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 August 2008
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NEWS AND VIEWS
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A WELCOME OVERHAUL TO MANDATORY DETENTION POLICY
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On Tuesday 29 July, the Rudd Government announced major changes to Australia’s policy on mandatory detention. The Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) warmly welcomes these changes as a significant move towards creating an immigration system that treats asylum seekers with dignity and compassion.
Under the new policy reforms, persons will be detained only if the need is established. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) will have to justify a decision to detain – not presume detention. The presumption will be that persons will remain in the community while their immigration status is resolved. If a person is complying with immigration processes and is not a risk to the community then detention in a detention centre cannot be justified.
According to UNSW’s Professor George Williams, the new policy of mandatory detention moves away from the principle of ‘deterrence’ that was established under the Howard and Keating governments. The new approach is founded on holding unauthorised arrivals only for so long as is necessary to determine their identity and to protect the security and health of the Australian community.
“It makes sense to hold a person until, for example, it can be confirmed that they are not a criminal fleeing justice,” writes Professor Williams. “A person who poses no danger will be released into the community until their visa status has been resolved. This risk-based approach is more compassionate and more consistent with international human rights. It will ensure that people who have arrived in Australia without a visa are not detained for many years even where they pose no threat.”
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) has applauded the move to scrap temporary protection visas. However, the ASRC argue that there is still work to be done. “The proposed changes are a step forward and represent a 'work in progress' but they do not end the policy of Mandatory Detention.”
The ASRC suggest four further steps to improve the system:
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- A maximum time limit to be imposed on detention periods;
- An independent body separate from DIAC with the power to release asylum seekers if they believe the continued detention of a person is not justified, is required;
- Permanent closure of the detention centre on Christmas Island;
- Ultimately, an end to mandatory detention.
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Professor Williams suggests that it is not only the law that needs to be changed: “We need to know the rights that people will have when they are released into the community pending a decision on their visa. A more effective regime of processing applications should mean this number will be small, but it does still need to be determined whether such people will be able to work. If they cannot, many of them will be destitute and dependent on the goodwill of Australian charities. The government should grasp the nettle by ensuring that such people can earn a decent wage. They should be allowed to live a life of dignity at a time that for them is one of great insecurity and uncertainty.”
CMY welcomes the Rudd Government for taking this important first step in upholding the rights of those who seek asylum in Australia. We will continue to support those working with asylum seekers as they strive for stronger measures to ensure the rights and dignity of people who have been released into the community pending a decision on their visa.
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To find out more about the shift in mandatory detention policy, go to:
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- 'New refugee solution needs legal help', George Williams, Australian Policy Online
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Victorian multicultural policy review underway
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The Victorian Government is currently calling for submissions as it develops the State's next multicultural policy. This policy will guide how the Government responds to the unique needs of our culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse community in the future. To guide public input into the development of this policy, a discussion paper (PDF, 2MB) has been prepared by Victoria University, in partnership with the Victorian Multicultural Commission.
If you would like to contribute your views on the questions posed in the discussion paper you can do so using the Written Submission Form (Word document, 868kb). You can also hear more about the development of this policy at one of the VMC's annual statewide community consultations being held in September. Click here for the Schedule of dates (Word document, 75kb) for the community consultations.
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(source: Victorian Multicultural Commission website, 15 August 2008)
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Burma top humanitarian arrivals for 2007/08
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13,014 humanitarian visas were granted by Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program in 2007/08. Burmese people, many of whom had been living in camps on the Thai-Burma border, were the largest group to be assisted, with 2,964 humanitarian visas granted though the offshore program. Iraq was the next most represented country of birth (2,215), followed by Afghanistan (1,185) and Sudan (1,158).
The news was announced by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, who visited a refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border during early August. “There are more than 40,000 people in the Mae La refugee camp, mostly people of Karen ethnicity who faced persecution by the Burmese military junta,” Senator Evans said.
“It was distressing to see so many people living in makeshift housing because it is unsafe to live in their own homes in Burma… As a father, it was particularly upsetting to see children growing up in a refugee camp far from their homeland – without many of the things that most of us take for granted.”
