of massive anti-government protests 
organized by him. He has repeatedly described the protest movement as a “velvet 
revolution” that will turn Armenia into a democratic state.
Addressing the UN summit dedicated to Nelson Mandela, the 43-year-old former 
journalist described the late South African president as a role model who 
inspired his own political activities.
“Having been a political prisoner myself, I closely followed the political path 
and life story of this most famous political prisoner who would change his own 
country and indeed the aspirations of millions worldwide,” said Pashinian.
“Mandela’s walk, the long walk to freedom was with me during my imprisonment, 
and to a great extent influenced my conscience and motivated me to embark on my 
own ‘long walk to freedom’ through prison and persecution, through struggle 
against injustice across the towns and villages of my country,” he declared.
“In the true spirit of Mandela’s ideas, our movement became known to the world 
as Armenian non-violent velvet revolution of love and solidarity and now, 
months after my people’s success, I stand here at the high rostrum of this 
summit as the head of modern Armenian government to celebrate the legacy of 
this great person whose courage and determination served as an example for 
others around the globe,” added the Armenian premier.
Pashinian met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres earlier on Monday. In 
a live Facebook interview aired over the weekend, Guterres described the 
Pashinian-led movement as a “fantastic example” of democratic change effected 
by young people.
Press Review
“Zhoghovurd” says that the margin of victory of Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian’s My Step alliance in the September 23 municipal elections in Yerevan 
was unexpectedly huge. “Hardly anyone believed that it will get over 81 percent 
of the vote,” writes the paper. “By the same token, nobody believed early this 
year that Nikol Pashinian will succeed in carrying out a velvet revolution in 
Armenia by forcing Serzh Sarkisian to step down and ousting his HHK from power. 
My Step won as a result of absolutely free and fair elections. There were no 
incidents, no fraud, no vote bribes, no use of administrative resources in the 
September 23 elections and all election contenders accepted their official 
results.”
“The people thus voiced support for Pashinian’s government,” continues 
“Zhoghovurd.” “At the same time they gave him the carte blanche to dissolve the 
parliament and hold fresh elections of the National Assembly.” The paper says 
that the incoming Yerevan mayor, Hayk Marutian, should use this massive popular 
support with “great care.” “He must work very hard in order not to disappoint 
people.”
“Zhamanak” reports that former President Robert Kocharian has filed a libel 
suit against Pashinian. The paper says that it is not yet clear which statement 
made by Pashinian is considered slanderous by Pashinian. It notes that news of 
the libel suit was announced immediately after the municipal elections in 
Yerevan and Pashinian’s decision to start discussions with political forces on 
snap general elections.The paper says that Kocharian may be trying to cheer up 
the HHK and possibly other parliamentary parties opposed to the elections.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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