SAT - November 2018

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NOV. 24: THE BATTLE FOR VICTORIA

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Kaushaliya Vaghela, Australian Labor Party (ALP) candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region read on page 04

he Victorian state election will be held on Saturday 24 November 2018 to elect the 59th Parliament of Victoria, including all 88 seats in the Legislative Assembly and all 40 in the Legislative Council. The election is being conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission and pre poling is already taking place.

The battle for Victoria is on. The current Daniel Andrews ALP government holds power by the slimmest ever, 45 seats out of 88 in the Legislative Assembly. Big promises have been made by both the sides and the Greens are concentrating on the inner city seats.Pollsters

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Amidst Diwali festivities at the Federation Square Daniel Andrews announces $3 million for an Indian Community Infrastructure Fund

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By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE: The Victorian Premier today announced, under a re-elected Andrews Labor Government will set up the first $3 million Indian Community Infrastructure Fund for community infrastructure including temples, places of worship and community centres. The Premier was addressing the thousands of those attending the Celebrate India's Diwali@ Federation Square.

Premier Daniel Andrews said, “Labor believes that – here in the multicultural state – children should be supported to learn their mother-tongue and stay connected to their heritage and traditions.”

“With a dedicated fund, Labor will support our Indian communities in upgrading and enhancing temples and community centres.”

Victoria’s Indian communities will get a dedicated fund for community infrastructure including temples, places of worship and community

centres, under a re-elected Andrews Labor Government, says a media release.

The $3 million fund will be dedicated to our state’s Indian communities and

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their needs, with every Indian community and faithbased group in the state eligible to apply for funding.

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Contd. from pg 2 More Victorian students learning Indian languages will also share in the benefits of a massive funding boost for community language schools, under a re-elected Labor Government.

Labor will invest a record $7.5 million in our community language schools, which play a vital role in keeping kids connected to

their language and heritage.

Across the state, more than 1,200 students are enrolled at community language schools that teach Punjabi and Tamil. Labor’s funding boost will help children remain connected to traditions and heritage, while also making sure they have the bright future they deserve.

Labor’s funding will also include $50,000 to kick-start

the accreditation of Hindi schools.

Labor will also provide $500,000 over four years to Celebrate India for their annual Diwali Festival, giving organisers the certainty they need to make Diwali celebrations bigger and better than ever.

For many Indian Victorians, Diwali is a time to celebrate with family and friends, and highlight the

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Hindu values of compassion, harmony and respect – values that resonate with all Victorians.

The celebrations at the Federation Square with thousands and thousands attending was a sea of humanity in colourful festive outfits. People enjoyed the massively popular cultural program and enjoyed Indian food and snacks in the numerous stalls around.

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The potpourri of dances, illumination of iconic buildings, amazing prizes and competitions marked the week-long celebrations that culminated at the Federation Square on 3rd November 2018.

No doubt, the Celebrate India leadership and its volunteers need to be commended for such a spectacular Diwali in the heart of Melbourne.

Photos by AP Guruswamy

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Kaushaliya Vaghela, Australian Labor Party (ALP) candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region

By SAT News Desk

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aushaliya Vaghela, Australian Labor Party (ALP) candidate for the Upper House Western Metropolitan Region seat is a Labor activist, who came to public limelight during the Little India Dandenong movement aimed to protect its traders from the ‘Dandenong Revitalisation’ plan by the developing agency. It was an issue of livelihood of Dandenong traders and Kaushaliya took the message to the State government and the community, which culminated into funding offers by the Daniel Andrews government and a taskforce to setup an Indian Cultural Precinct in Dandenong.

With her fiery speeches, dedication and sheer hard work for the Dandenong traders, Kaushaliya became a spokesperson for the traders and advocated for their

issues.

Kaushaliya is presently the Multicultural Adviser to the Finance and Multicultural Affairs Minister Robin Scott, is also the President of the Subcontinent Friends of Labor (SCFOL) and Secretary of the South Asian Public Affairs Council (SAPAC) that unites migrants from different South Asian countries.She is a Scientist by qualification and also works as a Risk and Compliance Manager.

Wearing many hats, Kaushaliya, nodoubt, is well connected in the South Asian community at alllevels and fully geared up for the 24th November Election day. She has been moving about in the Western Metropolitan Regioncampaigning with the Victorian Premier Hon. Daniel Andrews, various Ministers& MPs, ALP activists and the community members. The response to her campaign has been tremendous.

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So, why should you vote for the ALP? “It’s important to vote for the Australian Labor Party for better schools and hospitals, to remove level crossings and to put solar panels on roofs to keep power bills down,” says Kaushaliya.

During the campaign, she advises people how to vote.

For Kaushaliya to win this upper house seat, voters need to vote for AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY. When voting,people will receive two ballot papers: On the large ballot paper for the upper house, write the number 1 in the box labelled “Australian Labor Party” above the thick black line.

Do not fill in any other boxes below the black line on the large ballot paper.

On the small ballot paper for the lower house, write a 1 in the box next to “Australian Labor Party”.Then, number the remaining boxes.Make sure you number every box.

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Indian languages boost in Victoria includes Hindi, Punjabi & Tamil

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 3 November: More Victorian students learning Indian languages will share in the benefits of a massive funding boost for community language schools, under a re-elected Andrews Labor Government.

Minister for Education James Merlino today announced the $7.5 million boost to community language schools, which plays a vital role in keeping kids connected to their language and heritage.

Across the state, more than 1,200 students are enrolled at community language schools that teach Punjabi and Tamil – this funding boost will mean they’re able to stay connected with their culture.

The massive boost to community language schools will also include $50,000 to kick-start the

accreditation of Hindi schools.

In an Australian first, Labor will expand Victorian community language schools to early childhood and preschool-aged children – giving around 2,000 of our youngest access to the program.

Minister for Education James Merlino said, “Teaching kids their mother tongue is important to keep them connected to their heritage – and only Labor will make sure that can happen.”

“It’s only Labor that will deliver the funding boost that will make our state’s community language schools program the best funded in the country,” he said.

Labor will also make sure that our language teachers get the support they need with a $100,000 per year boost for professional development, training and administrative services for the program.

There are more than 160 accredited community language schools across Victoria.

There are more than 160 accredited community language schools across Victoria who deliver language education in over 40 languages to 36,000 school-aged children across the state.

Community language schools offer programs outside mainstream school hours, like after hours or on weekends and allow students to keep connected to their culture.

MANOJ KUMAR – LABOR FOR FOREST HILL

Manoj Kumar - Labor candidate for Forest Hill believes in hardwork and builds a feel-good campaign a head of the state election. Mr. Kumar an engineer by profession believes in securing good education, training, jobs and fair go for all. www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

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Little India Power poles transformed

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wo power poles have become a feature in the Indian Precinct, now decorated in lively colours and subcontinental symbols by artists SohailYamin and Yoge Biju.

These are part of an ongoing street art program in the precinct, with more to be commissioned early in 2019.

The power pole decorations add a new canvas to the ongoing street art program which is adding colour and vibrancy in the Indian Cultural Precinct.

SohailYamin’s work is titled “Peace and Love” based on the brightly coloured motifs, symbols and slogans characteristic of contemporary truck art on the subcontinent. Text in Urdu, Sanskrit and English is included in the design.

Sohail is a design engineer and a self- taught artist, with past exhibitions at Walker Street Gallery and Heritage Hill Museum. He also painted a ‘Rumi’ car for the Salam Fest held at the State Library of Victoria in 2017.

Yoge Biju’s work “Thoonu” (Indian pillar), located at

These are part of an ongoing street art program in the precinct, with more to be commissioned early in 2019.

Museum India’s entrance, utilises elements of classical Indian dance bringing life love and vibrancy to the precinct.

Yoge is an architect, designer and artist who regularly exhibits in south east Melbourne. She is an executive member of the Indian Australian Artists collective, curates group exhibitions and is “lead artist and entrepreneur” for Savitur Studio, Yoge’s art practice brand.

Source: Indian Cultural Precinct - Information Bulletin, November 2018.

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Daniel announces $ one million for projects in Blackburn Sikh temple

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 11 November: Premier Daniel Andrews has announced $ 1 million grant, if elected, towards a community centre and local facility upgrades for the Blackburn Sikh Temple.

The Premier made the announcement during a visit to the Sikh Temple.

The announcement has been hailed by the Sikh and the Indian community.

The announcement follows Labor’s pledge to establish Victoria’s first $3 million Indian Community Infrastructure Fund, with all Indian temples and places of worship eligible for funding.

Labor’s support for Victoria’s Sikh communities extends to special festivities for the 550th birthday anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh faith.

Labor will support local celebrations, set to be held in the second half of 2019, by establishing a dedicated $200,000 fund, with funding available to Sikh organisations across the state.

The fund will go towards activities and events that mark this special occasion – celebrating not only this important milestone, but also the many contributions of Sikh Victorians.

Victoria has Australia’s largest Sikh community, with more than 52,000 Sikh

Victorians recorded in the 2016 Census.

This announcement recognises the contributions of Victoria’s Indian communities.

It builds on Labor’s commitment to invest $14.5 million for land for Indian aged care and $3 million to establish a Bollywood and Indian Cinema Attraction Fund, bringing a minimum of four blockbuster films to our state over the next four years.

Premier Daniel Andrews said, “With these investments, we’ll celebrate the many contributions of our Sikh community and mark one of the most important days in the Sikh faith.”

“We know that parents

want their children to stay connected to their traditions and heritage and with this massive investment in community language schools, that’s exactly what we’ll achieve.”

Daniel took a tour of the temple wearing a traditional scarf and addressed the devotees an and talked to them. He posed for photographs with them and there was no dearth of selfies taken.

In his speech, the Victorian Premier, while announcing the grant for the temple also touched the coming election on 24 November and said his government is committed to jobs, health, schools, public transport among others.

He said Victoria is the

strongest economy in Australia and is a state where multiculturalism is celebrated. He also detailed the various other grants and schemes announced by his government for the Indian community including those for their languages.

Talking to SAT, the premier said, he was all for passing the pending bill in the federal Parliament that will increase parent visa from three to five years.

He disapproved Leader of Opposition Mathew Guy saying ‘Can’t accept the whole world in Australia’ in relation to the parent visa bill.

Daniel also visited the Punjabi language school adjacent to the Sikh temple.

Indian cultural hub in Dandenong one step closer

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 30 October: An Indian Cultural Hub in central Dandenong is one step closer with the Andrews Labor Government announcing that a permanent location will be found as part of the ongoing development of Victoria’s first Indian Cultural Precinct.

The Indian Cultural Precinct was established in 2015 with $500,000 funding committed by the Labor Government towards the transformation of Little India in Foster Street.

Development Victoria, together with the City of Greater Dandenong and the Indian Cultural Precinct Taskforce, will now

commence a process to find a suitable location for the Hub to form the heart of the Precinct.

State Member for

Dandenong, Gabrielle Williams says, “This is great news for our local Indian community – another step in the right direction to secure a hub for a

thriving Indian precinct.”

“We’ll work alongside the local community as we narrow down the best location for this exciting

www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

project.”

The process will also look to determine the makeup of the Hub, including the possible expansion of Museum India and establishment of a community centre.

Victoria is proudly home to Australia’s largest Indian community, with more than 111,700 Indian-born Victorians, representing 40 per cent of Australia’s Indian population.

This project will ensure the Indian community will continue to have access to good, safe and functional facilities that enable them to better utilise services, participate in activities and share their vibrant culture with the wider Victorian community.

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AMU alumni in Victoria celebrate Sir Syed Day

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 20 October: Alumni of India’s Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) here today celebrated the Sir Syed Day with a pledge to take the message of Sir Syed (founder of the AMU) further to enhance the community with modern and scientific education.

In her speech Prof.

Rukhsana Saheba quoting Sir Syed’s famous quote – “India is a beautiful bride, whose one eye is Hindu and the other Muslim” said the AMU is the hope of humanity and Sir Syed’s thinking was education is the tool for social change.

In his speech, prominent literary figure Rashid Sultan said the missions of Sir Syed were to promote Urdu and setup the AMU for which he made big efforts.

The promotion of Urdu,

Rashid Sultan said, could be done by AMU alumni with financial contributions.

Chief Guest Prof. Akthar Kalam detailed his life as a student in the AMU and touched some of the nostalgic memories. He emphasised the importance of ‘Ganga-Jumani’ culture which, he said, the AMU stood for.

One speaker disclosed there were six Urdu teaching centressupported by the Victorian School of Languages for young students in Dandenong, Werribee and Roxburg Park, Blackburn, Geelong and Shepparton. Attempts are being made to get Urdu as one of the subjects of VCE, he said.

A tasty dinner preceded the Mehfil e Ghazal which saw about ten singers singing two ghazals each.

The singers were Robbie Kerr, Neeraj Sharma, Prashob Pillay, Sunil Tayagi,

In his speech, prominent literary figure Rashid Sultan said the missions of Sir Syed were to promote Urdu and setup the AMU for which he made big efforts.

Yusuf Sultan, Raheela Sarma, Veena Sholapurkar, Raman Singh, Saurabh Mishra and Lateef Ayyubi.

