Senior public servant allegedly promoted sister's fiance, forged signature
The NACC alleged the public servant abused her office by promoting her sister's fiance as a candidate for a position in Home Affairs, praising him to colleagues, creating the job requisition, approving it herself and forging a witness signature to fast-track onboarding.
The investigation alleged the official did this 'while deliberately concealing the family relationship', and at no point did she disclose the relationship. In a separate incident, the official allegedly provided job interview questions to her sister in advance.
The NACC recommended the official's employment be terminated, but she had already resigned. The finding, published on Monday, is the first publicly completed investigation by the NACC since its formation in June 2023.
The commission said the conduct was found to be serious because of the public official's seniority and systemic because the behaviours were repeated.
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NACC commissioner Paul Brereton said the agency had received many referrals about recruitment and promotion in the public service.
'In the 2024 Commonwealth Integrity Survey, public sector employees told us that nepotism and cronyism are among the most frequently observed corrupt behaviours,' he said.
'[This case] illustrates systemic risks in APS recruitment. It reinforces the need for strong corruption prevention measures – including mandatory conflict of interest disclosures in all recruitment processes, and prevention of improper disclosures of official information.'
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The Advertiser
3 days ago
- The Advertiser
Zelenskiy back-pedals on Ukraine anti-graft agencies
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reversed course on a bill affecting the independence of the country's anti-corruption agencies in an effort to defuse a public outcry. Earlier this week he approved a controversial law that was seen as undermining the agencies' autonomy - sparking Ukraine's first major protests since the beginning of the war with Russia, and sharp criticism from the European Union. Zelenskiy said parliament would review a new bill, which "guarantees real strengthening of Ukraine's law enforcement system, the independence of anti-corruption bodies, and reliable protection of the legal system from any Russian interference." Ukraine's two main anti-graft agencies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office — quickly welcomed Zelenskiy's new proposal, saying it restores all their procedural powers and guarantees their independence. The agencies said they helped draft the new bill, and urged lawmakers to adopt it "as soon as possible" to prevent threats to ongoing criminal cases. Critics said the law approved by Zelenskiy earlier this week stripped Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies of their independence by granting the government more oversight of their work. The president initially argued the law was needed to speed up investigations, ensure more convictions and remove Russian meddling. After Thursday's U-turn, Zelenskiy said the new bill reverses the earlier changes and also introduced additional measures aimed at "combating Russian influence," including mandatory polygraph tests for law enforcement officers. "The text is balanced," Zelenskiy said. "The most important thing is real tools, no Russian ties and the independence" of the anti-graft agencies. The controversy surrounding the initial bill threatened to undermine public trust in Ukraine's leadership after more than three years of fighting Russia's full-scale invasion. "It is important that we maintain unity," Zelenskiy said in his post. Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid in the war. It is also an effort that enjoys broad public support. The unrest has come at a difficult time in the all-out war. Russia's bigger army is accelerating its efforts to pierce Ukraine's front-line defences and is escalating its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for a third round of talks in as many months on Wednesday. But once again, the talks were brief and delivered no major breakthrough. On Thursday, two women, were killed and 14 other people were injured when Russian forces dropped four powerful glide bombs on Kostiantynivka, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine, and shelled it with artillery, regional officials said. Russian planes also dropped two glide bombs on the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Thursday morning. At least 42 people were wounded, including two babies, a 10-year-old girl and two 17 year olds, authorities said. The southern city of Odesa, and Cherkasy in central Ukraine, were also hit overnight. The drone and missile strikes on the cities wounded 11 people, including a 9-year-old, and damaged historic landmarks and residential buildings. Ukraine has sought to step up its own long-range drone attacks on Russia, using domestic technology and manufacturing. An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi killed two women and wounded 11 other people, local authorities said on Thursday. An oil depot was also hit, officials said, without offering details. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reversed course on a bill affecting the independence of the country's anti-corruption agencies in an effort to defuse a public outcry. Earlier this week he approved a controversial law that was seen as undermining the agencies' autonomy - sparking Ukraine's first major protests since the beginning of the war with Russia, and sharp criticism from the European Union. Zelenskiy said parliament would review a new bill, which "guarantees real strengthening of Ukraine's law enforcement system, the independence of anti-corruption bodies, and reliable protection of the legal system from any Russian interference." Ukraine's two main anti-graft agencies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office — quickly welcomed Zelenskiy's new proposal, saying it restores all their procedural powers and guarantees their independence. The agencies said they helped draft the new bill, and urged lawmakers to adopt it "as soon as possible" to prevent threats to ongoing criminal cases. Critics said the law approved by Zelenskiy earlier this week stripped Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies of their independence by granting the government more oversight of their work. The president initially argued the law was needed to speed up investigations, ensure more convictions and remove Russian meddling. After Thursday's U-turn, Zelenskiy said the new bill reverses the earlier changes and also introduced additional measures aimed at "combating Russian influence," including mandatory polygraph tests for law enforcement officers. "The text is balanced," Zelenskiy said. "The most important thing is real tools, no Russian ties and the independence" of the anti-graft agencies. The controversy surrounding the initial bill threatened to undermine public trust in Ukraine's leadership after more than three years of fighting Russia's full-scale invasion. "It is important that we maintain unity," Zelenskiy said in his post. Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid in the war. It is also an effort that enjoys broad public support. The unrest has come at a difficult time in the all-out war. Russia's bigger army is accelerating its efforts to pierce Ukraine's front-line defences and is escalating its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for a third round of talks in as many months on Wednesday. But once again, the talks were brief and delivered no major breakthrough. On Thursday, two women, were killed and 14 other people were injured when Russian forces dropped four powerful glide bombs on Kostiantynivka, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine, and shelled it with artillery, regional officials said. Russian planes also dropped two glide bombs on the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Thursday morning. At least 42 people were wounded, including two babies, a 10-year-old girl and two 17 year olds, authorities said. The southern city of Odesa, and Cherkasy in central Ukraine, were also hit overnight. The drone and missile strikes on the cities wounded 11 people, including a 9-year-old, and damaged historic landmarks and residential buildings. Ukraine has sought to step up its own long-range drone attacks on Russia, using domestic technology and manufacturing. An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi killed two women and wounded 11 other people, local authorities said on Thursday. An oil depot was also hit, officials said, without offering details. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reversed course on a bill affecting the independence of the country's anti-corruption agencies in an effort to defuse a public outcry. Earlier this week he approved a controversial law that was seen as undermining the agencies' autonomy - sparking Ukraine's first major protests since the beginning of the war with Russia, and sharp criticism from the European Union. Zelenskiy said parliament would review a new bill, which "guarantees real strengthening of Ukraine's law enforcement system, the independence of anti-corruption bodies, and reliable protection of the legal system from any Russian interference." Ukraine's two main anti-graft agencies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office — quickly welcomed Zelenskiy's new proposal, saying it restores all their procedural powers and guarantees their independence. The agencies said they helped draft the new bill, and urged lawmakers to adopt it "as soon as possible" to prevent threats to ongoing criminal cases. Critics said the law approved by Zelenskiy earlier this week stripped Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies of their independence by granting the government more oversight of their work. The president initially argued the law was needed to speed up investigations, ensure more convictions and remove Russian meddling. After Thursday's U-turn, Zelenskiy said the new bill reverses the earlier changes and also introduced additional measures aimed at "combating Russian influence," including mandatory polygraph tests for law enforcement officers. "The text is balanced," Zelenskiy said. "The most important thing is real tools, no Russian ties and the independence" of the anti-graft agencies. The controversy surrounding the initial bill threatened to undermine public trust in Ukraine's leadership after more than three years of fighting Russia's full-scale invasion. "It is important that we maintain unity," Zelenskiy said in his post. Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid in the war. It is also an effort that enjoys broad public support. The unrest has come at a difficult time in the all-out war. Russia's bigger army is accelerating its efforts to pierce Ukraine's front-line defences and is escalating its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for a third round of talks in as many months on Wednesday. But once again, the talks were brief and delivered no major breakthrough. On Thursday, two women, were killed and 14 other people were injured when Russian forces dropped four powerful glide bombs on Kostiantynivka, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine, and shelled it with artillery, regional officials said. Russian planes also dropped two glide bombs on the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Thursday morning. At least 42 people were wounded, including two babies, a 10-year-old girl and two 17 year olds, authorities said. The southern city of Odesa, and Cherkasy in central Ukraine, were also hit overnight. The drone and missile strikes on the cities wounded 11 people, including a 9-year-old, and damaged historic landmarks and residential buildings. Ukraine has sought to step up its own long-range drone attacks on Russia, using domestic technology and manufacturing. An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi killed two women and wounded 11 other people, local authorities said on Thursday. An oil depot was also hit, officials said, without offering details. