Samoans working in the RSE scheme in New Zealand earn more money than fellow citizens on a similar scheme in Australia according to a report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The report “Seasonal worker schemes in the Pacific through the lens of international human rights and labour standards” also reveals that other Pacific islanders on the New Zealand RSE scheme earn less money than Samoans doing the same work.
Samoans in New Zealand earned the highest money at $AUD1,093 per week with the Fijians raking in the lowest rate of Pacific Island workers at $AUD736 per week.
The tables are turned in Australia though with Fijians earning the highest at $AUD1,138 per week and Vanuatu workers are paid the lowest at $AUD834 per week said the report.
Overall, the report said that workers in Australia average $2,580 tālā per week compared to $2,260 tālā a week in New Zealand.
Some employers continue to pay their returning workers the minimum wage, despite the workers having increased skills and several years of experience, according to the report.
Samoan RSE workers heading to Australia Photo: Supplied / Tipi Autagavaia
According to the data collected for the report there were considerable variations in income between countries of origin and among individual cases which have also been identified in other studies.
There were also concerns about employment conditions which relate to the complexity and lack of transparency around how piece rates are calculated and the employers that do not conform to rates that change throughout the seasons.
By Christine Rovoi, RNZ Pacific Journalist of RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.
Fiji’s government has warned of a rise in diseases with the potential to prove deadlier than Tropical Cyclone Cody which hit the country on Monday.
The storm left one man dead and led to widespread flooding and thousands of people fleeing their homes.
Soldiers help clean up in the capital Suva. Photo: Supplied/Fiji govt
The clean-up is underway as the government assesses the full extent of the damage caused by Cody.
Fiji’s Minister for Disaster Management Inia Seruiratu said while Covid-19 continues to grip the country, there’s a need to stay alert of other deadly illnesses.
He said the government will launch a ‘LTDD’ campaign across the country to combat leptospirosis, typhoid, dengue and diarrhoea.
“The outbreak of communicable diseases are common in the aftermath of disasters such as cyclones and floods.
“To help prevent any major outbreak of contagious diseases, the ministry and health officials intend to raise awareness and educate the affected population.”
Following Cyclone Ana in January 2021, Fiji’s Health Ministry reported hundreds of cases of LTDD diseases across the country.
In December 2020, Cyclone Yasa had hit the country and before that was Tropical Cyclone Harold in April, 2020 – a month after Fiji recorded its first case of Covid-19.
People are helped to get to safety by local police Photo: Fiji NDMO
Fiji’s Ministry of Health recorded over 5400 cases of Leptospirosis, Typhoid, Dengue and Diarrhoea following Cyclones Yasa and Ana.
Minister for Health, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete, said there were 1747 dengue fever cases with five deaths after Yasa and Ana.
He said there were also 99 cases of typhoid with one death.
Waqainabete said natural disasters increased the intensity of the diseases and highlighted there were 3019 cases of diarrhoeal disease following cyclones Yasa and Ana.
Leptospirosis is a blood infection disease caused by the bacteria Leptospira.
The signs and symptoms of the disease can range from none or mild – headaches, muscle pains, and fevers – to severe bleeding in the lungs or meningitis.
During a media conference in Suva on Monday, Inia Seruiratu said his ministry is positioning itself to combat the spread of such diseases.
Soldiers clear rubbish during the LTDD campaign. Photo: Supplied/Fiji govt
He emphasised the need to retain control of the diseases as the Health Ministry prepared for the Covid-19 booster vaccination rollout this year.
He said the ministry would send teams around the country to educate people on reducing their risk of getting leptospirosis and to seek treatment early.
The recent floods in the country have escalated the surge in these communicable diseases, Seruiratu said.
Since the first case of Covid-19 was reported on 19 March 2020, Fiji has had 57,849 coronavirus cases, with 51,629 recoveries and 714 deaths.
The Health Ministry has conducted 482,077 coronavirus tests since March 2020 with 521 carried out in the latest update on 10 January 2022.
The public is urged to do their part to eliminate LTDD diseases.
“We need to clean up our homes, clean up our compounds, clean up areas in our community that are possible breeding grounds for vectors, for pests and therefore for diseases,” the ministry said.