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Ayurveda Day & Dhanvantari Jayanti celebrated

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 9 November: The Ayur way of life is all set to influence people here, as now it has an Ayurveda Information Centre in Dandenong. The Centre was inaugurated by the acting Indian Counsel Mr. Rakesh Malhotra here, at the Ayurveda Day and Dhanvantri (God of medicine) Day. The event started with a ‘puja’ (prayer) of the Hindu God of medicine ‘Dhanvantari’ , followed by the other program.

A large number of people attending the function listened to the lectures of Dr. Kumar on public health and Dr. Rupa Kohannar in female health. Power point presentations by them

explained the Ayur system with the related subject. Dr. Kumar said, “The Ayur is 90 preventive system”. While, Dr. Rupa explained the fine points how Ayur deals with female health.

The gathering was also addressed by Dr. Santosh Yadav, who thanked the Govt of India’s Ministry of Ayush for supporting the expansion of Ayurveda in Australia.

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Mental Health Foundation Australia Ambassadors visit Nirankari Bhawan

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE: Mental Health Foundation Australia Ambassadors visited the Sant Nirankari Mandal Bhawan recently and familiarised themselves with the activities of the Nirankari community.

Vasan, Manjeet, Sunny among others were present with numerous Nirankari community members.

The aim of the visit was to give the guests a feel of the social, faith and other activities done by the Nirankari Mandal. The Ambassadors attended the prayer session and paid their respects to the current head of the mission. They were shown the community kitchen where they saw volunteers cooking food. Later they themselves had it and appreciated it. A lot of photos were taken and memories made for ever. www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

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Screen Australia announces $2.7 million for 14 new documentary projects including Indian themed ‘Business as Usual’ M

By SAT News Desk

ELBOURNE, 22 Oct: Indian themed documentary ‘Business As Usual’, a onehour documentary providing a sneak peek into the world of Manjits - a thriving family-run event business in Sydney, is one of the 14 new documentaries which will be production funded by the Screen Australia. The announcement was made today by Screen Australia.

Business As Usual: A onehour documentary that will provide a sneak peek into the world of Manjits - a thriving but often chaotic family-run event business in Western Sydney. Jennifer Cummins of Heiress Films (Man Up) will produce the project alongside Bruce Permezel (Man Up, The Larrikin & The Leader) who will direct. The creative team will follow the charismatic Gujral family as they engage with multicultural and multi-faith families during some of the most significant occasions of their lives. SBS have commissioned the project as part of their Untold Australia series and Create NSW have provided the production investment.

“Documentary continuously works as a platform to amplify marginalised voices and ideas, and there are a variety of stories in this slate from multicultural, transgender and Indigenous perspectives that will enrich and enlighten viewers,” said Sally Caplan, Head of Content at Screen Australia.

“The documentary art form allows us to unravel and explore complex and often challenging topics, and these projects take on some difficult and topical subject matter including death, abuse and consent. These

are important Australian stories that will be recorded as part of our shared national history.”

In total $1.3 million was allocated through the Producer program, and $1.4 million through the Commissioned program.

The other 13 documentaries, according to a Screen Australia media release are: Revelation: A three-part documentary series that will unite an experienced, multi-award winning creative team including Gold Walkleywinning journalist Sarah Ferguson (Trump/Russia), director Deborah Masters (The Killing Season), and In Films producer Nial Fulton (Hitting Home) and executive producer Ivan O’Mahoney (The Queen & Zak Grieve).

After years of resistance, The Royal Commission finally broke the silence of the Catholic Church and unveiled the legacy of abuse of those in its care. In Revelation,

Sarah Ferguson will piece together the forces at play in one of the most profound stories in Australia’s history and the extraordinary drama that brought it to light. This project has been commissioned by the ABC. Commissioning Editor is Stephen Oliver. Head of Factual is Steve Bibb.

Secret Life of Death: A one-hour documentary that will open a window into the hidden world of two family-owned funeral homes in Sydney, following two young women: one who works with the living; the other who works with the dead. The experienced production company Mint Pictures is coproducing with Tangerine Pictures, and will deliver this documentary written and directed by Dan Goldberg (The Archibald), produced

by Nia Pericles (Storm in a Teacup) and executive produced by Adam Kay (Strictly Jewish) and Gary Russell, who is also the Director of Photography (Go

Back To Where You Came From S2 and S3). SBS have commissioned the project as part of their Untold Australia series and Create NSW have also invested in the project.

Trans Mission: A one-hour documentary that will follow transgender truck driver Holly Conroy in her bid to stage a Mardi Gras in Australia’s No. 1 Christian town: Wagga Wagga. Holly will attempt to win over priests, pastors and politicians as she seeks acceptance for the trans community, all while she continues the process of her gender affirmation surgery.

The team at Mint Pictures, including writer Dan Goldberg (Food Fighter) and executive producer Adam Kay (The Archibald), with producer and director Catherine Scott (Backtrack Boys), will bring audiences this local story with global appeal. SBS has commissioned the project as part of its Untold Australia series and Create NSW has also invested in the project.

Young, Dateable and Disabled (working title): A one-hour documentary from writer-director Liz Allen (Andrew Marr: My Brain and Me) and producer Dominique Pile — executive produced

by Laurie Critchley (The Mosque Next Door, Hawke).

Straight-talking relationship counsellor Liz Dore is on a mission to help six young people with neurological diversity and intellectual disabilities find love. For people with disabilities, love and relationships can be seen as taboo, but for Liz’s six clients it’s a deeply held personal goal. Against the odds, these unique and diverse individuals are determined to learn as much as they can to find a romantic partner. SBS have commissioned the project as part of their Untold

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Australia series and Create NSW have also invested in the project.

DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER PROJECTS The Bamboo Bridge: A one-hour television documentary written and directed by anthropologist Juan Francisco Salazar, Executive Producers Pat Fiske and geographer Katherine Gibson, and produced by Matadora Films comprising of Claire Fletcher and Alejandra Canales. This documentary looks at the stories that take place around a unique 1.5-kilometre-long bamboo bridge that for generations has been built every year following the rhythms of nature across the Mekong River to join the rural community of KohPaen to the city of Kampong Cham in Cambodia. In 2017 the bamboo bridge was dismantled for the very last time and replaced by a huge government funded concrete bridge that put an end to this architectural masterpiece and triggered rapid change to the local way of life. This documentary illustrates the complexities of environmental and social change as witnessed by three generations of bridge builders who tell stories of this unique sustainable structure and the local community it sustains.

Western Sydney University have supported the project.

Bone To Pick: A new feature documentary from writer-director JoAnne Brechin (Zelos) and producer Danny Lachevre of FanForce Films. Brechin’s film will follow a dedicated pet owner who switches his beloved rescue dog from eating processed food to a raw diet, in an effort to cure his chronic illnesses.

CONTD. ON PG 13

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Screen Australia announces $2.7 million...

CONTD. FROM PG 12

His dog’s dramatic recovery surprises everyone, and together he and his owner embark on a journey to end the global epidemic of sick pets.

Cryptopia - Bitcoin, Blockchain and the Future of the Internet: The second documentary film from the creative team behind Bitcoin: The End of Money as We know It (2015). Co-directors Torsten Hoffmann and Michael Watchulonis return to investigate Blockchain, the technology underlying Bitcoin, and its potential to reinvent the future of the Internet. This film will explore if technology can really provide a robust alternative to current systems, prevent financial meltdowns and keep our private information safe.

This documentary follows the most influential figures and outspoken critics of this new controversial trilliondollar industry. Studio Hamburg Enterprises is the German co-production partner and the project is currently also crowdfunding on Kickstarter.

Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra: A feature documentary cowritten and co-directed

by Nel Minchin (Making Muriel, Matilda & Me) and Wayne Blair (Cleverman, The Sapphires) alongside multi-award winning producer Ivan O’Mahoney (Hitting Home, The Queen & Zak Grieve) of In Films, and executive producer Nial Fulton (Making Muriel, Hitting Home). Marking its 30th anniversary next year, Firestarter will tell the

story of one of Australia’s most iconic performing arts company: Bangarra Dance Theatre. Through the eyes of its celebrated artistic director, Stephen Page, it tells a tale of unparalleled success in the face of adversity and pain.

Interweaving exclusive and intimate behind-thescenes footage, Firestarter uncovers the roots of Stephen’s artistic activism and the socio-political context from which he and Bangarra have grown.

This project was financed with support from ABC, and Create NSW. Icon Films are on board as the Australian and New Zealand distributor.

Heart of the Queen: A new feature length documentary from first time director Matthew Walker being produced

by Carolina Sorensen and Clare Lewis’ company People Productions with Tait Brady of Acme Film Co. as the Executive Producer.

This documentary tells the story of Wanita, a chaotic and talented singer from Tamworth who risks it all

to take one last glorious stab at her lifelong dream: to become a country music great in Nashville.

Martha: A feature documentary from director Selina Miles (The Wanderers), producer Daniel Joyce (Barbecue) of Projector Films and acclaimed executive producer Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa, David Stratton: A Cinematic Life). In the 1980s, as the boroughs of New York City burned, Martha Cooper was one of the handful of photographers documenting the first vivid images of a fledgling graffiti scene.

Twenty years later, her book Subway Art would become one of the most sold (and stolen) art books of all time.

Martha’s images catalysed a global movement, revealing humanity and empowerment in a culture otherwise defined by race, crime and poverty. Now in her seventies, Miles’s documentary follows Martha as she continues to document the beauty in otherwise neglected communities and begins to question her own place in

a world now dominated by selfies and Instagram art.

States of Consent: A short 20-minute online documentary from director Blue Lucine (The Eviction) and producer Mariel Thomas. This documentary will look at the fear, shame and intimidation that prevents most sexual assault victims from ever taking legal action. States of Consent will follow the story of one woman trying to get justice against all odds when she is sexually assaulted working as an entertainer.

Faced with old-fashioned clichés, this woman fights against the legal system in a Supreme Court battle in Australia. This project has been produced with the support of Guardian Australia.

Uluru & the Magician: A feature documentary that follows the incredible journey of Dave Welsman, a Sydney kids' magician determined to reboot his life with a grand illusion to make Uluru disappear. As Dave works alongside the Rock’s traditional owners

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and Indigenous Custodians to pull off this spectacular stunt, he discovers the profound cultural and spiritual significance of Uluru, and his own illusions about fame and success begin to disappear.

Multi-award winning documentary filmmaker Anna Broinowski (Forbidden Lies, Aim High in Creation) will write and direct the film alongside producers Rachel Clements and Trisha MortonThomas of Brindle Films, who produced The Song Keepers.

Uluru & the Magician was the only Australian project to be selected for the Pitch Forum at the 2018 Hot Docs International Documentary Festival.

Virtual Yagan VR: A ground-breaking new project that blends accurately generated landscapes, 3D animation and interactive tasks along with traditional documentary techniques to give audiences a firsthand experience of pre-contact Whadjak Noongar culture.

This 6 x 5 minute VR narrative will immerse viewers in the time of Yagan; an Indigenous Noongar warrior who lived between 1795 and 1833 and resisted colonial settlement in the area surrounding what is now the city of Perth. This documentary explores the pre-contact relationships of Noongar people to land, ecology and identity before examining the dramatic changes and events set off by the moment of first contact. Alice Wolfe (Behind the Blue Line) of Periscope Pictures will produce the project with Sam Bodhi Field (Beneath the Waves) and Karla Hart (Family Rules) co writing and directing, and Brett Leavy working as the VR artist.

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Indian Fest to spice up the Boxing Day test

By SAT News Desk

M

ELBOURNE, 23 Oct: Modern Indian food, music, art, and film will bring added spice to another Indian obsession – cricket – as part of a free three-day festival coinciding with Australia vs India Boxing Day Test.

Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren launched the upcoming Indian Summer Festival in partnership with Cricket Australia.

John Eren said, “The Indian Summer Festival will transform Yarra Park into a mini India, complete with colorful street art, delicious flavors from across India and performances by new and emerging artists.”

“The free festival will celebrate the richness of the Indian community in Victoria and bring added excitement to one of the state’s most significant sporting events.”

The festival at Yarra Park, outside the iconic MCG, will celebrate the best of modern India through a jampacked program of live music, street art, dance, cinema, food, and cricket.

Highlights include performances

by Indian Australian hip-hop artists, singers, and musicians, authentic Indian cuisine from a range of food stalls, art direct from the streets of India and an open-air cinema.

Victorians will also be able to bat, bowl and field on a miniature Azad Maidan free play cricket pitch, styled after the famous Mumbai cricket ground, and enjoy the spectacle of an exhibition kabaddi match.

The Indian Summer Festival begins on December 23 with the family fun day – an opportunity for fans to meet players from both the Australian and Indian men’s cricket teams.

Minister for Multicultural Affairs Robin Scott said, “What a way to showcase our diversity during the cricket season with a festival that celebrates the best India has to offer and the positive contributions our Indian community has made.”

The festival supports Victoria’s India Strategy, launched in January, by showcasing Victoria as a worldclass the destination for sports, tourism, and culture, and as a welcoming business and trade partner.

Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts said, “Cricket is a shared love of Australia and India. We see this passion on the field whenever our teams meet as well as through the huge show of support from fans of both countries in the stands.”