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reversed course on a bill affecting the independence of the country's anti-corruption agencies in an effort to defuse a public outcry. Earlier this week he approved a controversial law that was seen as undermining the agencies' autonomy - sparking Ukraine's first major protests since the beginning of the war with Russia, and sharp criticism from the European Union. Zelenskiy said parliament would review a new bill, which "guarantees real strengthening of Ukraine's law enforcement system, the independence of anti-corruption bodies, and reliable protection of the legal system from any Russian interference." Ukraine's two main anti-graft agencies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office — quickly welcomed Zelenskiy's new proposal, saying it restores all their procedural powers and guarantees their independence. The agencies said they helped draft the new bill, and urged lawmakers to adopt it "as soon as possible" to prevent threats to ongoing criminal cases. Critics said the law approved by Zelenskiy earlier this week stripped Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies of their independence by granting the government more oversight of their work. The president initially argued the law was needed to speed up investigations, ensure more convictions and remove Russian meddling. After Thursday's U-turn, Zelenskiy said the new bill reverses the earlier changes and also introduced additional measures aimed at "combating Russian influence," including mandatory polygraph tests for law enforcement officers. "The text is balanced," Zelenskiy said. "The most important thing is real tools, no Russian ties and the independence" of the anti-graft agencies. The controversy surrounding the initial bill threatened to undermine public trust in Ukraine's leadership after more than three years of fighting Russia's full-scale invasion. "It is important that we maintain unity," Zelenskiy said in his post. Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid in the war. It is also an effort that enjoys broad public support. The unrest has come at a difficult time in the all-out war. Russia's bigger army is accelerating its efforts to pierce Ukraine's front-line defences and is escalating its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for a third round of talks in as many months on Wednesday. But once again, the talks were brief and delivered no major breakthrough. On Thursday, two women, were killed and 14 other people were injured when Russian forces dropped four powerful glide bombs on Kostiantynivka, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine, and shelled it with artillery, regional officials said. Russian planes also dropped two glide bombs on the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Thursday morning. At least 42 people were wounded, including two babies, a 10-year-old girl and two 17 year olds, authorities said. The southern city of Odesa, and Cherkasy in central Ukraine, were also hit overnight. The drone and missile strikes on the cities wounded 11 people, including a 9-year-old, and damaged historic landmarks and residential buildings. Ukraine has sought to step up its own long-range drone attacks on Russia, using domestic technology and manufacturing. An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi killed two women and wounded 11 other people, local authorities said on Thursday. An oil depot was also hit, officials said, without offering details.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Zelenskiy back-pedals on Ukraine anti-graft agencies
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reversed course on a bill affecting the independence of the country's anti-corruption agencies in an effort to defuse a public outcry. Earlier this week he approved a controversial law that was seen as undermining the agencies' autonomy - sparking Ukraine's first major protests since the beginning of the war with Russia, and sharp criticism from the European Union. Zelenskiy said parliament would review a new bill, which "guarantees real strengthening of Ukraine's law enforcement system, the independence of anti-corruption bodies, and reliable protection of the legal system from any Russian interference." Ukraine's two main anti-graft agencies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office — quickly welcomed Zelenskiy's new proposal, saying it restores all their procedural powers and guarantees their independence. The agencies said they helped draft the new bill, and urged lawmakers to adopt it "as soon as possible" to prevent threats to ongoing criminal cases. Critics said the law approved by Zelenskiy earlier this week stripped Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies of their independence by granting the government more oversight of their work. The president initially argued the law was needed to speed up investigations, ensure more convictions and remove Russian meddling. After Thursday's U-turn, Zelenskiy said the new bill reverses the earlier changes and also introduced additional measures aimed at "combating Russian influence," including mandatory polygraph tests for law enforcement officers. "The text is balanced," Zelenskiy said. "The most important thing is real tools, no Russian ties and the independence" of the anti-graft agencies. The controversy surrounding the initial bill threatened to undermine public trust in Ukraine's leadership after more than three years of fighting Russia's full-scale invasion. "It is important that we maintain unity," Zelenskiy said in his post. Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid in the war. It is also an effort that enjoys broad public support. The unrest has come at a difficult time in the all-out war. Russia's bigger army is accelerating its efforts to pierce Ukraine's front-line defences and is escalating its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for a third round of talks in as many months on Wednesday. But once again, the talks were brief and delivered no major breakthrough. On Thursday, two women, were killed and 14 other people were injured when Russian forces dropped four powerful glide bombs on Kostiantynivka, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine, and shelled it with artillery, regional officials said. Russian planes also dropped two glide bombs on the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Thursday morning. At least 42 people were wounded, including two babies, a 10-year-old girl and two 17 year olds, authorities said. The southern city of Odesa, and Cherkasy in central Ukraine, were also hit overnight. The drone and missile strikes on the cities wounded 11 people, including a 9-year-old, and damaged historic landmarks and residential buildings. Ukraine has sought to step up its own long-range drone attacks on Russia, using domestic technology and manufacturing. An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi killed two women and wounded 11 other people, local authorities said on Thursday. An oil depot was also hit, officials said, without offering details.
The Advertiser
19-07-2025
- The Advertiser
'Golden ticket' visa for the rich fails to pay its way
A special Australian visa for foreign investors who stumped up millions of dollars was scrapped because they paid less tax and added little economic benefit. Right of entry, including for one investor who intended sinking at least $2.5 million and another who had twice that amount to spend, was discarded because the applicants were "more fiscally costly and contribute less to the economy than other skilled visas", according to previously classified documents. Debate about the visa class was renewed before the federal election in May after video surfaced of then-opposition leader Peter Dutton being asked about the initiative at a fundraiser and saying, "I think we'll bring it back". Labor attacked him over plans to reinstate the visa, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke branding it a "cash for visa" scheme. The Business Innovation and Investment Program provides a pathway for entrepreneurs and investors to get permanent residence in Australia through several subclass visas. There are four main streams of the subclass 188 visa as part of the program. These include a significant investor stream for people planning to invest at least $5 million, an investor stream for people who can invest at least $2.5 million and an innovation stream for business owners with an annual turnover of at least $750,000 and $1.25 million in assets. Home Affairs Department documents obtained under freedom of information laws previously protected under legislative secrecy reveal those on innovation and investment program visas paid less tax than other skilled migrants. Despite the investment threshold, the average Business Innovation and Investment Program visa holder had a taxable income of just $25,000 compared to skilled migrants' $64,000, Grattan Institute analysis cited by the department determined. A government review of the program found in 2019/20, "even after considering investment income, BIIP investors and significant investors still earned less income and paid less tax than other skilled visa holders". "This level of income is less than expected given the level of investment required." The Home Affairs Department noted Australia didn't have a problem attracting foreign capital and determined the visas were unlikely to generate significant levels of additional investment. There was $5.385 billion in investment associated with more than 1000 significant investor grants from primary applications of the visa class between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2022. But this was a drop in the ocean of Australia's total foreign investment pool of more than $20 trillion. Mr Burke scrapped the program on July 31, 2024 - just days after being sworn in as home affairs and immigration minister. But 15,000 primary and secondary applications remained in the backlog as of February 9, 2025, despite more than 3000 people having withdrawn their applications after refund provisions were introduced in September 2024. Only 23 withdrawals were from the significant investor stream and 40 from their dependents, meaning the significant investor and investor subclasses accounted for more than 3700 of the total applications. Mr Burke issued a directive in February 2025 to intentionally throttle processing of the two investor visas by downgrading their priority in the line, behind the entrepreneur and business innovation streams. The department said it was considering other options to manage the significant investor, including using laws to delay processing and removing the pathway to permanent residency. But Mr Burke was warned sidelining the investor streams risked irking state and territory governments that weren't happy the visa had been scrapped because it would risk investment in key projects. The opposition hasn't ruled out bringing back an investment visa in some form as it reviews its immigration policies after its