New security legislation passed by Beijing for Hong Kong means the list of crimes liable for arrest and potential life sentences has expanded dramatically.
The legislation and the day of arrests that followed it triggered an emotional response from leaders around the world.
Hong Kong is also home to the second-largest group of Australian expatriates in the world, with more than 100,000 living in the city. Migration agents say the number of inquiries from Hong Kong residents looking to leave the Chinese territory had been surging since last year. Australia, due to its proximity, time zone, climate, and relatively low-level of coronavirus infections, is seen by many as a more attractive destination than Britain, despite its historical links with its former colony.
Hong Kong's position as an intermediary between the West and China for more than a century allowed it to flourish as a global financial hub. London-based multinational bank HSBC and investment firms Swire Group and Jardine Matheson have effectively made it their home throughout the 20th century [all three have now signed up in support of the national security law].
"The states have not been able to accept any more," said Hedley. "That is an own goal. Hong Kong is happening now, it is not happening in six months time when the Australian government gets around to opening its quotas again. "We are investing in agricultural-tech robotics, drone systems to monitor wildlife, all of those small businesses need capital but people in Australia are not ponying up saying I'm going to going to put money into [a] new venture," he said."We know that the demand is there for these migration programs. All the government has to do is allocate resources and it becomes self-fulfilling.
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