.. Photo: Facebook / NDMO
Leptospirosis could be caught when people did not cover and protect cuts or wounds on their hands and feet.
“Make sure you have good footwear, wear gumboots, wear gloves to avoid getting leptospirosis.”
Typhoid and diarrhoea were, for the most part, food and water-borne, the ministry said.
“Ensure that all food is well cooked and are covered. People living in areas that suffered during the cyclone should boil all drinking water.
“Diarrhoea occurs when people eat food that is not cleaned properly and becomes contaminated. If you’re suspicious about the food, it’s best not to consume it and dispose of it.”
When it came to dengue, the ministry said mosquitoes were the main problem.
“Dengue is caused by mosquitoes that live near and inside the homes.
Waivou Village in Rewa Province, Fiji was flooded for a week during floods in December 2016. A Fiji Red Cross team is seen here helping to assess the village’s needs. Photo: Fiji Red Cross
“Tin cans and containers lying around the house should be cleared as when water is collected in these receptacles, they become breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” the Health Ministry said.
Meanwhile, the Fiji Red Cross Society is urging residents not to wade in floodwaters and to wear protective equipment when cleaning their compounds or fetching livestock.
The society’s Disaster Management Coordinator, Maciu Nokelevu, said their findings in recent years had shown that cases of water-borne and communicable diseases were found following a cyclone.
He called on Fijians in affected areas to boil drinking water.
“The people of Fiji need to wear protective equipment like gumboots when walking in muddy areas because of the risk of Leptospirosis, water-borne diseases and dengue,” Nokelevu said.
He said more than 20 volunteers are assisting families in flood-affected areas with rehabilitation and this included moving them safely to their respective homes.
The distribution of relief supplies will be carried out over the next few days, Nokelevu said.
An 18-year-old New Mexico mother who was caught on video throwing her newborn child into a dumpster told police she did not know she was pregnant until the day before she delivered her baby in a bathroom.
Alexis Avila allegedly admitted to putting the baby in the dumpster.
Alexis Avila was arrested and charged with attempted murder and child abuse after her infant son was found clinging to life on Friday night in 30-degree weather, nearly six hours after being tossed in the trash.
Avila was released from jail after posting $10,000 unsecured bond less than two hours after her arrest. She will be arraigned at a later time at Lea County District Court.
August Fons, the acting chief of Hobbs police department, said he had never before come across a case like this.
‘If you are struggling with a new infant, the best response is to find somebody who can help you with that,’ he said.
‘Contact us, and let us help you through the situation.’
Surveillance video showed a woman arriving in a white Volkswagen Jetta before opening the back door and tossing a black trash bag into a dumpster in Hobbs, New Mexico, at around 2pm on January 7.
Six hours later, footage showed three people looking through the dumpster before one of them found the infant inside. Incredibly, the newborn was alive, with the umbilical cord still attached.
Fons said their quick action was ‘absolutely pivotal’ in saving the baby boy’s life.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by KRQE on Monday, Avila confessed to throwing away her child. The 18-year-old mother told police she did not know she was pregnant until she went to a doctor for a stomach pain on Thursday.
The following day, she delivered her son in a bathroom at her parents’ home.
Avila said she had broken up with the baby’s alleged father back in August 2021.
After giving birth, Avila said she ‘panicked.’
She wrapped her son in a towel, placed him in a white plastic bag containing some trash, and a larger black trash bag, and drove around, before throwing the child in the dumpster at the Broadmoor Shopping Center at around 2pm.
New Mexico has a Safe Haven law, which allows a person to leave an infant not more than 90 days old with the staff of a hospital without fear of criminal prosecution.
It was not until nearly 8pm that evening that a group of dumpster divers, named by police as Michael Green, Hector Jesso and April Meadow rescued the infant after hearing his cries.
They told police they initially thought it was a kitten or a dog.
Meadow kept the baby warm by holding him in her arms until help arrived.
Avila’s son was taken to a hospital in Hobbs before being transferred to another hospital in Lubbock, Texas, which has a more advanced NICU unit.
When doctors assessed the baby, they found that his body temperate was so low that it did not register, indicating hypothermia. The newborn has since been given a blood transfusion, and put on a feeding tube and oxygen.