election defeat. A special Australian visa for foreign investors who stumped up millions of dollars was scrapped because they paid less tax and added little economic benefit. Right of entry, including for one investor who intended sinking at least $2.5 million and another who had twice that amount to spend, was discarded because the applicants were "more fiscally costly and contribute less to the economy than other skilled visas", according to previously classified documents. Debate about the visa class was renewed before the federal election in May after video surfaced of then-opposition leader Peter Dutton being asked about the initiative at a fundraiser and saying, "I think we'll bring it back". Labor attacked him over plans to reinstate the visa, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke branding it a "cash for visa" scheme. The Business Innovation and Investment Program provides a pathway for entrepreneurs and investors to get permanent residence in Australia through several subclass visas. There are four main streams of the subclass 188 visa as part of the program. These include a significant investor stream for people planning to invest at least $5 million, an investor stream for people who can invest at least $2.5 million and an innovation stream for business owners with an annual turnover of at least $750,000 and $1.25 million in assets. Home Affairs Department documents obtained under freedom of information laws previously protected under legislative secrecy reveal those on innovation and investment program visas paid less tax than other skilled migrants. Despite the investment threshold, the average Business Innovation and Investment Program visa holder had a taxable income of just $25,000 compared to skilled migrants' $64,000, Grattan Institute analysis cited by the department determined. A government review of the program found in 2019/20, "even after considering investment income, BIIP investors and significant investors still earned less income and paid less tax than other skilled visa holders". "This level of income is less than expected given the level of investment required." The Home Affairs Department noted Australia didn't have a problem attracting foreign capital and determined the visas were unlikely to generate significant levels of additional investment. There was $5.385 billion in investment associated with more than 1000 significant investor grants from primary applications of the visa class between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2022. But this was a drop in the ocean of Australia's total foreign investment pool of more than $20 trillion. Mr Burke scrapped the program on July 31, 2024 - just days after being sworn in as home affairs and immigration minister. But 15,000 primary and secondary applications remained in the backlog as of February 9, 2025, despite more than 3000 people having withdrawn their applications after refund provisions were introduced in September 2024. Only 23 withdrawals were from the significant investor stream and 40 from their dependents, meaning the significant investor and investor subclasses accounted for more than 3700 of the total applications. Mr Burke issued a directive in February 2025 to intentionally throttle processing of the two investor visas by downgrading their priority in the line, behind the entrepreneur and business innovation streams. The department said it was considering other options to manage the significant investor, including using laws to delay processing and removing the pathway to permanent residency. But Mr Burke was warned sidelining the investor streams risked irking state and territory governments that weren't happy the visa had been scrapped because it would risk investment in key projects. The opposition hasn't ruled out bringing back an investment visa in some form as it reviews its immigration policies after its election defeat. A special Australian visa for foreign investors who stumped up millions of dollars was scrapped because they paid less tax and added little economic benefit. Right of entry, including for one investor who intended sinking at least $2.5 million and another who had twice that amount to spend, was discarded because the applicants were "more fiscally costly and contribute less to the economy than other skilled visas", according to previously classified documents. Debate about the visa class was renewed before the federal election in May after video surfaced of then-opposition leader Peter Dutton being asked about the initiative at a fundraiser and saying, "I think we'll bring it back". Labor attacked him over plans to reinstate the visa, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke branding it a "cash for visa" scheme. The Business Innovation and Investment Program provides a pathway for entrepreneurs and investors to get permanent residence in Australia through several subclass visas. There are four main streams of the subclass 188 visa as part of the program. These include a significant investor stream for people planning to invest at least $5 million, an investor stream for people who can invest at least $2.5 million and an innovation stream for business owners with an annual turnover of at least $750,000 and $1.25 million in assets. Home Affairs Department documents obtained under freedom of information laws previously protected under legislative secrecy reveal those on innovation and investment program visas paid less tax than other skilled migrants. Despite the investment threshold, the average Business Innovation and Investment Program visa holder had a taxable income of just $25,000 compared to skilled migrants' $64,000, Grattan Institute analysis cited by the department determined. A government review of the program found in 2019/20, "even after considering investment income, BIIP investors and