Union brands huge hike in Nauru visa fees as ‘threat to press freedom’
Chris Warren
A near 4,000 per cent hike in the application fee for journalists wishing to visit the island of Nauru – from $200 to $8,000 – has been condemned by the journalism union and labelled an attempt to “deter” reporting on conditions in the Australian government’s offshore processing centre there.
News of the hike was revealed in The Global Mail, which reported the island state’s top visa officer as saying only “three or four” media visas had been granted in 2013, despite a number of reports on conditions at the processing centre appearing in Australian media over the year.
It is understood the fee for a three-month visa is non-refundable even if applications are not successful, with a spokesperson for the Nauran government telling the publication it was a “revenue raising” exercise.
Mum loves the idea. In fact, she was complaining to Uncle Tony the other day about all the pinko commie journalists at fairfax, Guardian and the ABC.
She’s a bit miffed that after spending the $200M in change she found wedged in the back seat of Ginias Rolls the commies are still not respecting her authority.
Anyhow Uncle Tony was saying how he thought the Nauru visa thing was a great idea and mum suggested we make all journo’s in Australia pay a nominal token amount for a “Journalist Licence”. She reckons about $15,000 a year.
Dad thought it was a spastic idea, but Uncle Tony said that Great Uncle Rupert’s thought it was a great idea so he just shut up. Dad does that when Great Uncle RUpert speaks. He is the most brilliant businessman and journalist in the world.
Dad says that the pinnacle of journalism is to work for Rupert and only the very best of Great Uncle Ruperts journalists get a feature on some show called “media watch”.
Anyhow, Dad has been on that show heaps. So he must be one of the sickest journalists in Australia. Maybe the world.
Hang on a minute. The Lefties bang on about developing countries being exploited by Big-Everything, then when one is savvy enough to see a great business opportunity, they get slammed by these latte-sipping elites. What hypocrisy!
Now some chronically virtuous activists want to stand in the way of Nauru – a country which can see a perfectly simple, smart way to earn much needed income, and take advantage of news organisations hell bent on making trouble where none exists.
Good on you Nauru. You should add another zero to that fee!
@mike. You are so right. Dad reckons EXACTLY the same thing. Something about the “breathtaking hypocrisy of the elites”. Elites appear to be all of those people who don’t drink Maxwells International Roast.
It’s a brilliant move, and will certainly turbocharge their economy. I forseee a massive asset bubble created in Nauru from the largesse of these journalists. But I do fear the hyper inflation that this wil cause. But a well managed Central Nauran Bank will of course mediate the risk.
But you are right. $8,000 is nothing. Lets make it $80,000.
You have visited Nauru for yourself and seen that there is “nothing to see”?
That way news is managed correctly. Because “managing” news always works well.
It only appears to be a threat to freedom of the press because it is. Relax.
$8,000 is a bit stiff, but given the boost to the Naruan economy from hosting refugees, they dont , obviously , want anybody to close down the centre. Of course the centre wouldn’t exist had it not been for Rudd/Gillard, and the very journalists who ran an agenda to open Australia’s borders to an invasion.