Victoria is home to around 169,000 India-born people and remains an attractive destination for students from India choosing to study in the state, with more than 40,000 enrolments in 2017.

The three-day festival is free and open to all members of the public.

The full Indian Summer Festival lineup will be announced in the coming months.

Detailed info at — indianfestival18. com.au. www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

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ENVIRONMENT

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Air pollution linked to autism: Monash University study

By SAT News Desk

M

ELBOURNE, 6 November: Exposure to toxic air pollutants is linked to an increased risk of developing autism, according to a Monash University study of Chinese children during their first three-years of life.

The study of children in Shanghai, from birth to three years, found that exposure to fine particles (PM2.5) from vehicle exhausts, industrial emissions and other sources of outdoor pollution increased the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by up to 78%. The study included 124 ASD children and 1240 healthy children (as control) in stages over a nine-year period, examining the association between air pollution and ASD. The study, published today in Environment International, is first to examine the effects of long-term exposure of air pollution on ASD during the early life of children in a developing country, adding to previous studies that have already linked prenatal air pollution exposure to ASD in children.

“The causes of autism are complex and not fully understood, but environmental factors are increasingly recognised in addition to genetic and other factors,” Associate Professor Guo said.

“The developing brains of young children are more vulnerable to toxic exposures in the environment and several studies have suggested this could impact brain function and the immune system. These effects could explain the strong link we found between exposure to air pollutants and ASD, but further research is needed to explore the associations between air pollution and mental health more broadly.”

Air pollution is a major public concern and is estimated to cause up to 4.2 million deaths (WHO) every year globally. Outdoor pollutants contribute to a high burden of disease and pre-mature deaths in countries including China and India, especially in densely populated areas.

Even in Australia where concentrations are typically lower, air pollution from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes causes about 3,000 premature deaths a year – almost three times the national road toll

The causes of autism are complex and not fully understood, but environmental factors are increasingly recognised in addition to genetic and other factors. and costing the economy up to $24 billion.

Associate Professor YumingGuo, from Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, says global air pollution is rapidly becoming worse and there is no safe level of exposure.

“The serious health effects of air pollution are welldocumented, suggesting there is no safe level of exposure. Even exposure to very small amounts of fine particulate matter have been linked to pre-term births, delayed learning, and a range of serious health conditions, including heart disease.”

The study examined the health effects of three types of particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10) - fine airborne particles that are the byproducts of emissions from factories, vehicular pollution, construction activities and road dust. The smaller the airborne particles, the more capable they are of penetrating the lungs and entering the bloodstream causing a range of serious health conditions.

PM1 is the smallest in particle size but few studies have been done on PM1 globally and agencies are yet to set safety standards for it.

“Despite the fact that smaller particles are more harmful, there is no global standard or policy for PM1 air pollution.”

“Given that PM1 accounts about 80% of PM2.5 pollution in China alone, further studies on its health effects and toxicology are needed to inform policy makers to develop standards for the control of PM1 air pollution in the future.”

—Medianet www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

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community

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Air pollution linked to autism: study

By Neeraj Nanda

M

ELBOURNE: Exposure to toxic air pollutants is linked to an increased risk of developing autism, according to a Monash University study of Chinese children during their first three-years of life.

The study of children in Shanghai, from birth to three years, found that exposure to fine particles (PM2.5) from vehicle exhausts, industrial emissions and other sources of outdoor pollution increased the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by up to 78%. The study included 124 ASD children and 1240 healthy children (as control) in stages over a nine-year period, examining the association between air pollution and ASD. The study, published today in Environment International, is first to examine the effects of long-term exposure of air pollution on ASD during the

early life of children in a developing country, adding to previous studies that have already linked prenatal air pollution exposure to ASD in children.

“The causes of autism are complex and not fully understood, but environmental factors are increasingly recognised in addition to genetic and other factors,” Associate Professor Guo said.

“The developing brains of young children are more vulnerable to toxic exposures in the environment and several studies have suggested

this could impact brain function and the immune system. These effects could explain the strong link we found between exposure to air pollutants and ASD, but further research is needed to explore the associations between air pollution and mental health more broadly.”

Air pollution is a major public concern and is estimated to cause up to 4.2 million deaths (WHO) every year globally. Outdoor pollutants contribute to a high burden of disease and pre-mature deaths in countries including China

and India, especially in densely populated areas.

Even in Australia where concentrations are typically lower, air pollution from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes causes about 3,000 premature deaths a year – almost three times the national road toll and costing the economy up to $24 billion.

Associate Professor YumingGuo, from Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, says global air pollution is rapidly becoming worse and there is no safe level of exposure.

“The serious health effects of air pollution are well-documented, suggesting there is no safe level of exposure. Even exposure to very small amounts of fine particulate matter have been linked to pre-term births, delayed learning, and a range of serious health conditions, including heart disease.”

The study examined the health effects of three types of particulate matter

www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

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(PM1, PM2.5, PM10) - fine airborne particles that are the byproducts of emissions from factories, vehicular pollution, construction activities and road dust.

The smaller the airborne particles, the more capable they are of penetrating the lungs and entering the bloodstream causing a range of serious health conditions.

PM1 is the smallest in particle size but few studies have been done on PM1 globally and agencies are yet to set safety standards for it.

“Despite the fact that smaller particles are more harmful, there is no global standard or policy for PM1 air pollution.”

“Given that PM1 accounts about 80% of PM2.5 pollution in China alone, further studies on its health effects and toxicology are needed to inform policy makers to develop standards for the control of PM1 air pollution in the future.”

Source: Medianet

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asia times 19 letter from sydney southSouth Asia Times

Diwali: Sails of Opera House turn Gold

By Ashok Kumar

S

ydney, November, 4: In India we celebrate Diwali on one day but in Australia it’s a month long celebration. All big cities have fairs/melas on the weekends. With the VIPs marking their attendance in almost all of them thereby highlighting the significance of the festival.

For some years now the NSW Govt patronage comes in as lighting the sails of iconic Opera House. Like last year, This time it was celebrated at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Circular Quay on Tuesday, October 30, 2018.

Just a week before the actual event, NSW Premier Ms. Gladys Berejikilian flicked the switch on on the sails of the iconic Opera House and turn them into glow of gold amidst the who’s who of the Indian diaspora. In the backdrop was the another iconic structure– The Harbour Bridge, lighting its grandeur structure. The iconic Opera House has a special place in the heart of the Premier Gladys Berejikilian as her father after immigrating to Australia worked on the second highest sail of Opera House as a welder.

She spoke of her recent trip to India that brought the NSW ties closer to India.

“People to people contact is significant and business to business contacts are significant, she remarked.

By lighting the Opera House, we are sending the message to the world that we come together to celebrate each other’s festivals and traditions,” she said. “It is also a sign of the deep respect we have for the Indian civilisation which is two millennia old, and of our regard for contemporary India.”

Minister for Multiculturalism Ray Williams, who is the most popular Minister among the ever growing Indian community, commented the Opera House is not just as a significant national icon, but one of the world’s most recognised buildings.

“Diwali is an opportunity for us all to learn more about the customs and cultures of our friends, neighbours and work colleagues,” he said.

India’s Consul General, B Vanlalvawna, who will be finishing his tenure shortly, said he was happy to pretend the Opera House lights were a grand farewell organised just for him.

“Sydney’s Indian community, you must surely

be the luckiest diaspora community among our 30 million diaspora,” he said to much applause. “In my own experience, the support and welcome the government here has given us is unparalleled. Diwali at the Opera House means a lot to us, here as well as at home, and I thank you sincerely.

It is a wonderful symbol of gesture of peace, goodwill and brotherhood.”

Dr GK Harinath, Chair of Multicultural NSW, said this must surely be one of the most special of duties.

“Diwali is just as much about inner light, as it is about the lighting up of our physical environments,” he reminded us all.

The MC Khushaal Vyas, who brought in a welcome vibe of youthful exuberance, capably guided the Premier in the lighting of the sails at the appointed hour, counting down with much enthusiasm.

A significant inclusion in the annual event has been the felicitation of the government of Indian seniors Mrs BijinderDugal Mrs BijinderDugal, cofounder and director for Aus-Indian Aged Care Support Holistic Association Australia Foundation, for her

work creating communities where elders can enjoy their golden years, believing that ageing is not lost youth, but it is a new life stage of opportunity and strength.

Mr Dave Passi Mr Dave Passi, for his devotion serving seniors, specifically through his role as President of the Indian Seniors Group in Hornsby.

Mr Narayan Pradhan Mr Narayan Pradhan, for supporting the Nepalese community, particularly through his connection with the Nepali Australian Association and the Gurkha Nepalese Community.

Dr Sudha Natarajan Dr Sudha Natarajan, founder and Public Officer of the Resourceful Australian Indian Network. She is well known for her passionate commitment to the welfare of the frail aged in the Indian community in the South East Sydney region.

Dr Noor Vellani Dr Noor Vellani, for his dedicated service to the health and well-being of communities in the lower Blue Mountains and his particular support of the elderly in the area.

www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

It is also a sign of the deep respect we have for the Indian civilisation which is two millennia old, and of our regard for contemporary India.

Dr Mira Vellani Dr Mira Vellani, for her dedicated service within the medical field, serving and providing counselling support to older migrant women in the area.

Dr Sikander Khan Dr Sikander Khan, as a senior South Asian Muslim Surgeon, for his work in raising awareness of community perceptions and Islamic perspectives in serving the elderly and specific religious needs of Muslim elderly.

Source: The Indian Subcontinent Times

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MEDIA

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New research shows how Australia’s newsrooms are failing minority communities

By Usha M. Rodrigues*

on controversial news stories impacting on multicultural Australia.

But our study showed there is a lack of balance in these news stories, as nearly three-quarters of them fail to provide a point of view other than that of the journalist’s own observations and government sources.

M

ELBOURNE, 11 November: Australians from culturally diverse backgrounds often feel frustrated about media coverage of news events and issues that portray them in a negative light. A new study analysing media coverage of issues related to multicultural Australia found that more than a third of stories reflected a negative view of minority communities.

Read more: Australian media are playing a dangerous game using racism as currency

Traditionally, so-called “hard news” stories are straight reports of “what happened”. This means they are reported in an objective and balanced manner, taking in diverse views on the issue.

Our study analysed 1,366 media articles, examining the sentiment towards minority communities in them. We found that over a third of hard news stories contained negative sentiments towards minority communities, while more than half of the editorials and commentary pieces portrayed minority communities in a negative light.

The sample included about 80% news stories, 4% features and 16% editorials and commentaries on selected events and issues during a six-month period.

It focused on six news topics with some level of public controversy around the issue of multicultural Australia. These included Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act; a discussion of Islam as a religion; US President Donald Trump’s refugee ban in January 2017; the Bourke Street attack in Melbourne’s central business district; youth gang crime, particularly in Melbourne; and the London terror attack on March 22, 2017.

The study collected articles from five mainstream online news sites: the ABC, the SBS, The Age, the Herald Sun and The Australian.

Read more: Australians born overseas prefer the online world for their news

In our analysis, we found only a quarter of the stories about minority communities incorporated another point of view in the story. For example, this could be a member of the relevant minority community group, a scholar who may be able to provide an alternative view or comment on the bigger picture, or a shadow minister.

Most of the stories analysed between September 2016 and March 2017 were based either on a reporter’s observations (41%) or included a government source (31%).

Only about 26% of stories had a second source (a non-government source, an individual or expert).

Issues such as Section 18C and the controversy surrounding the former president of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs, received extensive coverage in The Australian (211 stories compared to the next highest coverage of 82 stories in The Age).

Similarly, youth crime received above average coverage in the Herald Sun (46 stories compared to the next highest coverage of 22 stories in The

Australian).

The Age published the highest number of stories (82) on the issue of Islam as a religion, and 13 news stories on youth crime in Melbourne.

Social media spikes on minority issues A recent audience survey has shown that culturally diverse Australians are twice as likely to use social media and Internet sources to access news of interest.

Our study also looked at the tone of Twitter conversations on the same six events and issues during these six months. We examined about 239,000 tweets from over 29,000 accounts featuring the hashtags #trumpban, #bourkestreet, #humanrights, #refugees, #immigration, #muslim, #racism, #islam and #reclaimaustralia.

Although there was a low hum of conversation about #muslim, #muslims and #racism during the six-month period, Twitter conversations peaked with breaking news around these events and issues.

For example, there was spike in tweets including #refugees around October 30, 2016, when

the mainstream media reported then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying that refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru would never come to Australia.

Again, the #refugees hashtag was trending around January 30 when Trump’s refugee ban story gained currency.

And when the news broke that Triggs’ term would not be extended beyond the end of her contract in mid-2017, #humanrights peaked.

The study used automated sentiment detection software to evaluate how “positive”, “negative” or “neutral” the social media conversations were. Overall, the tenor of conversations for the 11 hashtags we followed was more negative than positive. About 30% of the tweets were neutral.

Lack of minority viewpoints The two content analyses provide insights into the mainstream news coverage and social media conversations circulating in the Australian public sphere.

Journalists may believe they are merely reporting or commenting

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We believe newsrooms in Australia need more diversity in their workforce to provide better representation of views and perspectives in their coverage. Given that 26% of Australians were born overseas and over 49% have a parent born overseas, our newsrooms and the coverage of events and issues in Australia need to reflect this diversity.

