Figures released by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) show that Irish citizens were granted 3,100 primary 457 visas up to December 31 last year.

This is 68 per cent higher than the figure for the same period in 2010-11.

The four-year 457s are temporary residence visas offered to skilled workers and their dependants who are sponsored by an Australian company.

Primary visa grants refer to people who applied for sponsorship for their own behalf, while secondary applicants are those attached to partners’ applications.

The top three citizenship countries for primary visa grants from July to the end of December 2011 were the United Kingdom (24.8 per cent), India (17.6 per cent) and the Republic of Ireland (9.2 per cent).

The number of primary visa holders in Australia at 31 December 2011 was 68,320 – an increase of 14.5 per cent compared with the same date in the previous year.

Overall, the number of 457 primary visa applications lodged from July to the end of December 2011 was 36.7 per cent higher than the same period in 2010.

Although application lodgements tend to ease in December due to the holiday season, the number of primary applications lodged in December 2011 was still 20.9 per cent higher than in December 2010.

Offshore primary visa lodgements for the period were 43.4 per cent higher than the same period in 2010, reflecting a continued strong demand for temporary skilled workers.

New South Wales emerged as the most nominated position location for migrants.

It held 34 per cent of 457 primary visa grants during that period, followed by Western Australia (23.4 per cent) and Victoria (19.7 per cent).

These states were also the top three nominated locations for primary subclass 457 visa grants in the last programme year.

Following this trend, Irish citizens made up 2,240 of the 457 visa holders in NSW as of the end of December, followed by 1,280 in resource-rich Western Australia and 1,090 in Victoria.

The number of subclass 457 visa holders granted a permanent residence visa in December 2011 was 5.2 per cent higher than in December 2010. The majority (96.3 per cent) were in the skilled stream and 3.7 per cent were in the family migration category.

There was little change in the top three industries for primary visa grants, with construction (13.6 per cent), other services (12.7 per cent) and health care and social assistance (12.2 per cent).

Patrick Crilly, 25, sued The Bumble Group, who employed a security guard working at the Moore View Park Hotel in Waterloo.

Mr Crilly is a steel an metal fabricator from Cookstown, in Tyrone.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Mr Crilly has been living in Brisbane since a security guard grabbed him and punched him on the lower jaw under the chin, causing him to fall to the ground.

When his head hit the ground, he fell unconscious and began vomiting.

The court heard he lost hearing in his right ear, suffered balance problems and bleeding on his brain.

The security guard received a suspended jail term following a conviction for assault occasioning bodily harm.

District Court Judge Leonard Levy ordered The Bumble Group, trading as My Security, to pay Mr Crilly $200,000 in general damages and $100,000 in other damages.

The Telegraph reports that Judge Levy said Mr Crilly had done nothing to provoke the assault and “he was an entirely innocent victim”.

Left-wing TDs want to ask the president to call a referendum, if the government fails to do so. (File pic)

President Michael D Higgins will be urged to take the unprecedented step of calling a referendum if the Irish Government rules against a vote on the new European treaty.

Amid claims Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his EU counterparts crafted the pact to avoid the electorate, 16 left-wing TDs vowed to lobby the former Labour man if a public vote is ruled out.

Under the never-before-used Article 27 of the constitution the president can call a referendum with enough support from the Dáil and the Seanad.

Independent TD Thomas Pringle, who is spearheading the challenge, said they will turn to the head of state if Attorney General Máire Whelan rules there is no legal requirement for a referendum.

“Article 27 says a third of the Dáil and the majority of the Seanad can petition the president not to sign an Act into law until a referendum has been held by the people,” said Mr Pringle.

The group, comprising 16 Independent and United Left Alliance TDs, will need 55 signatures from Dail members to carry the petition.

“If you look at the number of Independents, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, we make up 52 TDs,” he said.

“But the constitutional requirement would be for 55 TDs to sign this petition, so we will be hoping for some Fine Gael or Labour TDs who, in the interest of democracy, will support our calls for a referendum.”

Mr Pringle wrote to all members of the Oireachtas today calling for their support and signatures for the Article 27 petition.

If agreed, the president will be required to consider the treaty with the help of the Council of State, which includes former presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, as well as the Taoiseach and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore. But the final decision comes down to him alone.

According to the constitution, Mr Higgins will have to determine whether the treaty is of such national importance that it requires the will of the people.