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(source: ministerial media release, 15 August 2008)
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Have your say in policy reviews
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Several of the Victorian Government's policy areas are currently under review, and CMY encourages young people, services and communities to submit their ideas on the following three topics. Be sure to have your say!
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Young people and offending
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The Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee of Parliament is inquiring into justice and crime strategies in high volume crimes such as theft and property–related offences, which often involve young people. The Committee aims to provide recommendations on causal factors that may influence patterns of high volume crime; and strategies that may be effective in addressing these factors.Visit the Drugs and Crime Prevention Commitee website to find out more.
submissions due Monday 8 September.
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DEECD Student support services
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A discussion paper has been prepared by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) to seek the views of schools and the school community, student support services staff and education and early childhood stakeholders to assist in the development of an enhanced service delivery model. The discussion paper seeks to:
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- Describe the key features of the student support services program;
- Discuss the changing context in which student support services is operating;
- Identify issues that have been raised about the current program;
- Signal proposed components for inclusion in a strengthened student support services program;
- Prompt discussion and feedback about the characteristics of a strengthened model..
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Download the discussion paper (PDF, 298kb) to learn more and find out how you can contribute.
Submissions due Friday 26 September.
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Multicultural Affairs
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The Premier of Victoria John Brumby has called on all Victorians to have their say on the Victoria’s multicultural policy by providing feedback on a new discussion paper. For a copy of the discussion paper and how you can contribute, visit the VMC website.
Submissions due Wednesday 8 October.
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WHAT'S NEW AT CMY?
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Training for Tutors in Homework and Tutoring Programs
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CMY and AMES have combined to deliver training for volunteer tutors that are working with refugee and migrant youth. ‘I wish it was every day’ training focuses on: understanding the refugee experience and how it effects student learning; developing skills in literacy and homework support; and creating a collection of resources, strategies, and plans to use in learning support sessions. All participants receive a comprehensive training manual at no cost.
Topics covered include:
• Creating a positive learning environment including building relationships and creating trust
• The tutoring role
• The refugee experience and how it effects learning
• Strategies for supporting learning across the curriculum
• Supporting literacy development
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Tutor Training in Geelong
| Date: Saturday 6 and Saturday 13 September
| Time: 10am-3pm- Lunch Provided
| Venue: Bethany Community Support (1 Gibb Street, North Geelong)
| RSVP by Wednesday 3 September
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| | Tutor Training in the City:
| Date: Saturday 11 and Saturday 18 October
| Time: 10am-3pm- Lunch Provided
| Venue: AMES City Campus (255 William Street, Melbourne)
| RSVP by Wednesday 8 October
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Numbers for the training are limited, so register as soon as possible to ensure your place – contact Liz Round from AMES on rounde@ames.net.au.
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Statewide Multicultural Youth Issues Network update
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CMY’s second Statewide Multicultural Youth Issues Network (SMYIN) meeting of 2008 was held Thursday 26 June 2008, on the topic of International students in our community.
Thank you to everyone who participated for your input and feedback. With particular thanks to the speakers: Cnr David Wilson, Mr Adrian Burrage and Mr Danny Ong; and to Mr Alex Caldwell of Strategic Dimensions, who facilitated use of Zing technology during the ideas workshop session.
A report from this meeting is now available for download from the Statewide Network section (see link below).
The next SMYIN meeting will be held on Thursday 16 October 2008, on the topic of mental health and young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Speakers will be announced soon on the Statewide Network section of the CMY website.
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Professional Development and Training update
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CMY‘s Professional Development team delivers high quality training to the youth and community sectors, government bodies, schools and educators, sport and recreation providers, young people and community leaders, and organisations.
CMY’s Professional Development Calendar features training sessions running throughout 2008, including a new three-part program on working with refugee and newly arrived young people in the family context.
Coming up soon is a session on Culturally Inclusive Service Planning and Delivery for managers on Friday 18 September, designed for workers in a management or team leader role who wish to explore and increase their knowledge of organisational structures and processes to support culturally responsive service provision for young people from diverse backgrounds.