Australia’s news coverage remains largely monolithic, with events often covered according to how the white population perceives it. Similarly, culturally diverse communities see news as creating an “us” and “them” chasm in the broader community.

The quick fix is what journalists should already be doing when covering events and issues pertaining to minority communities. They should strive to give news stories more context and balance by including a variety of views, such as nongovernment sources and minority voices.

There also needs to be a concerted effort to change the makeup of Australia’s newsrooms so that the leadership and journalists reflect the cultural diversity in Australia. *Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Deakin University Contributers: Michael Niemann, Research fellow, Deakin University and Yin Paradies, Professor of Race Relations, Deakin University Source: The Conversations

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WATER CRISES

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Water: A Private Privilege, not a Community Resource

By Shekhar Kapur*

M

elbourne, 25 October: Labour leader and leader of opposition in Victoria, Hon. Daniel Andrews, today announced Labour will build an, ‘Indian Precinct’ in Melbourne, if elected to govern Victoria on 29 October, when Victoria goes to polls to elect a new government. The surprise Diwali gift was announced

by Hon. Daniel Andrews at the Federation Square Diwali event, organised by the Celebrate India.

MUMBAI, India, Oct 16 2018 (IPS) - Water is becoming a private privilege rather than a community resource. It is also one of the world’s most precious resources. As vital to the survival of the human species as the air that we breathe.

Yet while many of us take water for granted, readily buying a pair of jeans that take 7,600 litres of water to produce or luxuriating in power showers, 844 million people across the world still live without access to clean water. What’s more, an estimated four billion people face severe water scarcity for at least one month every year.

That is why I have created

short animation Brides of the Well, with international development charity, WaterAid, adapted from one of my short stories. It tells the tale of Saraswati and Paras; two teenagers living in Punjab, northern India, who are forced into child marriage and a life of servitude, centred round walking long distances to collect water for their aging husbands.

The story, while fictional, tells a universal truth; that we are a world divided between the haves and the have-nots. That while many think nothing of turning on the tap for a glass of clean, safe water, millions of others are forced to walk long distances for this most basic necessity, often from contaminated sources; their health, education, livelihoods and dreams curtailed as a result.

Growing up in India, I would wake between 4am and 5am every day to fill tankards of water for the household because that was the only time it was available. Today, in Mumbai, I see people living in slums struggling to find a safe, clean water source while across the road, wealthier homes have endless supplies on tap.

In India, Saraswati

and Paras are typical of a staggering 163 million people – including roughly 81 million women – living without access to clean water close to home, meaning it has the highest population of people in the world without access.

A lack of clean water close to home affects women and girls disproportionately throughout their lives, with many bearing the burden of walking long distances to collect water, often from contaminated sources.

This means that often girls have no choice but to drop out of school from an early age, missing their education and opportunities and – in some cases – making them more vulnerable to early marriage.

Each year, more people gain access to clean water, but at the same time India is facing severe water shortages, with 600 million people affected by a variety of challenges including falling groundwater levels, drought, demand from agriculture and industry, and poor water resource management; all of which are likely to intensify as the impacts of climate change take hold.

According to a government think tank, the country’s water demand is

projected to be twice the available supply by 2030.

India is by no means alone.

These rising demands mean that this life-giving resource is increasingly under threat across the globe.

In January, authorities in Cape Town, warned of an impending ‘Day Zero’; when they would be forced to turn off the city’s taps after three consecutive years of drought. While in China, the country’s first National Census of Water showed that in the past quarter century, 28,000 riverbeds have vanished and groundwater levels are falling by one to three metres per year.

Saraswati and Paras might be works of fiction but their story – of lives centred round collecting water from drying wells – is a daily reality for millions of people across the world.

My hope is that Brides of the Well will impress upon people the injustices that result from not having clean water; of lives curtailed and dreams left unfulfilled simply because an accident of birth has denied them this most basic human right.

I hope it will act as a rallying cry for action, encouraging people to think more about where our water

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comes from, and call for better access for everyone everywhere.

The global water crisis is not a problem for the next generation to tackle; it is a problem playing out across our television screens and in our newspaper headlines today.

We need urgent action, not just from our governments, private companies and the international community to help people currently living without access to this most basic resource. Only then will people like Saraswati and Paras truly be free. *ShekharKapur went on to direct the hugely popular and multi-award winning historical biopics of Queen Elizabeth I, Elizabeth and its sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age. He has been the recipient of the Indian National Film Award, the BAFTA Award, the National Board of Review Award, and three Filmfare Awards. His most recent project,Vishwaroopam II, is due for release this year.

ShekharKapur worked with WaterAid to create the animation Brides of the Well, which highlights the global water crisis. Watch it at www.wateraid.org/ bridesofthewell.

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finance SOUTH ASIA

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More than 10 Indian workers died every day in the Gulf in the last 6 years: RTI reveal

By Venkatesh Nayak

A

ccording to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, (see attachment 10) there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said that during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home.

Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day.

For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf countries.

Please read further for the details of the RTI intervention and data analysis.

THE RTI INTERVENTION In August 2018, I submitted a request for information under The Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) to the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) through the Central Government’s RTI Online filing facility seeking the following information : "1) The year-wise list of the names, age, sex, and occupation of Indian workers who died in the countries of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Quwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates between 01 January, 2012 till date; and 2) The cause of death as mentioned in the death certificates of every deceased Indian worker referred to at para 1 above for the same period."

The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) promptly transferred the RTI application to the CPIOs of the Indian Embassies situated

in the six Gulf countries (see page 3 of attachment 1). It appears that the MEA does not maintain data about the deaths of Indian Workers unless queries are raised in Parliament.

The CPIO of the Embassy of Kuwait replied that most of the details regarding deaths of Indian Workers in that country was available online on their official website .

Indeed, month-wise data is available on this website, but only 2014-onwards. The CPIOs of the Indian Embassies in Bahrain , Oman and Qatar provided year-wise data about deaths of Indian Workers in those countries. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia provided year-wise data after I filed a first appeal against the CPIO’s initial rejection order.

Both the CPIO and the First Appellate Authority of the Indian Embassy in UAE refused to provide even this data citing Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act which exempts the disclosure of personal information which may cause unwarranted invasion of privacy of the individual or where the disclosure has no relationship to any public activity or interest . Despite showing the good practice of proactive information disclosure adopted by the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, the Embassy in UAE continues to

refuse even basic data.

The other Indian Embassies have refused details regarding the deaths of Indian Workers sought in the RTI application by either citing Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act or by claiming that the information was held in multiple files in disaggregate form. They are striving to adopt the lowest common denominator instead of following the sterling example of the Indian Mission in Kuwait.

ANALYSIS OF THE DATA REGARDING THE DEATHS OF INDIAN WORKERS IN GULF COUNTRIES In order to fill up the gaps in the data (between 2012-2013, which the Indian Embassy in Kuwait did not display) and the data which UAE refused to disclose, I researched the websites of the Lok Sabha (Lower House) and the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) in Parliament and found some data. A preliminary analysis of these collated datasets indicates the following trends (the data sets are in the form of tables in attachment 8 and graphs in attachment 9): 1) Available data indicates that at least 24,570 Indian workers died in the six Gulf countries between 2012 and mid-2018. This number could increase if the complete figures for Kuwait and UAE

are made available publicly.

This amounts to more than 10 deaths per day during this period; 2) At 10,416, the most number of deaths occurred in Saudi Arabia during this period while Bahrain accounted for the least number -- 1,317 deaths ; 3) The most number of deaths occurred in 2015 (4,702) whereas the smallest number was reported in 2012 (2,375). By July-August 2018, 1,656 deaths had already occurred; 4) Only the CPIO of the Indian Embassy in Qatar provided some information about the cause of deaths.

While more than 80% of the deaths were attributed to natural causes, almost 14% of the deaths occurred in accidents. Almost 6% of these deaths were due to suicides COMPARING DATASETS OF DEATHS WITH DATASETS RELATING TO REMITTANCES Most of the Indian diaspora is also a very important source of forex earnings for the country. The World Bank publishes estimates of remittances from every country sent to every other country on the globe in its annual Migration Reports.

Although these figures are estimates only, they

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have received currency in official circles as the Central Government often reports from these figures when questions regarding remittances are raised in Parliament. However, while World Bank publishes data based on the calendar year, the Reserve Bank of India publishes weekly remittance data based on the financial year cycle). Nevertheless, country-wise data regarding remittances is not traceable on RBI’s website.

A comparative analysis of the data regarding remittances received from Indians working in Gulf countries with the datasets relating to death reveals the following preliminary results: 1) Indians working in Gulf countries accounted for more than half of the remittance that India received from all over the world between 20122017. While Indian received a total of US$ 410.33 billion in remittances from the world over, remittances from the Gulf countries accounted for US$ 209.07 Billion; 2) According to World Bank estimates, UAE topped the list of Gulf countries from which remittances were received at US$ 72.30 Billion, followed

by Saudi Arabia (US$ 62.60 billion); Kuwait (US$ 25.77 Billion); Qatar (US$ 22.57 CONTD. ON PG 25

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More than 10 Indian workers...

CONTD. FROM PG 24

billion); Oman (US$ 18.63 Billion) and Bahrain came last with US$ 7.19 Billion; 3) When compared with the dataset on deaths of Indian workers obtained through RTI and parliamentary records, there were more than 187 deaths for every US$ Billion received from Oman during 2012-17; more than 183 deaths for every US$ Billion received from Bahrain and 162 deaths for every US$ Billion received from Saudi Arabia. Qatar accounted for more than 74 deaths for every US$ Billion received while the lowest figure of 71 deaths for every US$ Billion received was from UAE; 4) Interestingly, while UAE was the source of the highest amount of remittances from Indian workers during 20122017 (US$ 72.3 Billion), it also had the lowest deaths per US$ Billion remitted to India (a little over 71 deaths).

Conversely, Bahrain, which came at the bottom of the list in terms of total remittances during the same period (US$ 7.19 Billion only), stands at second place in terms of the number of deaths of Indian workers per US$ Billion remitted (a little over 183 deaths). In other words, every US$ Billion earned by

Indian Workers remitted from Bahrain cost much more in terms of deaths than a similar amount remitted from UAE; 5) A comparison of the remittances data from Gulf countries with the remittances from the Indian diaspora in the advanced countries of the western world, namely, UK, USA and Canada shows some interesting trends. Indian workers in the UAE remitted US$ 72.3 Billion between 20122017 while remittances from Indians in the USA were only US$ 68.37 Billion during this period. Remittances from the UK at US$ 23 Billion and a mere US$ 17.3 Billion from Canada compare poorly with the remittances that Indian workers sent from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait during the same period. However, the Indian diaspora in the developed world seems to wield more political influence in India than the Indian worker community eking out a living in Gulf countries. This phenomenon also needs a deeper examination from researchers and academics; 6) Further, remittance from Nepal to India (US$ 17.37 Billion) was only slightly lower than the remittance from Canada to India (US$

17.39 Billion) between 20122017. While remittances from Singapore amounted to only US$ 5.5 Billion during this period, remittances from Bangladesh to India stood at US$ 4.7 Billion. Remittances from Pakistan and Sri Lanka individually during the same period were higher than the remittance received from Indian workers in Bahrain.

Interestingly, remittance data from Pakistan to India is available only for the years 2013-2014 (US$ 9.46 Billion) (see Table 6 in attachment 8 and Graph 7 in attachment 9). The World Bank Migration Reports indicate that similar data was not made available by the authorities in Pakistan for other years covered by this study. Similarly, the Central Government was not able to provide data about the number of persons of Indian origin or NRIs in Pakistan in its reply tabled in the Lok Sabha in April 2018; 7) It appears that blue collared workers are contributing more to India’s forex kitty than the white-collared workers in the developed countries.

However, as a proportion of the total forex reserves at the end of the calendar year, the share of the remittances seems to be

declining in recent years.

In 2012, remittances from Gulf countries were equal to 12.57% of the forex reserves (excluding gold and Special Drawing Rights) declared

by RBI for the week ending December 29. In 2017, the remittances were only 9.97% of the year-end forex reserves declared by RBI; and 8) According to data tabled in Parliament by the Central Government, 7.75 lakh Indian workers were issued emigration clearances (ECR) in 2014, enabling them to work in the six Gulf countries. This number has since fallen, year after year. 7.6 lakh workers were issued ECR clearances in 2015, 5.07 lakh workers issued ECR in 2016. During the first 10 months of 2018 only, 3.46 lakh ECRs were issued by the Central Government.

The number of ECRs seems to have halved since 2014.

In its reply to an Unstarred Question raised in the Lok Sabha, the Government also listed a slew of measures put in place to provide safeguards for Indian Workers in Gulf countries. However, none of these measures include any mention of steps taken to study the phenomenon of deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf countries.

The above comparison is

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not an attempt to label the remittances from the Gulf as blood money. Instead the purpose of this comparative analysis is to highlight the shockingly large number of deaths of Indian workers in Gulf countries. This phenomenon requires urgent examination. It is hoped that the Central Government will start this exercise by making more information about deaths of Indian Workers in these countries public.

