Latest news with #Paxton
West Australian
20 hours ago
- Business
- West Australian
Perth International College of English closes after 20 years, blaming government policy changes
A highly-regarded Perth English language school has been forced to close its doors, with its owner blaming Federal Labor Government policy changes for plunging his business into liquidation. Perth International College of English director John Paxton sent out a letter to international students this week to notify them of the closure, after more than 20 years in business. 'It is with deepest regret that I have to inform you all that PICE was forced into liquidation today,' he wrote. 'It will come as little surprise to many in the industry as we follow the path of other colleges in Australia. 'It is a sad reflection that we have survived so many tough times over the last 23 years, including major recent catastrophes like COVID border closures, but we are unable to survive the political behaviour of our own government.' The college, in Murray Street, is one of several education providers — particularly English language and vocational colleges — that have scaled back operations or gone out of business as a result of negative impacts from the Federal Government's migration reforms. Mr Paxton said the visa settings and visa refusal regime the Australian Government initiated in December, 2023, had started the decline of colleges offering English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS). But raising the visa fee in July last year by 125 per cent to make it the most expensive globally was the 'finishing touch', with applications halving from that date. 'The ELICOS sector has been called collateral damage from their political agenda, and that unfortunately has been PICE's fate,' he said. 'I made a calculated decision to keep the business afloat and ride out the storm with my personal money. And that has come to an end. I have none left.' Mr Paxton, the WA State delegate and former board member of peak ELICOS body English Australia, said he had been unable to find a buyer or investor, despite his efforts to find a solution that would allow the college to remain open. Students would be protected by the government's Tuition Protection Scheme, giving them the option to transfer to another college of their choice, or they could request a refund of unused fees. 'We will do everything possible to ensure all students — current and future — will be taken care of,' he said. English Australia chief executive Ian Aird said the board was 'deeply saddened' by the news. He said despite PICE's 'exemplary reputation for quality', the increase in student visa fees, record high visa refusal rates and processing delays meant the college was 'unable to attract enough enrolments to be financially sustainable'. StudyPerth chief executive Derryn Belford said many English colleges were finding it harder to attract students because of the visa fee increases. 'My understanding is the Federal Government is aware that they've caused a problem with this in the English language space, but it's how fast can they fix it,' she said. 'Often, you'll see that it is the good institutions that fall over when big policy changes happen because they keep to the rules.' Educators have previously raised concerns the changes would have a flow-on effect at universities, dramatically impacting the viability of the international education sector which contributes around $3.6 billion a year to WA's economy. Premier Roger Cook last month wrote to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to highlight his concerns about the plight of the international education sector.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas launches first investigations into ‘potential noncitizen voting' in 2024 election
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Office of the Attorney General, or OAG, announced in a Tuesday press release that AG Ken Paxton opened investigations into 33 'potential noncitizens who allegedly voted' in the 2024 election. The release did not say where these alleged cases occurred or how the potential noncitizens voted. They are the OAG's first investigations into specific cases of possible noncitizen voting since the 2024 general election. According to the release, this is because of an executive order by President Donald Trump, which allowed states to freely access the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' SAVE database. 'Noncitizens must not be allowed to influence American elections, and I will use the full weight of my office to investigate all voter fraud,' said Paxton in the release. 'In order to be able to trust the integrity of our elections, the results must be determined by our own citizens—not foreign nationals breaking the law to illegally vote.' In October 2024, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the removal of 6,500 noncitizens from the state's voter rolls. He also said Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson recommended the OAG investigate approximately 2,000 of those individuals. However, an October 2024 investigation by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and Votebeat uncovered that those figures were inflated. Paxton has tracked along with his party's stance on elections—the OAG release calls him 'a champion for election integrity.' He launched an 'illegal voting tipline' in August 2024 and sent poll watchers to several counties in November 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
4 days ago
- Business
- Axios
The GOP's come to Jesus moment on Texas Senate race
A new private GOP poll is showing Republicans facing a growing problem in the Texas Senate race, the third such survey in just a month. Why it matters: Republicans haven't lost a statewide race in Texas in more than three decades, but party officials concede they may need to spend millions to keep the seat this year. "The problem is nobody with the necessary gravitas seems to be willing to state the obvious: this is shaping up to be a f***ing disaster," a senior GOP Senate aide told Axios. Zoom in: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) trails state Attorney General Ken Paxton by 16 percentage points in a new survey conducted by veteran Republican pollster Chris Wilson. A copy was obtained by Axios. But Paxton trails a generic Democrat by three percentage points in a general election matchup. The establishment-aligned Cornyn performs far better than Paxton in a general election, leading a Democrat by seven percentage points. The survey results are similar to recent surveys conducted by the GOP-aligned Senate Leadership Fund super PAC and the American Opportunity Alliance, a network of influential Republican donors. Between the lines: Paxton was impeached by the state House of Representatives in 2023 on bribery and corruption charges but was later acquitted by the state Senate. "If the goal is to maintain a GOP Senate majority and maximize Trump's down-ballot coattails in Texas, Paxton's nomination is a strategic liability," Wilson, who has advised Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), said in a memo accompanying the poll. "If Paxton wins the primary, the GOP is on a path to hand Democrats their best Senate opportunity in a generation," Wilson added. Yes, but: Cornyn has more than $8 million in the bank between his campaign and super PAC accounts and has yet to begin unloading on Paxton, which Cornyn aides insist will tighten the primary contest. Cornyn has also assembled a seasoned team of operatives that includes senior Trump political advisers Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio. The bottom line: "The Cornyn campaign remains confident that once Texas GOP primary voters fully understand Ken Paxton's record of mismanagement, self-dealing and ethical failures, we will win the primary," said Cornyn spokesperson Matt Mackowiak.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Open primary proponents challenge Oklahoma law capping initiative petition signatures