Police said the baby was in a stable condition at the hospital on Monday.
During her interview with the police, Avila was quoted as referring to her child as ‘it.’
Avila’s mother, Martha Avila, told investigators she was not aware of her daughter’s pregnancy.
Police later executed a search warrant at the family’s home and seized physical evidence, including bloody clothing.
Joe Imbriale, the owner of Rig Outfitters and Home Store, where the security camera footage was captured, said he was asked by police to review video on Friday night.
He told KOB: ‘Something wasn’t right, I saw the officers’ faces, and they did not look right.
‘I said ‘What is it we are looking for?’ and she goes ‘We’re looking for somebody who dumped a black garbage bag in your dumpster.’ I turned around, I said ‘please don’t tell me it was a baby’.’
Imbriale told KRQE that the video recording included five hours of footage showing unsuspecting people ‘dumping trash on this baby.’
The footage shows Avila driving into the parking lot in a white sedan and throwing a black garbage bag – containing her newborn – in it, before driving off and abandoning the child.
More footage shows the moment the child was rescued after people apparently heard the newborn’s cries.
Meadows pulled out a trash bag and reacted to what was inside.
By Lydia Lewis of RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.
Tonga’s Parliament has been opened by the King Tupou VI.
The King addressed the newly elected parliament, via livestream, with a brief speech from his residence on ‘Eua Island, an hour south of Tongatapu.
Members of Parliament and invited guests gathered at the parliamentary chambers to receive the opening address.
The king congratulated the incoming Prime Minister, Siaosi Sovaleni, as well as all Parliamentarians on the successful completion, and peaceful transition of power leading to the opening of Parliament this year.
Tonga’s Parliament opened by King Tupou VI Photo: Tonga parliament
Tonga MPs wait for the King to open parliament Photo: Tonga parliament
In his speech he said Covid-19 is still a serious and immediate risk to all citizens just as illegal drugs are still an ongoing risk to the population but especially to Tonga’s children.
“Our population must be both healthy and educated for the country to advance towards our development goals,” he said.
“The challenge for the duration of this next election period is clear. How are we to answer those challenges should be formulated and led by this government, but they must be discussed and accountable in how they are implemented here in Parliament,” King Tupou VI said.
First parliamentary session
The clerk of Tonga’s Parliament Gloria Pole’o said the first parliamentary session will be on Thursday.
“At this meeting the newly elected members will take their respective oaths of office as Members of Parliament and as ministers of the Cabinet and these oaths will be taken in the presence of the Assembly,” she said.
Gloria Pole’o said Thursday’s meeting will include the election of the chairman of the House Committee.
The reply to the Speech from the Throne is also expected to be tabled at Thursday’s meeting and needs to be approved by the House before it is submitted to the King.
Last month, King Tupou presented Siaosi Sovaleni with a Royal Warrant of Appointment in Nuku’alofa.
Mr Sovaleni was elected as Designate Prime Minister by 16 members of the 26 Members of Parliament in a secret ballot earlier this month.
He will hold the office of prime minister for four years.
Five people have died from Covid-19 in Fiji as health authorities battle a third wave of the coronavirus amid a cyclone that’s bearing down on the nation.
1,280 new cases of Covid-19 were reported last weekend, taking the total number of active cases to 4,429.
Health Secretary James Fong also confirmed the death toll is now 709.
Permanent Secretary of Health, James Fong Photo: Fiji Govt
Dr Fong said the five victims all died at home including a 27 year-old man.
Out of the 1,280 new cases, Dr Fong said 348 of them were recorded on 6 January, 320 on 7 January and 612 new cases in the last 24 hours ending at 8am on 5 January.
“Of the 1,280 cases recorded since the last update, 619 cases were recorded in the Central Division; 535 in the Western Division, 114 in the Northern Division and 12 cases in the Eastern Division,” Dr Fong said.
“Overall, there have been 57,187 cases recorded, with 69 percent of the cases from the Central Division, 27 percent from the West, 1 percent from the East and 3 percent from the Northern Division.
“Our national 7- day rolling average is 349 daily cases calculated for 4th January 2022.”
Dr Fong said an 89-year-old woman from Taveuni in the north of the country died on 4 January and had pre-existing medical conditions. She was not vaccinated.