There is an urgent need to commission experts to study the cause of deaths -especially the large number of deaths labelled in Qatar as “natural deaths” and examine the conditions under which Indians work there and identify measures that will prevent avoidable deaths.

Meanwhile, I will file an appeal with the Central Information Commission to examine the good practice of the Indian Embassy in Kuwait and direct the other Embassies to emulate their standard of proactive information disclosure regarding the deaths of Indian Workers abroad.

Source: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Original in www.humanrightsinitiative. org has all the related documents.

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SOUTH ASIA

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What’s in A Name, Perhaps Everything!

If Delhi is Changed to “Dhuaan Garh” Will It Improve the Air Quality?

By Lt. Colonel Noel Ellis

a

name has no meaning actually.

There was a time when shop keepers used to display their names as Lahori Lal & Sons. People craved for sons. “Vansh ka naam chalane ke liye”. It was a different issue that he only had daughters but it was a tradition to name your shops and expect your sons to run the family business.

It was another matter that property disputes emerged moment the joint families broke up. As education spread, Kirrori Mal son of Lahori Lal joined a government job and could not sit on the “Galla” ever.

Today a daughter is as good as a son, so name doesn’t matter at all.

In school I think no one was called by his name.

Everyone had a nick name. I would rather go to say that if you call Iqbal as Iqbal

he may not respond but if you said “Palla” caught his attention. From box to bocus, khoti to goti, a tall boy was called long as we used to think in Punjabi and speak in English.

Tall never registered but “Lamba” did. Not forgetting “Choti Duniya” who was our waiter and warder. No one called him Suresh as the highest he reached was four feet.

In our family we have so many people named baba, not the Bhajan-Keertan kinds. You ask me their real names I don’t think I would be able to recollect.

My mom’s family was huge. I am told they were fourteen siblings. Mom was the youngest. One day I asked her how did she remember all their names?

So she started off, the elder brother was “barkebhaiya” and elder sister was “barki”, then there was “tunnabahi, munnabhai, golebhai”, then there was “iron bua& golden bua”.

She didn’t know their names but that’s how she remembered them and that’s how we know them too.

We have a very friendly street dog called Boozo but I call him Benjamin. My in laws had a dog named Bonzo but my mother in law used to call him Benjamin so I tried the same with this fellow. He responds and knows that I call him with a different name. His love for me is the same; the way he plays with me is the same, so what if I call him differently.

Even animals don’t bother as love and understanding matters more.

Even our Army posts have names. That name will have nothing to with the village nearby. For ease of recognition of landmarks you will often find people in Olive Greens saying, samnepaharikasilsila, us main sab se unchichoti, naam pimple. The damn mountain peak is above

15000 feet and still call it a pimple. Then they also use words like helmet top, whale back, elbow, knuckle, finger etc. By the end of indication of landmarks one used to be confused which is our body part and which was enemies.

Some Army appointments too are based on the animal kingdom names like Tiger, Lion, Panther and Lamb. I am thoroughly confused because Company Commander is a tiger, Commanding Officer is a tiger and Brigade Commander is also a tiger. I am sure there would be more tigers hiding somewhere. A good deception plan to confuse the enemy I would say.

Then there were a few Sparrows and Eagles too.

To add to the confusion on the wireless you had Alpha one calling Bravo one Charlie. Can’t you just say, Noel calling Nandu, send some toddy, over.

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I see we are on a name changing spree in our country. Pradhan Mantri has already rechristened himself as “Pradhan Sewak” and if need be he can be called “DeshkaChowkidaar”.

Vittmantri should then be called “Galle kaRakhwala” or “BahiKhate Wala”, Home Minister will be known as “Ghar Wala”, Textile Minister as “AngDhakshak”, Aviation Minister as “PushpakChalak”, Mining Minister as “Khaan Saab”, the others you all can add on.

Be that as it may.

Why Delhi’s name is not changed depending on who is the Chief Minister?

Will it change the way it is governed? Call it “Kejristan”, or “Shielavaas” or even “DhuaanGarh” or “PradooshitPardesh”. Will things change for the good then? I wonder!

Source: The Citizen, 11 November 2018

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southSouth asia times 27 Asia Times

Saudi Arabia, China Stand by Pakistan as US and IMF Get Tough w

By P. K. Balachandaran

ith the US and the IMF acting tough, Pakistan’s timetested friends, Saudi Arabia and China, have come to its rescue at a time when its economy is in dire straits.

The woes of Pakistan’s economy are many. The Pakistani Rupee has been devalued four times since December 2017. According to published sources, a similar scenario in 2013 had led to Pakistan’s obtaining a US$ 6.7 billion loan from the IMF. Foreign reserves have dwindled to US$ 7.7 billion from $16.4 billion in May 2017. This is barely enough for seven weeks of imports.

Pakistan’s current account deficit widened by 43% to US$ 18 billion in the fiscal year that ended June 30, while the fiscal deficit had increased 6.8%, financial reports said.

No wonder Imran Khan said after taking over as Prime Minister: “Pakistan is facing the biggest economic challenge in the country’s history. Our economy is going down because of our dysfunctional institutions.

We need to fix our governance systems.”

Indeed, the ultimate solution is in reform of the overall Pakistani system which is corrupt and dysfunctional to the core. But the need for an immediate financial bailout cannot be gainsaid.

Pakistan has taken 12 packages from the IMF since the late 1980s. It is believed to be seeking between US$ 10 billion and US$ 15 billion from the IMF. But IMF loans come with tough conditions such as reining in fiscal deficits, adoption of a tighter monetary policy and reformation of the basic structure of the economy.

The tax net has to be widened and tax collection will have to be improved.

Prices of utilities will have to be raised. Knowing this, Pakistan’s Central Bank has already increased interest rates three times this year to 7.5%.

The US-led IMF has threatened to ask Pakistan to reveal the terms of its debt to China and cut down on projects linked to the China-funded multibillion dollar China-Pakistan

Economic Corridor (CPEC), which Washington describes as a “debt trap”.

The Trump administration has clearly stated that it will not disburse funds to help Pakistan if the objective is basically to repay its debt to China.

On the other hand, China is also acting tough.

Its official spokesman has said that while Beijing is ready for a “professional” assessment of its project funding in Pakistan, it will not tolerate any dilution of CPEC. China has also said that Chinese loans are only a small part of Pakistan’s overall debt to the outside world and that it is not responsible for Pakistan’s overall debt crisis.

Be that as it may, armed with a US$ 6 billion package from Saudi Arabia, and a US$ 1 billion in immediate help from China, the beleaguered Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, hopes to face the IMF team with greater bargaining power.

Saudi Arabia has told Imran Khan that it will deposit US$ 3 billion for one year as Balance of Payment support. It will also provide a one-year deferred payment facility for the import of oil up to US$ 3 billion. The latter arrangement is to

be in place for three years followed by a review.

The Saudis are to invest in a petroleum refinery in Pakistan. They have also expressed interest in the development of mineral resources in that country.

Stressing the need to focus on human resource development (Pakistan has to generate 1.3 million jobs a year to meet the demand of a growing and increasingly youthful population), Imran Khan told the Saudis about the need to invest in the tourism sector, minerals, coal and gas exploration and information technology to generate jobs. They were also asked to invest in the Special Economic Zones coming up as part of CPEC. After his successful visit to Riyadh, Khan went to China on a five-day visit.

Beijing did not announce a bonanza, but it told Imran that it will help Pakistan tide over the financial crisis.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou had told the media that the “in principle the Chinese government will provide necessary support and assistance to Pakistan in tiding over the current economic difficulties. As for the specific measures to be taken, competent authorities of the two sides will have

detailed discussions.”

More concretely, Beijing gave Islamabad a US$ 1 billion worth of duty-free access to the Chinese market. According to Abdul RazakDawood , Imran’s Advisor on Commerce, this will “double Pakistan’s exports in a year.”

The Chinese also told the Pakistani team that if Pakistanis use the market access facility well, access will be increased to the tune of US$ 2 billion in 2019.

This facility is timely.

Pakistan’s exports had been going down for five years before starting a recovery in 2017.Pakistan had a US$ 37 billion trade deficit, the highest-ever, in the last fiscal year.

Nearly half of the deficit was because of the trade imbalance with China. Last year, Pakistan’s exports to China were a measly US$1.2 billion against the import of US$ 14.5 billion worth of goods from China.

A Pakistani delegation was expected to hold talks with Chinese authorities in Beijing on November 9 to finalize details of market access and a possible Balance of Payments support program.

Notably, for the first time, China has set up a “Task Force” to assess Pakistan’s

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financial needs, according to a statement issued by the Pakistani Ministry of Finance.

China has already been helping in this sphere. This year, China had placed US$ 2 billion with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to beef up foreign exchange reserves. Earlier in May, China had given US$ 500 million as Balance of Payments support. Chinese commercial banks have also been giving big loans to Pakistan.

One of the most important consequences of Imran’s five-day China visit is the interest shown by the Chinese in investing in agriculture which is one of the pillars of the Pakistani economy and a major employment generator.

Imran Khan is using Pakistan’s low-cost labor to sell the idea that investment in agriculture for export will be a good idea.

Pakistan and China have completed the first phase of CPEC, which comprised infrastructure and energy sector development. In the second stage, attention is to be given to industrialization, agricultural revitalization and trade integration. This phase will help job creation and export growth.

Source: The Citizen

south asia 28 South Asia Timestimes

FINANCE

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Teach Your Children Well – Part II

BY Balki Balakrishnan

Y

ou were thinking how to invest to fund the education of your children or how to gift them money on an occasion such as when they turn 18. With education and other costs outpacing wages growth and increasing year on year outstripping inflation you need to be confident about making the right choice when it comes to planning for your children’s future.

With education and other costs outpacing wages growth and increasing year on year outstripping inflation you need to be confident about making the right choice when it comes to planning for your children’s future.

There are two tax effective ways you can achieve your financial goals – investing using Investment Bonds and Children Education Bonds.

We saw how Investment Bonds work in the previous article in this newspaper. This article will explain what you need to know about Children Education Bond.

Education Bonds is a simple, flexible and tax effective way to invest for a child’s education. There are a few funds (Fund) who offer this product in Australia.

The Fund is classified as ‘scholarship plan’ under Australian tax law which gives the product unique features that are generally not available for other savings and investment products.

These tax concessions can be used to maximize the returns to help fund the education expenses of your child.

The Fund can be used for a life time of education – primary (including preschool), secondary, a wide range of tertiary education (including TAFE) and special

needs education in Australia and oversees.

Anyone aged 16 years and over can invest in the Fund.

Applications to the fund can be made by individuals or joint investors or Companies and Trusts (including deceased estates) on behalf of the nominated student who can be of any age.

With some of the Funds you can start with an initial contribution of as little as $1,000 and add to it at a regular basis. The frequency and the amount of regular contributions are determined by yon and can be varied at your convenience assuming they are within Fund’s minimum contribution amount guidelines.

A Fund will offer you a variety of investment options for selection. Each investment option will have unique features and provide a rate of return that suits a particular risk profile. Your money is managed by experienced professional investment

managers. You choose the initial contribution, the additional regular contributions and the investment option(s) bearing in mind the financial outcomes you want at certain times in the future. For example, your goal may be to withdraw $10,000 annually from the Fund when the child is in secondary school years. A Financial Advisor will work with you to determine the initial and regular contribution amounts and the investment options you need to choose to achieve the financial outcomes.

Typically an Education Bond has to be held for 10 years. However, you can access your money any time.

The earnings generated by the Fund are normally taxed at the Corporate Tax rate, which is currently 30%. Since the Fund is operated as ‘scholarship plan’ the Fund can recover the tax and pass it on to you as an investor.

When your investment earnings remain with the Fund, there are no annual tax

return obligations for you or your nominated student. This aspect of taxation is unique to Education Bonds compared to other forms of investment.

Your initial contribution and the subsequent regular contributions are held in investor contributions account. The earnings by the Fund and the tax benefits are held in a separate investor earnings account.

You can withdraw any amount any time from your contributions account tax free. If you have held your investment for more than 10 years, withdrawal proceeds from the earnings account are not taxable. However, there are restrictions and tax implications if you were to withdraw from earnings account during the life of the plan. You would need expert financial advice in relation to this.

Education expenses cover a wide variety of expenses incurred by the student for the purpose of attaining the qualification either by education or training. It

will cover expenses such as course fees, tuition fees (including course related private education), uniforms, books, materials, music lessons and instruments, education related sports equipment and more.

Education Bonds with their ease, performance, variety of investment choices and control, tax effectiveness, and the Estate Planning aspect is an appealing investment choice. However, it still has to fit in with your other overall financial objectives and suit your individual circumstances.

Determining the amount of contributions, choosing the right investment option(s) to achieve the desired financial outcomes, monitoring them over a long period of time and managing their performance will need advice and assistance from a Financial Advisor.

Consult a Financial Advisor today to put a smile on your child’s face!

Be wise, Be Prepared, Be Safe!

Opes Financial Solutions Pty Ltd trading as Opes Financial Planning ACN618 122 795 is an Authorised Representative of Merit Wealth Pty Ltd AFSL 409361.