Opposition leaders have reiterated their calls for a public vote on the fiscal compact, which will bring strict budgetary rules and penalise member states that breach them.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin said pushing the treaty through without a referendum would damage the people’s confidence in any future European Union initiatives.

“For the sake of rushing through this treaty, we could damage the possibility of ever again winning support for an EU initiative,” said Mr Martin.

“Given that this treaty commits us to a new major EU treaty in the next few years, this is an urgent concern.”

Sinn Féin accused the Taoiseach of hiding behind the Attorney General.

Donegal North East TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said the treaty was “a suicide pact” and the public should be given a voice.

“It’s clear that the people want to have their say on this matter,” he said.

A Red C Survey for the Sunday Business Post last week revealed that 72 per cent of the Irish public are in favour of a referendum.

Sinn Féin vice-president Mary Lou McDonald earlier challenged Mr Kenny over claims from a top European official that he allowed the compact to be drafted in such a way that the Attorney General would find no legal grounds to hold a public vote.

Mr Kenny said he had no idea about the allegation.

“If it is the case and that speculative report were true, does that not bely what we have been saying all the time, that Ireland had no say in the matter?” Mr Kenny said.

Meanwhile, Independent TD Mick Wallace shot down claims earlier this week by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar that the electorate would not understand the intricacies of the treaty well enough to make an informed decision in a referendum.

“The notion that the people are not clued in to what’s happening is not true,” said Mr Wallace.

“I’ve been amazed by the level of interest and the level of knowledge people have all over the country about this present crisis.”

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said it was insulting and undemocratic to imply that members of the public are not smart enough to have their say.

He also accused Mr Kenny of allowing Europe to strangle and crucify Ireland.

“If you won’t listen to the people then the people should come to the streets,” he added.

Independent TD Shane Ross criticised the Taoiseach’s claims that the treaty will stimulate growth.

“He says this is an austerity and stimulus programme,” said Mr Ross.

“If anybody can tell me how these two can be reconciled, I think they should be sent to heaven immediately.”

Mourners gathered to remember Subakette founder Mick Daly. (Pic: Supplied)

Well-known Irish businessman Mick Daly was laid to rest yesterday at Castle Hill Cemetery in north-west Sydney.

Hundreds of friends, relatives, work mates and members of the Irish community packed into St Bernadette’s Catholic Church for the funeral mass.

Concelebrant Fr Tom Devereux, Sydney’s Irish community chaplain, said that it was one of the largest gatherings of mourners he had seen.

“This is what happens when someone who is clearly loved by the community, dies,” he said. “The community comes together.”

Mr Daly’s coffin was adorned in green, white and orange flowers and Brusna Town, one of his favourites songs, was played as his remains were carried from the church.

Mr Daly, originally from the village of Knocknagoshel in Co Kerry, passed away on January 27 at the age of 63 after a long battle with illness.

During his many years in Sydney, Mr Daly built a large pipe-laying business, Subakette, employing many young Irish workers along the way.

Among the mourners were many former employees and colleagues of Mr Daly as well as his wife Alice, children Bart, Michael and Olivia and grandchildren Ronan and Owen.

New Dublin call centre will be Sky's 10th across the UK and Ireland.

Digital TV provider Sky has announced the creation of 800 jobs in Dublin.

The company will open a customer contact centre in Burlington Plaza in the city centre in August.

Recruitment is to start immediately and the positions are expected to be filled over the next two years.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said the move is evidence of increased confidence in Ireland.

“This is great news and represents a very welcome vote of confidence in our workforce and in the Irish economy by a leading company,” said Mr Bruton.

“Confidence is key and, in the coming weeks, the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs will implement a series of measures to drive reform across the economy, ensure that more businesses can create more jobs, and get growth and confidence back into the economy again.”

Jobs on offer will range from customer service manager and adviser roles to training, coaching and HR positions.

The Dublin call centre will be Sky’s 10th across the UK and Ireland.

Around 10.5 million homes use the company’s digital services, which include Sky 3D and Sky Go, which allows customers to access TV on their iPads, games consoles and mobile phones.

Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch said he was delighted to be opening a centre in Ireland.

“Our Irish customers are very important to our business and the creation of this customer centre will ensure they receive first class customer service,” said Mr Darroch.

“We hope to recruit a committed and enthusiastic workforce and look forward to making further contributions to the local community.”

Barry O’Leary, chief executive of IDA Ireland, the company responsible for attracting direct foreign investment into the country, also welcomed the announcement.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Tom Elliot said the move would not see the UUP dissolve.