He said a 55-year-old man from Nausori also died on 4 January and had a pre-existing medical condition. He was fully vaccinated.
“A 61-year-old female from Caubati in Nasinu who died on 06/01/22) had multiple pre-existing medical conditions that contributed to her death. She was not vaccinated.
“An 83-year-old female from Suva died on 07/01/2022 and was fully vaccinated.
“The fifth Covid-19 death to report is of a 27-year-old male from Nausori who died on 07/01/2022. He had a significant predisposing medical condition that was assessed by the attending doctors to have contributed to his death. He was fully vaccinated.”
Flood waters in Sigatoka Village closes roads. Photo: Twitter / Fiji Roads Authority
Dr Fong said there were 636 other Covid-19 patients who had died from serious medical conditions they had before they contracted the virus. “These are not classified as Covid deaths.”
There have been 772 tests reported for 7 January, Dr Fong said, with the average daily test of 855 per day or 1.0 test per 1,000 population.
He said the national seven-day average daily test positivity is 41.4 percent.
“The high positivity rate is an indication of widespread community transmission and that the cases reported are a significant underestimate of actual numbers.
“As we continue to record new cases of Covid-19 throughout the country, the public is reminded of the need to maintain public health and social measures that are helping in suppressing the transmission of the virus in our communities so that hospitalization numbers remain low.”
There are 162 Covid-19 patients in hospital in serious condition, Dr Fong said.
“When a large number of people get infected within a shorter period of time, even a smaller percentage of people becoming severely ill may still mean a large number requiring hospitalization, which will put pressure on our health system.
“The public is also reminded that for now, we are prioritizing our testing to individuals at higher risk of severe disease to ensure that they are assessed early, referred to an appropriate health care facility, and managed promptly if their symptoms deteriorate.”
Fiji has had 57,187 Covid-19 cases since March 2020, Dr Fong said with 92.4 percent of the adult population fully vaccinated. Just over 40,000 of children aged 12-17 had also received both doses of the vaccine.
An Australian court says tennis player Novak Djokovic who has been held in an immigration detention hotel since Thursday will be released and will be able to play in the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic’s case has been closely followed around the world, sparking heated debate over national vaccination mandates. Photo: AFP
Djokovic’s passport has been returned to him and the government will be responsible for paying his legal costs, the Federal Circuit Court has ruled.
Counsel for the Commonwealth Christopher Tran told the court that following the decision, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship may exercise his discretion to cancel Djokovic’s visa regardless.
Judge Anthony Kelly said he is “very concerned” about that potential outcome.
He said that if the visa is cancelled by personal exercise of power, Djokovic will not be able to enter Australia for three years.
“The stakes have risen, rather than receded,” Judge Kelly said.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd accused current leader Scott Morrison’s centre-right coalition government of bungling the situation.
“Total incompetence! If they seriously didn’t want him, why on earth did they give him a visa to fly here?” Rudd said. “This was conceived as one giant distraction strategy when out in the real world people can’t get tested.”
There was jubilation among the Serbian-Australian community outside the court when the ruling was announced.
News of his release was greeted with noisy celebrations of drum beating and dancing.
Some 100 supporters of the tennis star have been camped outside the court during the hearing. Before this, they spent days outside the hotel where Djokovic was believed to be staying during his detention.
Serbian fans in Melbourne react to the judge’s ruling. Photo: AFP
Earlier today the judge hearing Djokovic’s legal challenge to the Australian government’s decision to revoke his entry visa raised concerns about the Serbian’s treatment after he was detained on arrival.
Judge Kelly said it appeared Djokovic had received the required medical exemption from Covid-19 vaccination before he travelled to Melbourne for the Australian Open tennis tournament and presented evidence of that when he landed on Wednesday evening.
“The point that I am somewhat agitated about is what more could this man have done?” Kelly said as Djokovic’s lawyers outlined their case challenging the government’s decision to revoke his visa.
Djokovic’s plight has been closely followed around the world, creating political tensions between Belgrade and Canberra and sparking heated debate over national vaccination mandates.
At risk is the world number one’s shot at winning a record 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, the year’s first major, which starts in Melbourne on 17 January.