Balki Balakrishnan

Director | Financial Advisor Authorised Representative Number: 409415 Merit Wealth Pty Ltd. AFSL No: 409361 M: 0419 506 560

This article contains information that is general in nature. It does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. You need to consider your financial situation and needs before making any decisions based on this information. Please contact us at 0419 506 560 if you want more information or need to review your insurance covers.

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southSouth asia times 29 Asia Times

The Arab World, or an anachronism? b

By Rashid Sultan

efore we have a look at the Arab world in the 21st century, Afghanistan war must be looked at as it proved to be a precursor of things that came in the Arab world.

Afghanistan war: The terrorist act which resulted in the collapse of the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11, 2001, killing 3000 people, was cited as the reason to attack Afghanistan.

All the major wars which the USA had fought till then, were away from its shores. This instance was a reminder call for which they had never been prepared. They wanted revenge. The regressive and fundamentalist Taliban regime in Afghanistan had provided safe haven to Osama bin Laden, the kingpin of the September 11 attack. Without thinking twice George W Bush, the then US President, declared war on Afghanistan, claiming ‘who is not with us in this is against us.’

Result? 360,000 fatalities, (soldiers, civilians, women, children) not including those in Pakistan and a million refugees in three years. Even after the US withdrawal, 15,000 US soldiers, still, remain there in the name of assisting Afghan forces.

A question arises. Why the US, the most powerful nation on Earth, resorted to this blatant loss of life and property; why it could not employ its technological resources to track Osama, the fugitive and kill him without killing innocent people. After all, this is what Barack Obama did during his reign with technology and the US’ Seals? The withdrawal of the US forces has left a vacuum there and Taliban and other warlords have returned to the main stage.

Innocents are being killed on a daily basis. Total chaos. For what purpose?

Now, the Arab World!

Iraq war: All of a sudden in 2003, George W Bush attacked Iraq, unilaterally, on the flimsy ground that Saddam was aiding and helping terrorists and

that he had weapons of mass destruction. The report was false, a lie by security agencies because it is claimed, now, that this is what George W Bush wanted to hear as he had always harbored the ambition to punish Saddam after the Gulf war when his father Bush the sr. had let him return to Iraq unscathed. The report was accepted by the U.K, Australia and other allies without questioning it’s authenticity. The report was an absolute furphy.

Result 1? One million deaths of soldiers, civilians, women and children (Oxford University study).

Result 2? The US forces along with private military contractors (Yes, private military contracting is big business in the US, the world’s capital of capitalism) were involved in abuses and torture of the Iraqi soldiers and civilians (the Congress even enacted a law justifying the torture in the name of national security which is, actually, against the US constitution).

Result 3 : The abuses strengthened Al Quaeda and created many more extremist groups like al Shabaab and IS etc.

Sectarian violence erupted all over Iraq; Shias against Sunnis; Sunnis against Kurds (the famous crusader Salahuddin Ayyubi was a Kurd) became a norm. So much for the vacuum left after Saddam. But, why bother? The West’s arm makers were doing double shifts to satiate demands of more and more lethal arms.

Result 4? Millions and millions of displaced, hungry refugees with wounded, malnourished children seeking refuge in adjacent countries and as far as Europe. These wars were started not for any moral reasons but, out of arrogance and greed to sustain their arms factories.

These two wars, simply, were, unprovoked attacks by the West and targeted solely towards Muslims.

So much for the so-called liberal West!

Before we flip the coin to see the other side, let us have a look at the Arab Spring.

In late 2010, a teenaged hawker was killed in Tunisia by the police.

Nothing abnormal! But, this time spontaneous and relentless demonstrations and protests erupted all over the country which, after many months of turmoil, finally, resulted into the fall of dictatorship and a democratic government was installed.

It was something new for the Arab world which had been watching breathlessly the phenomenon unfolding in Tunisia. It was called the Arab Spring. And, so the seeds of Arab Spring blossomed and spread to Libya, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen and other countries.

Egypt: after months of demonstrations, Hosni Mubarak had to step down and sent to prison on corruption charges, Elections were called and the Muslim Brotherhood came to power which had always been a thorn in the eyes of the military.

Very soon, Fatah el-Sisi the commander of Egyptian military, mounted a coup d’e tat with the covert backing of the US and Saudi Arabia and the elected President Morsi was put in prison and still languishing there. After some time a sham election was held and Asisi became the President.

End of the story. Thus US got rid of an enemy of Israel and Saudi Arabia. Arab Spring took its last gasp in Egypt.

Syria: The Sunni majority country has been ruled by the ruthless and brutal Alawite (Shia) dynasty of the Assads, first, by

father Hafiz al Assad and now his son, Bashir al Assad for more than a half century. Inspired by the Arab Spring, people here too came out in streets to protest, demonstrate and revolt against the oppressive regime. The West has not been a great friend of the Assad, close allies of Russia, so, it, covertly, supported the rebels by providing arms and money and thus a civil war began in 2011 and still continues. In the last 7 years Bashar al Assad has bombed and destroyed his own cities and killed his own people not only by conventional weapons but, by banned chemical gases.

Civilians and innocent infants and children are not exempt. Even hospitals are not spared where mothers giving birth are killed with their unborn, still- born and newly born infants. There would not be many dastardly examples equaling this atrocious massacre in the civilized world. Iran and Russia openly siding with Assad and Saudi Arabia and the US supporting the rebels (independence fighters).

The toll? More than half a million deaths and more than 6 million displaced (according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights) and numbers are still growing.

Yemen: Here the situation is opposite to that of Syria. The majority population is Shia while the country has been ruled

by Sunni dictators. When the winds of Arab Spring reached the Yemini shores, buoyed by incidents happening elsewhere in the Arab world, people came out on the streets and revolted against the ruling regime; so much so that they captured the capital with help of Iranian military and arms, and made the rulers escape to the other part of the country.

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The alarm bells rang and Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries with the explicit backing of the US, once again, came to the aid of the dictatorship.

It was a naked display of religious prejudices where people have been killed en masse, without an iota of humanity. In just 1000 days of the conflict there have been 20,000 adults and 50,000 children killed, as per Save the Children organization. People are sleeping in the open as buildings have been bombarded. There is no food, no medicines and no hospitals. You will have to close your eyes with nauseous incredulity at the scenes on the TV where children look sub human because of starvation and malnutrition. The UN food agencies and Red Cross are not able to access the areas, in need, because of risks to lives of their employees and volunteers.

This is nothing but, crime against humanity.

Some incontestable conclusions: --The West has been in conflict Muslims since the days of the Crusades.

-- Nowhere Western arms are sold as much as in the Middle East. One example, Saudi’s orders, in pipeline for armaments from only US are worth US $1 billion. Who will they be used against?

-- Democracy is not the best form of governance, but, we have not been able to find a better alternative, so far.

-- The Arab world has never tasted democracy.

All they know is monarchy and dictatorship which has trapped them into poverty and ignorance.

-- No wonder, a common man is fodder to radicals and extremists’ Jehadi propaganda.

-- The so-called Jehadis are not doing any service to religion. All they are after political power.

-- It is the mad pursuit of power which permits them to kill innocent men, women, children of their own religion, let alone from other faiths.

-- Ironic. The religion they profess to follow forbids the killing of even animals for pleasure.

(These are author’s personal views)

South Asia Times south asia community cinema 32 South Asia Timestimes

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11 pm to 1 am urdu Sydney 97.7 FM & SBS Radio24/7 2 Radio stations Melbourne FM & SBS Radio (Subscription) 2 Indian Link93.1 Radio Wednesday & Sunday 18000 15 8 47 6-7 PM Radio Santa Banta (Internet) Santabanta.com.au WORLD NEWS AUSTRALIA RADIO SydneyJhankar 1107AM88.6 & SBSFM; Radio 1 Thursday; 8 to Radio Every Melbourne 1224AM & SBS Radio 1 10 pm; Contact: 94668900 or 0411247320 or Monday & Friday 9404 2111 6-7 am & 6-7 PM

South Asian websiteS India TEHELKA – www.tehelka.com OUTLOOK – www.outlookindia.com FRONTLINE- www.flonnet.com THE HINDU: www.hinduonnet.com TIMES OF INDIA: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com HINDUSTAN TIMES: www.hindustantimes.com Pakistan DAWN: www.dawn.com THE FRIDAY TIMES: www.thefridaytimes.com THE NEWS INTERENATIONAL: www.thenews.com.pk Sri Lanka DAILY MIRROR: www.dailymirror.lk DAILY NEWS: www.dailynews.lk THE ISLAND: www.island.lk Nepal THE HIMALAYAN TIMES: www.thehimalayantimes.com KANTIPUR NATIONAL DAILY:

PLACES OF WORSHIP HINDU Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple 57 Boundary Rd, Carrum Downs, Melbourne, Vic 3201, Ph: 03 9782 0878; Fax: 03 9782 0001 Website: www.hsvshivavishnu.org.au Sri Vakratunda Vinayaka Temple 1292 - 1294, The Mountain Highway, The Basin, Vic 3154, Ph: 03 9792 1835 Melbourne Murugan Temple 17-19 Knight Ave., Sunshine VIC 3020 Ph: 03 9310 9026 Durga Temple (Durga Bhajan Mandali) Neales Road, Rockbank, Vic 3335 Ph: 03 9747 1628 or Mobile: 0401 333 738 Hare Krishna (ISKCON) Temple 197 Danks Street, Middle Park Vic 3206 Ph: (03) 9699 5122 Email: 100237.354@compuserve.com Hare Krishna New Nandagram Rural Community Oak Hill, Dean’s Marsh Rd., Bambra VIC 3241, Ph: (052) 887383 Fax: (052) 887309 Kundrathu Kumaran Temple 139 Gray Court, ROCKBANK Victoria 3335 Ph: 03-9747 1135 or M: 0450 979 023 http://www.kumarantemple.org.au/ Sankat Mochan Temple 1289 A North Road. Huntingdale Morning: 10.30 am – 12.30 pm daily Evening: 4:30 pm – 8.00 pm daily Site: http: www.sankatmochan.org.au Contact: 0427 274 462 Shirdi Sai Sansthan 32 Hailey Avenue, Camberwell Vic 3124;Ph: (03) 9889 2974; Site: shirdisai.net.au Sai Baba Temple, 50 Camberwell Road Aum Sai Sansthan Temple 76 Albert Street (Enter From : Bear Street) MORDIALLOC VIC - 3195 Website : www.aumsai.org.au Contact : 0468 362 644

SIKH BLACKBURN Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha 127 Whitehorse Road, Blackburn VICTORIA 3130, Ph: (03) 9894 1800 CRAIGIEBURN Sri Guru Singh Sabha 344 Hume Highway, Craigieburn VICTORIA 3164 (see map), Ph: (03) 9305 6511 KEYSBOROUGH Gurdwara Sri Guru Granth Sahib 198 -206 Perry Road, Keysborough VICTORIA 3073 (see map) LYNBROOK Nanaksar Taath, 430 Evans Road,

Lynbrook VICTORIA 3975, (03) 9799 1081 HOPPERS CROSSING Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha 417 Sayers Road, Hoppers Crossing VICTORIA 3029, Ph: (03) 9749 2639 WERRIBEE Gurdwara Sahib Werribee 560 Davis Road, Tarneit VICTORIA 3029 PH: (03) 8015 4707 SHEPPARTON Gurdwara Sahib Shepparton 240 Doyles Road, Shepparton VICTORIA 3603 PH: (03) 5821 9309

JAIN Melbourne Shwetambar Jain Sangh Inc 3 Rice Street, Moorabbin, Vic - 3189, Australia. Phone: +61 3 9555 2439 info@melbournejainsangh.org http://www.melbournejainsangh.org

MUSLIM Melbourne West Mosque 66-68 Jeffcott Street, Melbourne Ph: 03 9328 2067 Broadmeadows Mosque 45-55 King Street, Broadmeadows Ph 03 9359 0054 Islamic Call Society 19 Michael Street, Brunswick Ph: 03 9387 7100 Islamic Centre of Australia 660 Sydney Road, Brunswick Ph 03 9385 8423 Australian Islamic Cultural Centre 46-48 Mason Street, Campbellfield Ph: 03 9309 7605 Coburg ISNA Mosque 995 Sydney Road, Coburg North Coburg Mosque (Fatih Mosque) 31 Nicholson Street, Coburg Ph 03 9386 5324 Deer Park Mosque 283 Station Road, Deer Park Ph 03 9310 8811 United Migrant Muslim Assn.

72 George Road, Doncaster Ph 03 9842 6491, Footscray West Mosque 294 Essex Street, Footscray Glenroy Musala 1st Floor, 92 Wheatsheaf Road, Glenroy Heidelberg Mosque Corner Lloyd & Elloits Streets, West Heidelberg Islamic College of Victoria (Mosque) 201 Sayers Road, Hoppers Crossing Ph 03 9369 6010 Huntingdale Mosque 320-324 Huntingdale Road, Huntingdale Ph 03 9543 8037 Al Nur Mosque 34-36 Studley Street, Maidstone Meadow Heights Mosque Hudson Circuit, Meadow Heights Springvale Mosque 68 Garnworthy Street, Springvale

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INDIAN CONSULATE Indian Consulate Address: 344, St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia P.O. Box No: 33247 Domain LPO Vic 3004 Consular Enquiries: +61-3-9682 5800 (9.30am-12.30noon only) General Enquiries (other than Consular): +61-3- 9682 7836 Fax No:+ 61-3- 9696 8251 Email: consular@cgimelb.org Web site: www.cgimelb.org Indian Consulate Consular services are handled by VFS Global Visa / Passport / PCC / IDLV / PIO / OCI services contact VFS +61 2 8223 9909.