Britain’s Conservative Party will set up a new party in Northern Ireland to deliver “mainstream, national politics”, it has been confirmed.

Conservative Party co-chairman Andrew Feldman announced that the party had approved plans for the formation of the new Conservative and Unionist Party of Northern Ireland.

It comes after an electoral alliance between the Conservatives and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), which fielded joint candidates at the 2010 general election, failed to gain a single MP.

Lord Feldman wrote to UUP leader Tom Elliott last November suggesting the party disband and merge with the new Conservative-led formation, but the offer was rejected.

Today, Lord Feldman said: “For too long politics in Northern Ireland have been built around sectarianism and division.

“We want to move past the politics of the peace process to a more normal state of affairs where everyone in Northern Ireland has the opportunity to vote for a modern, centre-right, pro-Union party.

“This new political party won’t be encumbered by the conflict and divisions of Northern Ireland’s past. We want to reach out to everybody in Northern Ireland, regardless of their background.”

According to the plans, the new party will initially have an observer’s seat on the Conservatives’ main board.

It will also have its own chairman, officers and rules, with an interim leader expected to help establish the party ahead of a leadership election in the coming year.

The relationship between the Conservative Party and the UUP stretches back to the partition of Ireland into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in 1922.

UUP members took the Conservative whip at Westminster until 1972, when the alliance broke down ahead of the proposed Sunningdale Agreement for a cross-border Council of Ireland.

The Tories’ failure to make an impact on Northern Ireland’s politics since organising there in the 1980s led to the 2008 alliance with the UUP, with candidates standing under an Ulster Conservative and Unionist New Force (UCUNF) banner.

Mr Elliott said last November that there was “no question” of the Ulster Unionist Party being dissolved.

Enda Kenny arrives for an EU summit in Brussels. (Pic: AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Some 25 EU nations have agreed upon a fiscal deal to bolster the euro by toughening the bloc’s budgetary rules.

The UK and the Czech Republic are the only two members that will not sign up to the German-inspired pact.

Under the compact, signatories are committed to bringing into legislation what European Council President Herman Van Rompuy has referred to as a “debt brake” or “golden rule”.

New voting rules and an automatic correction mechanism will enforce compliance more effectively. All member states except the UK and Czech Republic are to sign the deal at a meeting in March.

The treaty will come into effect once 12 members have ratified it.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has insisted the Government is not afraid to hold a referendum on the deal.

Mr Kenny made his comments as he and other European leaders have gathered for the summit.

“The Government has absolutely no fear of a referendum,” said Mr Kenny.

Mr Kenny said when finalised, the text would go before Ireland’s Attorney General Máire Whelan, who will determine whether a referendum will be required.

“When the text is finalised I will ask the Attorney General to present the Government with the Attorney General’s response as to whether the agreed text as finalised by the politicians is in compliance with our constitution,” he said.

“If it is in compliance, then there is no need for a referendum.”

Mr Kenny’s Fine Gael colleague Leo Varadkar sparked controversy over the weekend when he said he had concerns for a possible referendum.

The Transport Minister said he was not a fan of the system – which gives the public a say on significant political issues – saying he believed it to be undemocratic.

“I don’t think referendums are very democratic,” Mr Varadkar told RTÉ.

“By and large, referendum campaigns are never about what they are supposed to be about.”

He said the main issues behind referendums get clouded by domestic political point scoring.

A new Red C Survey for the Sunday Business Post showed that 72 per cent of the population is in favour of holding a referendum.

Some 40 per cent said they would vote in favour of the fiscal compact, 36 per cent said they would vote no and the rest were unsure.

With Staff Writer

Meath woman Madeleine Le Surf has received the Medal of the Order of Australia. (Pic: Manly Daily/Martin Lange)

A Meath woman living in Sydney has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of her services to the community of Manly.

Madeleine Le Surf, 72, who is originally from Kells County Meath, began volunteering when her son first started going to school in Manly 45 years ago, but decided to keep it up after her son graduated.

“In those days the mothers automatically got together at the school and worked together,” she said.

“But when my son left school I did some community services, and I also formed the caring service down at our church. We are ministers of the Eucharist so we take communion out to people every Sunday — we are all working together for the good of the people in our parish.”

Mrs Le Surf has also been an organiser of the Parish Christmas Luncheon for the elderly since the 1980s.

She established the Manly Soup Kitchen in conjunction with local churches in 1988, and has also been a member of Manly Hospital Pastoral Care since 1995.