Djokovic, 34, has been held in an immigration detention hotel alongside long-term asylum seeker detainees since Thursday. He was permitted to attend his lawyers’ chambers for the virtual hearings but has not been seen in public since he arrived in Australia.
His lawyers argue that a recent Covid-19 infection qualified Djokovic for the medical exemption from a requirement for non-Australian citizens entering the country to be double vaccinated.
The Australian government, however, says non-citizens had no right of guaranteed entry to Australia, questioned his claimed exemption and stressed that even if Djokovic wins the court action, it reserved the right to detain him again and remove him from the country.
Exchanges between Kelly and Djokovic’s lawyer Nicholas Wood revealed officials made the player switch off his phone from midnight to around 7.42am local time, when the decision to cancel his visa was made.
Officials also reneged on an agreement to give Djokovic until 8.30am to speak to tournament organiser Tennis Australia and lawyers, the judge said. Djokovic was instead woken up by officials at around 6.00am after a brief rest and pressured to respond “because it was better for him if they made the decision right away”, according to his lawyer.
Wood said Djokovic had provided evidence to support his claim for exemption both before boarding his flight and on arrival, despite not being required to do so.
‘Living like an animal’
A group of supporters gathered outside the Federal Circuit and Family Court today, even though the hearing was held virtually because of the Omicron outbreak in Australia.
Access to the day’s hearings was plagued by technical issues that repeatedly crashed the public live-stream.
Many of the supporters outside court, some waving the Serbian flag, held hands and sang as they danced in a circle.
“He has been living like an animal in a human zoo,” said one supporter, Petar Nikolic. “What is happening here is unAustralian. It is politics and definitely racist.”
In Belgrade, Djokovic’s father addressed a small protest in front of Serbia’s parliament building on Sunday, also accusing officials of treating his son, and all Serbians, like animals.
However, popular opinion in Australia, where more than 90 percent of the adult population is fully vaccinated, has been largely against the tennis player, particularly in Melbourne, which experienced the world’s longest cumulative lockdown.
The country’s Covid-19 cases surpassed 1 million on Monday, with more than half of them recorded in the past week, driving up hospitalisation numbers and putting a strain on supply chains.
Tested positive
The saga kicked off when Djokovic posted a photo of himself leaning on his luggage on Instagram last Tuesday, telling the world he was headed to Australia to compete in the Open with a vaccination exemption.
A long-term vocal opponent of mandatory vaccination, Djokovic had never revealed his vaccination status but court documents confirmed he has not been inoculated.
French newspaper L’Equipe published a photograph of Djokovic taken when he was named the daily’s Champion of Champions in the days after he said in a court filing he had tested positive for coronavirus, 16 December.
Other photographs published on social media showed him appearing at functions in Serbia on dates soon after that test.
It was not clear if Djokovic knew of his positive test at the time of the events shown in the pictures.
Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said in his first media interview since the furore began that his organisation had spoken with federal and state officials for months to ensure the safe passage of players.
Czech player Renata Voracova who was detained in the same detention hotel as Djokovic and had her visa revoked after issues with her vaccine exemption, left the country without challenging her status, the Czech Foreign Ministry said.
A Supreme Court judge in Tonga has dismissed a lawsuit by a man who demanded his land in Ha’akame, Tongatapu back after he was deported from the USA in 2020.
La’ie Oahu Toutai, 61, took the defendants, ‘Ōniki and ‘Ēseta Save to court after they repeatedly declined his requests to vacate his allotment.
Court document showed Toutai became the lawful holder of the town allotment named Talifolau on 23 October 1987 before it was lawfully registered under his name on 4 June 2015.
He however went to the U.S in 1988 and did not return to Tonga until February 2020. When he left in 1988, the allotment was left in the care of his mother, Mele’ofa. Mele’ofa later left for Australia.
In 1998, Mele’ofa returned to Tonga and her cousin ‘Eseta and her husband ‘Oniki and their three children came to visit her. Mele’ofa offered the allotment to them and ‘Eseta accepted it.
“Mele’ofa then told them that they could have the allotment as theirs because La’ie, the plaintiff, would not return to Tonga”.
Saves argue they owned the land
The Saves argued in court that they “have an equitable right to possess and occupy the allotment, and or alternatively, the plaintiff is estopped from evicting them from the allotment”.