Address: Part 4 Suite, Level 12, 55 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 Site : www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/ Services handled by Indian Consulate Melbourne itself: OCI Misc. services, Registration of Birth, Birth Certificate, Renunciation of Indian Citizenship, Surrender of Indian Passport, New Passport Details on PIO, Transfer of Valid Visas, Marriage Certificate, Affidavit for Applying Child’s Passport in India, Documents Attestation.)

Student Welfare Officer in the Indian Consulate Melbourne Consulate General of India, Melbourne Address: 344, St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC – 3000 Phone: 03-96826203 Fax: 03-96968251 Email: cgo@cgimelb.org Website: www.cgimelb.orgExternal website that opens in a new window Contact person for Students welfare: Mr. Nirmal K. Chawdhary Designation: Deputy Consul General Mobile: 0430020828

HIGH COMMISSION FOR PAKISTAN,CANBERRA 4 Timbarra Crescent, O’Malley ACT 2606 (Australia), Tel: 61-2-62901676, 61-2-62901676, 62902769, 62901879 & 62901031, Fax: 61-262901073 Email: parepcanberra@internode. on.net, Postal Address: PO Box 684, Mawson ACT 2607 (Australia)

southSouth asia times 33 Asia Times

quick community guide

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contd from previous page Suite 536, No 1 Queens Road,

Sri Lanka Consulate Melbourne VIC 3004 Telephone: +61 3 9290 4200 Fax: +61 3 9867 4873 Email:mail@slcgmel.org Web: http://www.slcgmel.org

Bangladesh High Commission, Canberra 43, Culgoa Circuit, O’Malley, ACT-2606 Canberra, Australia, Ph: (61-2) 6290-0511, (61-2) 6290-0522, (61-2)6290-0533 (Auto hunting).

Fax : (61-2) 6290-0544 E-Mail :hoc@bhcanberra.com

Consulate of Nepal, Melbourne Email: cyonzon@nepalconsulate.net.au Level 7, 28-32 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Ph: (03) 9650 8338 Email: info@nepalconsulate.net.au

TV GUIDE SBS1 – Daily NDTV News - 11:05 am - Monday to Saturday. (From New Delhi, India).

Urdu news SBS1 - PTV News – 9.30 am - Every Sunday – (From Pakistan).

SOUTH ASIAN Garments Roshan’s Fashions 68-71 Foster Street, Dandenong, Vic 3175 Ph: (03) 9792 5688

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Vic 3175, Ph: (03) 9791 9227 Site: heritageindia.net.au

DVDs, Music CDs & Film Stuff Baba Home Entertainment 52C Foster St., Dandenong 3175, (03) 97067252

Travel Agents Gaura Travels 1300 FLY INDIA or 1300 359 463 info@gauratravel.com.au Travel House 284 Clayton Road, Clayton 3168 Ph: (03) 95435123, Mobile: 0425803071 mail@travelhouse.com.au

lAWYERS MLG Lawyers Ronny Randhawa 144 Sydney Road, Coburg Vic Ph 9386 0204 & 138 Walker Street, Dandenong Vic Ph: 9793 9917 Mobile : 0402 256 712 Vera Lawyers Kusum Vaghela Level 1, Suite 2, 373 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong Vic, Mobile: 0433 827 124

Jewellery Bhadra Laxman Jewellers 22ct Gold Jewellery / Silver Pooja (03) 9846 7661

Raj Rani Creations 83-A Foster Street, Dandenong, Vic 3175 Ph: (03) 9794 9398 desi estyle 76 Foster St., Dandenong 3175 (03) 87744853; 0413707685 Heritage India 54-56 Foster Street, Dandenong,

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south asia 34 South Asia Timestimes

CINEMA

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India’s women in cinema have a global impact

By Uma da Cunha

t

illotama being on the international jury of the Macau Festival marks the latest honour coming the way of women actors from India. She serves in this august capacity alongside the legendary Chinese Chen Kaige as president, Mabel Cheung (Hong Kong), Paul Currie (Australia), and DanisTanovic (Bosnia).

The consummate actor was present in Cannes midMay this year for Rohena Gera’s ‘Sir’, the international film she starred in, which won a special award in the Critics Week section where it screened. She shines in the film as a young, recently-widowed servant girl who leaves her village to work in a plush, high-rise apartment for an eligible and lonely bachelor (played by VivekGomber).

Once again, she gives a heart-felt, appealing performance. Her film career has demonstrated what a special presence and flair she has on screen, which was so well demonstrated as a gawky housemaid almost 17 years ago in Mira Nair’s ‘Monsoon Wedding’, and more recently, in ‘A Death in Gunj’ (2016) and ‘The Song of Scorpions’ (2017).

And now, here she is on the jury judging other film professionals, including actors, as a jury member in a prestigious festival.

Her third film ‘Bulbul Can Sing’ won the 20th MAMI’s top honour, its India Gold competition’s Golden Gateway Award, as did her celebrated second film, ‘Village Rockstars’ last year. 'Bulbul’ a coming-ofage drama set in rural Assam presents a gentle yet fervent tale of adolescent love and identity, with strong performances and candid understanding. Rima’s meteoric rise to world fame is phenomenal. ‘Village Rockstars’ rocketed her to over 50 world festivals, won her innumerable awards, and is now India’s nomination for the Oscars, for which she is collecting funds for the required heavy promotion in Hollywood. This soft-spoken but entirely self-confident filmmaker from Assam is now India’s most well-known film personality on the international film scene.

Director, producer, screenwriter, editor Leena Yadav started in television before making feature films her stronghold. She has directed and scripted

Nandita Das

Tillotama Shome

Leena Yadav

Rima Das

four feature films Shabd (2005), Teen Patti (2010), Parched (2015) and Rajma Chawal (2018).After the immense appreciation of Parched at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and its subsequent rollercoaster festival run, Leena’s appeal to the international market has led her to be in demand abroad for her future projects. ‘Rajma Chawal’, acquired by Netflix for a worldwide release on November 30, had five screenings at the 2018 MAMI festival to packed audiences who were visibly stirred by the film. The film is on a technologically challenged

father and his bungled efforts to connect with his non-communicative son who lives with him.

Ukranian writer-directoractor Dar, now settled in India, has established herself as an unusual director with a penchant for stories that are both real and surreal in their blend of inbuilt optimism tinctured with the unavoidable lapses of life. The two films she has made so far Teen aurAadha (Three and a Half) and ‘NamdevBhau in Search of Silence’ (a runaway hit at Mumbai’s recent MAMI festival and Busan and BFI London

before), produced by that rarity, the ever supportive producer, DheerMomaya.

They represent a team whose work evokes interest and needs to be followed.

‘Namdev’ is on the journey of an elderly driver who goes silent and sets out in search of Silent Valley, tired of noisy, obstreperous Mumbai.

Last but emphatically in the lead, Nandita has proved over the years that she is a person of multiple interests and talents. Actor (both stage and screen), writer, director, activist, and the only Indian woman film professional to serve twice

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on Cannes’s international film juries (Cinefondation& Short Films in 2013 and feature films in 2005 ).

Her most recent and most appreciated work, ‘Manto’ got its head start at Cannes and has been in demand ever since at world festivals.

The film is an engrossing tale of two emerging nations, two faltering cities and one man who tries to make sense of it all.

These inspiring filmmakers presage a scintillating year ahead for women in cinema making a dent in the country and across the world.

Source: The Citizen

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CINEMA

southSouth asia times 35 Asia Times

Best Australian movies curated by Mitu Bhowmick Lange at the Kolkata International Film Festival

By SAT News Desk

k

OLKATA: In the biggest ever showcase of Australian films in India, Australia Fest is bringing a curated selectionof the best of Australian cinema to the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).

Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Her Excellency Ms Harinder Sidhu said, “Australia is proud tobe the focus country at the 24th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), presented inpartnership with the West Bengal Government. I am delighted that we are able to share a diverserange of Australian films with the Indian audiences.”

“Australia has a strong bilateral engagement with West Bengal and surrounding states. We willshortly open a new consulate-general in Kolkata. Our association with KIFF will further deepen ourcultural relationship," added Ms Sidhu.

"In the last 7 years, Kolkata International Film Festival has had many partners. In the 24th edition ofKIFF we have the pleasure of having Australia as a focus country. Australia stands out for celebratingdiversity and freedom of expression. KIFF brings to its viewers some of the finest of Australiancinema. KIFF is thankful to the Australian High Commission in India for its whole hearted cooperation," said Ms Mahua Banerjee, Director, Kolkata International Film Festival.

As the focus country, Australian films will be presented in three broad categories – 100 Years ofAustralian Cinema; Contemporary Section and Retrospective of Phillip Noyce. The festival will alsocelebrate 100 years of both the Australian cinema and the West Bengal Cinema through a posterexhibition.

The film showcase has been curated by Mitu Bhowmick Lange, who is the producer of the IndianFilm Festival of Melbourne.

“What a wonderful honour for all of us to be a part of the Kolkata International Film festival, in the home of Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen and many other legendary film makers,” said Mitu.

“We are so excited to be celebrating the 100 years of Australian cinema, with the screening of thevery first Australian film - The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) to the sensational Breath, that will bepresented by popular film star Simon Baker, along with a Poster exhibition and the Retrospective of Australian icon Phillip Noyce’s films. We can’t wait to celebrate and revel in the magic of Cinemathat binds us all together,” she remarked.

100 Years of Australian Cinema showcase will include the restored version of the first feature

lengthmovie ever made in 1906 - The Story of the Kelly Gang, the greatest silent Australian film made froma poem by C.J Dennis of the same name - The Sentimental Bloke, a historical tale of an importantbattle won by Australians - 40,000 Horsemen. This category will also include screening of films likeThe Dressmaker, Romper Stomper, classic Australian cult comedy Malcolm and Palme d’Or award1965 winner Clay.

Internationally acclaimed Australian films will be screened in the Contemporary Section including Breath, Mary Magdelene, and Flammable Children.

The Retrospective of the Australia’s most highly acclaimed and successful film directors PhillipNoyce will have screening of some of his all-time favourites: Rabbit Proof Fence, Newsfront, The Quiet American, Patriot Games, Clear and Present danger, and more.

Some of Australia’s celebrated film personalities will also be at the festival to talk about their work, including Actor Simon Baker (The Devil Wears Prada, Breath); Director Garth Davis (Lion); ProducerSue Maslin (The Dress Maker); Writer Christos Tsiolkas (Blessed); Oscar- Award nominated Editor Jill Bilcock ( Moulin Rouge, Elizabeth); Producer Jamie Hilton (Breath, 1%); Director Geoffery Wright(Romper Stomper); Actress, Writer and Producer Victoria Hill (Macbeth, First Reformed); DirectorBenjamin Gilmour (Jirga) and Iconic Director Phillip Noyce (Rabbit Proof Fence, Patriot Games).

Platinum: State Governments of Victoria and New South Wales; Gold: DeakinUniversity; Silver: ANZ Banking Group, Ashok & Mariam Jacob, CQ University Australia, FCM TravelSolutions, Mahindra, Northern Territory Government, Tata BlueScope Steel, Telstra,

About Australia Fest On 18 September 2018 Australia’s High Commissioner to India Her Excellency Ms Harinder Sidhu, launched Australia Fest - a sixmonth long celebration of Australian culture and creativity. AustraliaFest has been made possible with the generous support of our partners in three majorcategories: www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

TourismAustralia and Woodside Energy. Australia Fest’s hotel partner is the Indian Hotels Company Limited(IHCL), airline partner is Singapore Airlines, wine partner is Jacob’s Creek, and promotion partner is Book My Show.

south asia 36 South Asia Timestimes

TECHNOLOGY

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It’s time to regulate the gig economy

By Janine Berg & Valerio de Stefano

T

echnology is used to monitor workers doing platformbased work. It can also be used to regulate work and protect workers.

Over a century ago, labour laws began to be instituted in diverse countries throughout the world. These laws were intended to provide protection to workers in what was recognised as an unequal relationship of exchange, but it also gave authority to managers to organise and direct their employees’ work. While the world of work has changed since these initial labour regulations were instituted, the fundamental reasons for the existence of labour protections – to ensure safe and healthy workplaces, to give workers a voice, and to provide minimum protections with respect to working time and earnings – remain valid.

Although it would seem straightforward that the laws protecting workers should also apply to workers in what is described as the ‘gig economy’ or ‘platform-based work’, there is much debate – and confusion – on this issue.

This lack of clarity stems in part from the novelty of platform-based work.

There has also been an effort to conceal the nature of platform-based work through buzzwords such as ‘favours’, ‘rides’, and ‘tasks’ as well as the practice common to many platforms of classifying their workers as independent contractors.

Platform-based work includes ‘crowdwork’ and ‘work-on-demand via apps’.