significant investors still earned less income and paid less tax than other skilled visa holders". "This level of income is less than expected given the level of investment required." The Home Affairs Department noted Australia didn't have a problem attracting foreign capital and determined the visas were unlikely to generate significant levels of additional investment. There was $5.385 billion in investment associated with more than 1000 significant investor grants from primary applications of the visa class between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2022. But this was a drop in the ocean of Australia's total foreign investment pool of more than $20 trillion. Mr Burke scrapped the program on July 31, 2024 - just days after being sworn in as home affairs and immigration minister. But 15,000 primary and secondary applications remained in the backlog as of February 9, 2025, despite more than 3000 people having withdrawn their applications after refund provisions were introduced in September 2024. Only 23 withdrawals were from the significant investor stream and 40 from their dependents, meaning the significant investor and investor subclasses accounted for more than 3700 of the total applications. Mr Burke issued a directive in February 2025 to intentionally throttle processing of the two investor visas by downgrading their priority in the line, behind the entrepreneur and business innovation streams. The department said it was considering other options to manage the significant investor, including using laws to delay processing and removing the pathway to permanent residency. But Mr Burke was warned sidelining the investor streams risked irking state and territory governments that weren't happy the visa had been scrapped because it would risk investment in key projects. The opposition hasn't ruled out bringing back an investment visa in some form as it reviews its immigration policies after its election defeat. A special Australian visa for foreign investors who stumped up millions of dollars was scrapped because they paid less tax and added little economic benefit. Right of entry, including for one investor who intended sinking at least $2.5 million and another who had twice that amount to spend, was discarded because the applicants were "more fiscally costly and contribute less to the economy than other skilled visas", according to previously classified documents. Debate about the visa class was renewed before the federal election in May after video surfaced of then-opposition leader Peter Dutton being asked about the initiative at a fundraiser and saying, "I think we'll bring it back". Labor attacked him over plans to reinstate the visa, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke branding it a "cash for visa" scheme. The Business Innovation and Investment Program provides a pathway for entrepreneurs and investors to get permanent residence in Australia through several subclass visas. There are four main streams of the subclass 188 visa as part of the program. These include a significant investor stream for people planning to invest at least $5 million, an investor stream for people who can invest at least $2.5 million and an innovation stream for business owners with an annual turnover of at least $750,000 and $1.25 million in assets. Home Affairs Department documents obtained under freedom of information laws previously protected under legislative secrecy reveal those on innovation and investment program visas paid less tax than other skilled migrants. Despite the investment threshold, the average Business Innovation and Investment Program visa holder had a taxable income of just $25,000 compared to skilled migrants' $64,000, Grattan Institute analysis cited by the department determined. A government review of the program found in 2019/20, "even after considering investment income, BIIP investors and significant investors still earned less income and paid less tax than other skilled visa holders". "This level of income is less than expected given the level of investment required." The Home Affairs Department noted Australia didn't have a problem attracting foreign capital and determined the visas were unlikely to generate significant levels of additional investment. There was $5.385 billion in investment associated with more than 1000 significant investor grants from primary applications of the visa class between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2022. But this was a drop in the ocean of Australia's total foreign investment pool of more than $20 trillion. Mr Burke scrapped the program on July 31, 2024 - just days after being sworn in as home affairs and immigration minister. But 15,000 primary and secondary applications remained in the backlog as of February 9, 2025, despite more than 3000 people having withdrawn their applications after refund provisions were introduced in September 2024. Only 23 withdrawals were from the significant investor stream and 40 from their dependents, meaning the significant investor and investor subclasses accounted for more than 3700 of the total applications. Mr Burke issued a directive in February 2025 to intentionally throttle processing of the two investor visas by downgrading their priority in the line, behind the entrepreneur and business innovation streams. The department said it was considering other options to manage the significant investor, including using laws to delay processing and removing the pathway to permanent residency. But Mr Burke was warned sidelining the investor streams risked irking state and territory governments that weren't happy the visa had been scrapped because it would risk investment in key projects. The opposition hasn't ruled out bringing back an investment visa in some form as it reviews its immigration policies after its election defeat.