Open primary supporters in Oklahoma have filed two lawsuits in the Oklahoma Supreme Court challenging a new state law that limits the number of initiative petition signatures that can be collected from a single county. One lawsuit asks the court to declare the "retroactive provision" of Senate Bill 1027 unconstitutional. The other lawsuit challenges the overall constitutionality of the bill. SB 1027, authored by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, mandates that the maximum number of signatures from a single county cannot exceed 11.5% of the number of votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. For constitutional amendments, that maximum number is 20.8%. Opponents contend those limits disenfranchise voters, particularly in urban areas. More: Senate passes bill that places new restrictions on initiative petitions Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill into law, which was a priority for many GOP lawmakers this legislative session, on Friday, May 23. It took effect immediately. The bill comes as proponents of open primaries await a start date to begin collecting signatures for State Question 836, a measure that would open Oklahoma primary elections to all voters, with the top two candidates advancing to the general election. 'You don't have to agree with SQ 836 to see what's happening here is wrong,' said Dr. Ken Setter, a proponent of SQ 836 and a plaintiff in both lawsuits. 'Politicians should not be attempting to stop this measure by sabotaging it with unconstitutional laws. They should let the voters decide." The lawsuit challenging the bill's "retroactive" provision asks the court to temporarily block the law during litigation, arguing that attempting to comply with SB 1027 during such time will jeopardize signature-gatherers' ability to collect enough signatures to qualify their measure for the ballot. Supporters of SB 1027 have argued that the current process for state questions leaves out rural Oklahomans. In May, Senate Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tulsa, said the bill gives more Oklahomans a voice in what qualifies for the ballot because signatures can't come solely from the state's biggest metro areas. Along with signature limits in single counties, SB 1027 also requires a petition's gist to be written in basic words explaining the measure. It requires petition circulators to be registered voters in Oklahoma and disclose the organization that's paying them. "All Oklahomans should know what they are voting on and who [is] behind the initiatives being pushed," Paxton, a co-author on the bill, said at the time. "I don't know how more transparency and more voices being heard in the process is a bad thing." Paxton, Bullard and House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the legal challenges. Anthony Stobbe, a plaintiff in both lawsuits and a registered independent, said that as a retired U.S. Coast Guard Commander, he served his country, "not a political party." He added that being politically independent is important to him, along with thousands of other veterans and active-duty military across Oklahoma. "Not being able to vote in Oklahoma's most meaningful elections is a slap in the face," Stobbe said in a news release. "Having an unconstitutional law try to block the very state question meant to fix that problem is even worse.' The lawsuit challenging SB 1027's overall constitutionality argues that the law infringes on the rights of Oklahomans to propose amendments to the state constitution through referendums. It also claims the law threatens restrictions on legislative authority, separation of powers, equal protection and political speech and association." 'Senate Bill 1027 is an outright attack on the people's right to govern themselves,' said Amy Cerato, a well-known opponent of the ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike project. 'I've been organizing to hold the government accountable for years, and I've never seen such a blatant power grab to silence Oklahomans' voices. This law is designed to make direct democracy in Oklahoma impossible.' This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Two lawsuits challenge Oklahoma's new initiative petition restrictions
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court expected to rule on Texas porn age verification law
WASHINGTON (KXAN) – The Supreme Court is expected to rule in the coming days on whether Texas can require pornographic websites to verify users' ages, a case that could reshape online speech protections and affect similar laws in more than 20 states. The justices heard arguments in January over Texas House Bill 1181, which requires websites with content 'harmful to minors' to check government-issued IDs before allowing access. The law carries fines up to $10,000 per violation, rising to $250,000 if minors are involved. At the heart of Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton is a fundamental constitutional question: What legal standard should courts use when evaluating laws that restrict adults' access to protected speech in the name of protecting children? The adult entertainment industry argues the law violates the First Amendment by burdening adults' access to legal content and eliminating their anonymity online. Texas counters that age verification is a reasonable way to protect minors, similar to laws preventing alcohol sales to children. The case has already had real-world impact. Pornhub, one of the world's most popular adult sites, blocked Texas users rather than comply with the identification requirements. A federal judge initially blocked the law, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the age verification portion to take effect. The appeals court applied 'rational basis review,' the most lenient constitutional standard, reasoning that laws protecting children need only be reasonable. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defended the law as protecting children. 'We are not going to lose,' Paxton told reporters in January. 'We are going to have the right to enforce this.' The Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult industry, appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that courts should apply 'strict scrutiny' — the most demanding standard — because the law restricts content-based speech. The group points to the court's 2004 decision in Ashcroft v. ACLU, where justices struck down a federal law requiring age verification for websites with content 'harmful to children.' The decision will affect similar age verification laws enacted in states including Louisiana, Utah, Virginia and Arkansas. By one count, 23 states passed such measures in 2023 and 2024. Civil liberties groups warn the laws expose adults to privacy risks and could set precedent for broader internet restrictions. Child safety advocates support the measures as necessary protections in the digital age. The Court will be issuing opinions throughout the month of June, before their summer recess. The next term for the Supreme Court starts in October. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