In crowdwork, workers complete small jobs or tasks through online platforms, such as Amazon Mechanical Turk, Crowdflower, and Clickworker. In ‘work-ondemand via apps,’ workers perform duties such as providing transport, cleaning, home repairs, or running errands, but the workers learn about these jobs through mobile apps, from companies such as Uber, Taskrabbit, and Handy. The jobs are performed locally.

Working as a ‘favour’ Depicting work in the platform economy as a mere ‘sharing of favours’ conveys an image of the gig economy as a sort of parallel

dimension, where chores are amateurishly carried out as a form of leisure, with no relation to ‘work’. The reality, however, is different.

For most workers, platformbased work is an essential source of income. The ILO recently surveyed workers on two important microtask platforms: Amazon Mechanical Turk and Crowdflower. Forty percent of respondents answered that crowdwork constituted their principal source of income. Workers averaged 30 hours of week on the platform.

Related to this is the assumption that the workers are genuinely self-employed persons, independent from the platforms and their users. Indeed, much of the rhetoric around the gig economy is that the workers ‘are their own bosses’ – a new breed of ‘micro-entrepreneurs’ who work when and how they want, answering to no one and growing their own businesses. While there are some platforms that serve as marketplaces for buyers and sellers of goods, for platforms selling ‘labour services’ the worker is rarely operating independently.

Platforms mediate extensively the transactions they have with their workers, and also between the customers and the workers. Platforms often fix the price of the service as well as define the terms and conditions of the service, or they allow the clients to define the terms (but not the worker). The platform may define the schedule or the details of the work, including instructing workers to wear uniforms, to use specific tools, or to treat customers in a particular way.

Many platforms have performance review systems that allow customers to rate the workers and they

use these ratings to limit the ability of lower-rated workers to access jobs, including by excluding workers from their system.

The amount of direction and discipline that clients and platforms impose on workers, in many instances amounts to the degree of control that is normally reserved to employers and is normally accompanied by labour protections such as the minimum wage, limits on working time, and contributions to social security. This recent ILO study provides more detailed analysis on these features of platform-based work.

In a landmark judgement on Uber in October 2016, an employment tribunal in the United Kingdom dismissed the notion that the drivers run autonomous businesses merely linked by the platform. Among other things, the judge observed that it was impossible for them to grow their businesses unless “growing their business simply means spending more hours at the wheel”. The judgement also found that, through the rating system, the platform subjected drivers to “what amounts to a performance management/disciplinary procedure”, going beyond what is allowed in coordinating mere selfemployed workers.

What’s new about the 4.0 economy?

When we look closely at the gig economy it becomes obvious that rather than ‘new’ 4.0 digital revolution work, ‘gig economy’ work is simply twenty-first century casual work rebranded. The technology has changed, but it is still work undertaken by human beings and under the control of other human beings, in exchange for money. Indeed, gig work needs to be considered along with broader trends of

casualization of the labour market such as the spread of zero-hour contracts and bogus self-employment.

Because work in the gig economy is currently unregulated – or is only regulated by the platform – it is characterised by a lack of job security and few, if any, labour protections.

Ironically, with day labourers, dockworkers, and agricultural hands – probably the types of casual work that most readily come to mind – their work is at least for the day.

In the platform economy, it is for the task at hand.

This can be as short as a few kilometres drive or ten minutes spent tagging photos on the internet.

The ‘Turker’, the Uber driver, or the graphic artist working on an online design platform must continuously search for work, monitoring their computer screens or smartphones for work opportunities. Indeed, in the ILO survey, it was found that workers averaged 18 minutes looking for work for every hour working.

Even when jobs span a few hours or a few days, the worker needs to be constantly searching for new work. Ninety percent of workers in the survey reported that they would like to be doing more work than they are currently doing, citing insufficient work and low pay as the reasons they were not.

Despite the desire for more hours, many were already working a lot: 40% of respondents reported that they regularly worked seven days a week and 50% indicated that they had worked for more than 10 hours during at least one day in the past month. Low pay coupled with the need to work resulted in workers spending long hours online.

The lack of protections for workers, the casual nature of the work and the elements of direction and control exerted by the platforms all point to a need to regulate the gig economy.

Self-regulation by the platforms, as is currently the case, cannot ensure better working conditions and can jeopardise the sustainability of well-intended platforms in what is a global race to the bottom. Moreover, unless authorities step in and recognise that workers should not be denied protection just because they work for platforms, platforms will continue to

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have an advantage over traditional industries, risking a deterioration of working conditions that extends beyond platformbased work.

Turning technology to support regulation But how to regulate? To begin with, the technology that has allowed parcelling and distributing work to ‘the crowd’ can also be used to regulate the work and provide protection to workers. Technology can monitor when workers are working, when they are searching for work, and when they are taking breaks. For example, Upwork, the on-line freelance marketplace, offers its clients the option of paying by the hour, as it can monitor the workers by recording their keyboard strokes and mouse clicks and taking random screen shots. Uber expects drivers to always have the app on, which can track drivers’ whereabouts including their downtime.

This same technology can thus also be used to ensure that workers earn at least the minimum wage or ideally to regulate the wage agreed collectively by the workers and the platform. If labour protections are put in place, then platforms will have the incentive to re-organise work to limit search time.

Technology and better organisational design can help to minimise search time, improving efficiency for all. The technology can also be used to facilitate payment of social security contributions.

With nearly unlimited supplies of labour and an absence of liability placed on platforms, casualization will continue. While it is easy to become enamoured by the glitz and convenience of apps and the myth that we have broken from our past, we need to remember that these platforms are merely providing another way of mediating work – driving and running errands, or doing data entry or audio transcription online are not ‘new’. Technology is great – let it help us make the world run more smoothly, not unravel the gains from the hard fought battles to improve worker’s rights.

The views expressed in this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the ILO. Source: openDemocracy

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special article

southSouth asia times 37 Asia Times

From lascars to skilled migrants: Indian diaspora in New Zealand and Australia

By Sehkar Bandyopadhyay & Jane Buckhingham

M

ore than half a million people of Indian descent live in Australia and New Zealand. The history of the Indian diaspora in these countries is older than many might imagine, going back 250 years.

Indians are today widely acknowledged as a successful ethnic community that makes significant contributions to their host societies and economies. Yet, although Indian migration to North America and the United Kingdom has been studied extensively, the Australian and New Zealand stories have rarely been told.

From lascars to migrant workers We are co-editors of Indians and the Antipodes: Networks, Boundaries and Circulation, a book in which scholars from both sides of the Tasman and beyond trace the development of Indian involvement in New Zealand and Australia, from 18th-century sepoys and lascars (soldiers and sailors) aboard visiting European ships, through 19th-century migrant labourers and the 20th century’s hostile policies to the new generation of skilled professional migrants of the 21st century.

Indians and the Antipodes juxtaposes Australian and New Zealand stories to underline that the trajectories of migration and experiences of settlement of these two southern-most outposts of the Indian diaspora have certain connections.

The story of Indians in New Zealand dates back to December 1769, just two months after the first European landing in the country by Captain James Cook. Todd Nachowitz draws on previously published muster rolls and ships logs to trace Indians’ early part in New Zealand nation building, thereby complicating the traditional bicultural European-Māori historical narrative.

Historian John Dunmore’s translations of early ship’s logs, along

with additional archival sources, have allowed Nachowitz to identify the first Indians to set foot on New Zealand soil. They were the sole survivors of a crew of more than 50 Indians. The rest died of scurvy or other conditions before their ship, the Saint Jean Baptiste, reached New Zealand.

Nachowitz can even put names to two of the Indians: The first is recorded as MamouthCassem in the original log, whose real name was probably Mahmud Qāsim, born in Pondicherry about 1755.

The second is listed as a Bengali named Nasrin, aged about sixteen or seventeen years, on the muster roll.

Given their names, it can be assumed that both were Muslims. Both are recorded as dying in Peru on 14 April 1770, where the ship sailed after leaving Aotearoa under duress.

Early settlers Nineteenth and early 20th-century Indian settlement in Australia and New Zealand was the culmination of complex journeys. From the BritishIndian empire, Indians were moving to Mauritius, Fiji, South Africa, British Guyana and the Caribbean.

From parts of French India, such as Pondicherry, they were travelling to New Caledonia in the French Pacific.

Some of them eventually migrated from these initial destinations to settle in Australia and New Zealand.

Many also migrated directly from India. This circulation of people of Indian origin occurred both

through and because of the imperial networks set up by the various East India companies.

In the later 19th and early 20th centuries, the labour demands of sugar plantations in the Pacific and Caribbean provided further incentives for migration. The indenture system was an early migration driver. After its abolition, opportunities for free passage offered avenues for work and hopes of citizenship.

Racial barriers In Australia and New Zealand, along with other self-governing dominions such as South Africa and Canada, conflict evolved between the demand for cheap labour by the colonial economies and the racial prejudice and moral panic of their white settlers.

The term Australasia was used as an identifier for the region not to signify its geographical proximity to Asia but to distinguish it from Asia, the much despised other.

A shared perception of the threat of being swamped by “unwanted” Asians led to Australia and New Zealand raising immigration barriers to ensure their exclusion.

Once the barriers were complete - in 1901 in Australia and 1920 in New Zealand - the racial ring fences remained in place until the onset of decolonisation in the aftermath of the second world war. In some cases, this took even longer.

Although the rules did not stop Indian migration totally, they did mean that very few Indians lived

in “White Australia” and “White New Zealand”. In 1921, there were only 2,000 in Australia and 671 in New Zealand.

New migrants As immigration restrictions were gradually lifted in the post-war period, the number of Indian migrants rose. The relaxation was partly in response to the increasing demand for Englisheducated, technologically skilled white-collar workers who could contribute to the countries’ rapidly globalising economies.

In both countries, India became the largest source of skilled migrants in the 21st century. According to the 2011 Australian census, 390,894 people of Indian origin lived in the country.

The 2013 New Zealand census recorded 155,178 people of Indian origin.

Previous Indian professional migrants were middle class, highly educated and settlers.

The migrants of the past decade or so have been younger, less educated, from the lower rungs of the Indian social ladder and often on temporary work or student visas. They are more often single, male and from district towns and villages. They also remain more closely connected to their families at home and in many cases go back after their studies or employment contracts finish.

The new migrants bring fresh challenges for the diaspora community.

It is now more diverse, not only culturally and economically, but also in its histories of migration.

In Auckland, for instance,

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According to the 2011 Australian census, 390,894 people of Indian origin lived in the country. The 2013 New Zealand census recorded 155,178 people of Indian origin. as recorded by Alison Booth, the majority of recent Indian migrants are young professionals and students from the Punjab and north India.

Their cultural preferences are different from those of earlier generations of settlers, who are more conservative in their social attitudes.

As a result, there are divergent views on what constitutes authentic Indian culture. This clash between “traditional” and “pop” cultures is reflected in debates over publicly funded events such as the city’s Diwali festival.

Such debates highlight the inner pluralism of the Indian diaspora and the need for multiculturalist policies in both Australia and New Zealand to avoid outdated assumptions of homogeneity. The Indian community in the two countries is big and broadranging — just like its story over the past 250 years.

Source: The Conversation, October 30 2018.

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New Australian Premier Cricket T20 tournament launched

By SAT News Desk

M

MELBOURNE, 1 November: Premier Cricket in Australia will have a new showcase event this summer, with the launch of the Fox Sports National Premier Twenty20 Championships.

Ten teams, with every State and Territory represented, will vie for the national title on March 5 and 6 at the Karen Rolton Oval precinct in Adelaide.

The competition is an extension of the Premier T20 competitions held in each State and Territory as part of their season.

The winners of all State and Territory Premier T20 competitions will feature in the national event - plus a second team from Victoria and New South Wales.

The championships will feature a Premier Men’s competition in the inaugural edition, with plans for a Premier Women’s competition to follow in year two.

NT Strike League

Champions City Cyclones are already locked in to participate, following their tournament triumph earlier

this year.

Created in collaboration with State and Territory Cricket Associations and

the Australian Cricketers’ Association, the new tournament will aim to put the spotlight on the country’s leading Premier Cricket clubs and players.

Cricket Australia Pathways Manager, Graham Manou, said: “Premier Cricket is a vital part of the Australian Cricket Pathway, and we are excited to be launching a new national event for Australia’s premier cricketers, the Fox Sports National Premier Twenty20 Championships,” Manou said.

“This event provides a platform to highlight the best of Premier Cricket across Australia, and is another opportunity to bridge the gap between Premier Cricket and State Cricket.

“It’s a chance to showcase the talent in Premier Cricket across Australia, and provide players the opportunity to display their skills on a national stage.

"Importantly, it is also a way to acknowledge the people who contribute

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so much to their Premier Cricket clubs off the field.

“We are committed to doing all we can to enhance and promote Premier Cricket in Australia, and see this new event as an important part of that.”

The tournament will see each team play two qualifying games on March 5, followed by semi-finals on the morning of March 6, and the Final commencing at 2.30pm on March 6.

The first of this summer’s State Premier T20 Competitions will commence this weekend, with the New South Wales tournament beginning on November 4.

All teams competing will be locked in by February 3, when the last State Final – in Western Australia – is played.

To follow all the action this summer from every State and Territory Premier T20 competition and the Fox Sports National Premier Twenty20 Championships, follow the tournament Facebook page or visit www. npt20.com.

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