In 2000 Mrs Le Surf was recognised as the Manly Citizen of the Year, and in 1997 she received the New South Wales Premier’s Award for her outstanding contribution to the community.

Mrs Le Surf , who worked as an aged care nurse before moving to Australia 51 years ago, said she doesn’t think of volunteering as “work”.

“It has been good being able to go out and visit all these people and be able to help them a little bit,” she said.

“Back in Ireland in my early days that was what we were brought up to do, to share with other people less fortunate than ourselves, and I have met some absolutely wonderful people doing caring service and community work in general.

“I go to the hospital every Sunday and I meet some wonderful people there. It is nice to bring them a little TLC, I have always liked doing something for somebody.”

Although she became an Australian citizen some 40 years ago, Mrs Le Surf said she enjoys visiting Ireland regularly.

“I went back last year and I am hoping to go next year, too. I have cousins in Kells and Navan and some of the women I did nursing with live there, so we all have a good old chat about things,” she said.

Mrs Le Surf added that she has always been passionate about caring for the elderly and that she is looking forward to going to Government House in May to be presented with her Medal of the Order of Australia.

“It feels good because I have met some wonderful people through my work and we all enjoy working together. It is quite an honour to be presented with anything like that,”  she added.

Linda Nash, who lost her brother William on Bloody Sunday. (Pic: Paul Faith/PA)

Events have been held to mark the 40th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Derry.

Relatives of the victims attended a memorial service at a monument in Derry’s Bogside.

But the majority of the families refused to take part in a subsequent march that retraced the route of the ill-fated demonstration where British paratroopers killed 14 civil rights marchers on January 30, 1972.

A public inquiry by Britain’s Lord Saville declared all the victims to be innocent, prompting an apology from Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010.

And while many of the families are pressing for the prosecution of the soldiers involved, most of them decided to end the annual march they led for 39 years, arguing they had been vindicated by the Saville findings.

Relatives of those killed and wounded attended the memorial service, where both Protestant and Catholic clergy were involved.

But later Kate and Linda Nash, whose teenage brother William was killed on Bloody Sunday, opted to continue the march.

Kate Nash said the march should remain an annual event to help lobby for other bereaved families seeking justice.

“I am delighted with the turnout,” she said.

“But even if it had just been myself and my sister, we would still have a right to march. That is democracy.

“We are going to continue to march for prosecutions, but beyond that, this is a unique march and it should continue for all those who are seeking justice.”

Estimates suggested the march attracted more than 1,000 people, but the organisers believed the figure was higher.

Avondale nursing home, Kilkenny.

Gardaí are investigating whether two former directors of an Irish nursing home were properly vetted before they were hired to work with elderly people in Melbourne.

Miriam Holmes, who is accused of “reckless abandonment” of residents in her care at the Avondale nursing home in County Kilkenny had until recently been managing the Plumpton Villa facility in Glenroy.

Ms Holmes’ daughter Hayley had also been working as a clinical care co-ordinator in the 90-bed nursing home.

The pair left for Australia while the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) secured a court order to shut down the Kilkenny nursing home in July 2011 amid concerns over the health and safety of patients.

The two women have not been seen in Ireland since boarding a bus heading for Dublin Airport on July 22 last, the day after the Avondale home was closed.

Gardaí are also investigating a number of serious allegations that the pair stole several thousand euro, medication and public service cards from residents there.

The Irish Independent reports that officers are now in the final stages of preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and that it was not yet clear if the pair had been vetted before they were re-employed in Australia.

The head of the company Craigcare, which runs the Glenroy home, confirmed that Miriam and Hayley Holmes had worked at the Plumpton Villa facility.

However chief executive John Gillett added that the home had received clearance from both Irish and Australian authorities to employ the women, and that the pair had been working in Glenroy for “several months”.

He said that the company had employed the services of an immigration lawyer and that the relevant authorities in both countries had carried out checks.

“We received clearance from both the Australian Federal Police and the relevant authorities and also the Irish police and authorities that both these candidates were okay to be employed by us,” he said.

Mr Gillett added that he was “saddened” that the company’s good name had been brought into the matter.

Sources close to Craigcare indicated that the employment of both women was recently terminated due to “operational issues”.

Chief Supt Mick McGarry said that Gardaí would look for the voluntary return of the pair if they are found to have committed a crime.

He added that if the women do not return of their own volition, Gardaí would go to “whatever length it takes” to extradite the pair.