In his ruling in favour of the Saves, Justice Niu said he was confident Toutai was well aware of the defendants occupying his land and keeping it as theirs.
“I also find as a fact that the defendants believed that the allotment was theirs, and that they built on it and lived on it in a substantial way as far as their means and circumstances could afford because they believed it was theirs.
“They built on it permanently and extended it substantially.
“On those facts, I consider that the equity defence of estoppel applies.
“I therefore come to the conclusion that the defence of estoppel of the defendants succeeds”.
Deportation
Toutai told the court he “was deported from the US for “abusing his children”.
In November 2013, The Herald Journal, Utah, reported that a man by the name Laie Toutai pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a child in Utah, USA,
Toutai, who was 52 at the time, was arrested in September after a teen girl told police he had sexually abused her, reported the Herald.
Toutai was charged in 1st District Court with 15 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony offense.
He agreed to a negotiated plea settlement in which he pleaded guilty to two of the 15 counts.
In 2014 Toutai was ordered to spend three years to life in the Utah State Prison.
A Kaiapoi doctor caught handing out fake vaccine exemptions is no longer registered to practise medicine in New Zealand.
A screengrab of Dr Jonie Girouard. Photo: A screengrab from Newshub
Footage of Jonie Girouard issuing bogus exemptions and coaching people on how to use them sparked an investigation into the North Canterbury GP in December.
Medical Council chairperson Curtis Walker said Dr Girouard was now unable to practise medicine in New Zealand, as she was no longer registered.
“Council takes these matters very seriously and our concern is demonstrated by the publication of our recent guidance emphasising council’s view that there is no place for anti-vaccination messages in professional practice, nor any promotion of anti-vaccination claims, including on social media and advertising by health practitioners,” Walker said.
“The council steps in as early as possible when a notification is made, or information comes to light to put in place any necessary arrangements to make sure patients are kept safe.”
Walker said privacy concerns limited the council commenting on individual practitioners.
“The Medical Council thanks the thousands of doctors who are contributing to New Zealand’s pandemic response. ”
At the time, he said the council followed a process of natural justice and would be discussing the matter with her.
GPs could not provide vaccine exemptions and the only way to get one was via the Ministry of Health through the Director-General of Health, Walker said.
Hailing from the United States, Dr Girouard and her husband, Michael, have both worked as doctors for over 20 years, including as missionaries in Ecuador and Africa.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
Kuo ‘ikai toe tali ke toketā ‘I Nu’u Sila’ ni ‘a Jonie Girouard hili ‘eni hano ma’u ‘ene foaki ha paasi koviti loi ke ngāue’aki ‘e he kakai ne nau ‘ahia hono kilīniki’. Na’a’ ne toe ako’I kinautolu ko ‘eni ne ‘ikai ke nau fie huhu pe fakafepaki’I ‘a e huhu malu’I Koviti ki he anga hono ngāue’aki ‘a e paasi loi ko ‘eni ka ‘eke. Ka ne ‘ikai ke ne lave ‘iloa ne faitaa’I fakafufū ‘ene ngaahi nga’unu ko ‘eni’ he loto kilīniki’ ‘e he me’afaitā ‘a e kautaha ongoongo Newshub ‘a Nu’u Sila ni’.
The mother of a man who was allegedly shot in Afā, Tongatapu over the weekend has lashed out at his son’s attacker and his family warning them to wait until police investigation was over.
Grieving mum wanted to keep the peace. Photo/Screenshot
The furious mother appeared to have been devastated by allegations posted to Facebook by the alleged attacker’s relatives regarding his son after the shootings.
Kaniva understands two young men were injured after the shootings on Saturday night.
It appears that the incident was a result of previous disputes between groups of people from Afā and Niutōua.
The enraged mum’s live clip was posted to Youtube this morning. She said the condition of his son and what had happened to him was so hard to bear.
She said she and her family were struggling to keep the peace.
Police have yet to release any information about the shooting on their official Facebook page.
La’ie Oahu Toutai, 61, took the defendants, ‘Ōniki and ‘Ēseta Save to court after they repeatedly declined his requests to vacate his allotment.