Download the Professional Development Calendar for more details and a registration form.
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 download the calendar (138kb)
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YRIPP needs volunteers
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The law requires that an adult be present during formal police questioning of a young person under 18 years of age. When a parent or guardian is unavailable, an Independent Person (IP) is required. The role of the Independent Person is to observe the interview process and to ensure that the young person is supported and that his or her rights are protected.
CMYI, as the lead provider in the Youth Referral and Independent Person Program (YRIPP), is seeking volunteers in the North, West and South East of Melbourne to donate their time to undertake training and become Independent Persons to assist in the interview process between police and young people.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like to find out more about the program, please contact Jo Nicolson, YRIPP Volunteer Administrator ,on (03) 9340 3777 or volunteer@yripp.org.au. You can also take a look at the YRIPP webpage to find out more about the program.
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POSTCARD FROM THE NORTH-WEST
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Each newsletter, we ask one of our team to write about emerging issues and new initiatives they’ve been involved with. In this edition, youth support co-ordinator Noemi Garcia discusses CMY’s work based in Sunshine.
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The CMY Youth Support Team moved into the Visy Cares Hub at Sunshine in September 2007. CMY is co-located with a number of youth-related support agencies within the Hub, which is managed by Youth Junction Inc. The move to the Hub has been complimentary to the services we provide. The Hub is in a central location where young people can access a range of services or participate in various programs.
CMY provides casework support through our NAYSS and Reconnect services. We work with young people aged between 12-21 who have been in Australia for less than 5 years and who may need support with:
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- Family
- Centrelink
- Community Connection
- Sport & Recreation
- Accommodation
- Employment/Training Information
- Legal Issues
- Financial information
- Personal support
- Counselling
- Health
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| Referrals can be made via our website – take a look at the Making a Referral section for more details. You can also contact one of our Multicultural Youth Workers directly:
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WHAT'S NEW IN THE SECTOR
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Details of upcoming events, conferences and new resources in the CLD youth sector. If you have an event or resource you want promoted through this newsletter, please send details to info@cmyi.net.au
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New Resources
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- ‘Beginning a Life in Australia’ booklets now available – The ‘Beginning a Life in Australia’ booklets welcome newly-arrived migrants and humanitarian entrants to Australia. Prepared by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), they provide useful national, state/territory and local settlement information for migrants, humanitarian entrants, their sponsors and service providers. This information is available to download in English and 37 community languages for each state and territory from the DIAC website.
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- ‘Harnessing Diversity’ report – The Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission (HREOC), in consultation with the Victorian Multicultural Commission, has released a new report. ‘Harnessing Diversity: addressing racial and religious discrimination in employment’ looks at the individual, social and economic costs and risks associated with racial and religious discrimination in employment. The report can be downloaded from the HREOC website.
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- MyLanguage translation access website – MyLanguage, a partnership between State Libraries around Australia, provides access to search engines, web directories and news in over sixty languages. Check it out at http://www.mylanguage.gov.au/.
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- 'Regional Settlement in Australia' report – Produced by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), this report examines the settlement experiences of refugees in regional Australia with a particular focus on identifying factors which contribute to the successful settlement of humanitarian entrants in regional Australia. For a full copy of the report visit the DIAC website.
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- Settlement Data Base user guide – The Settlement Data Base (SDB) is an internal database developed by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) to provide statistical data for government and community agencies involved in the planning and provision of migrant settlement services. Data from the SDB is much more timely than the Census which is only available every five years. It is also one of the only other indicators of population change between Censuses apart from births, deaths and marriages data. Download the guide (PDF, 773kb) to learn how to order your own data and graphs online from the SDB and get the most out of this valuable resource.
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- Updated ‘Immigration, asylum seekers and refugees’ resource – The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) website’s information on immigration, refugees and asylum seekers has been updated. The revised material includes a new fact sheet on the impact of bridging visas restrictions on asylum seekers; questions and answers on immigration detention and human rights, and asylum seekers, refugees and human rights; and links to the range of HREOC work related to immigration, asylum seekers and refugees. Take a look at the HREOC website.
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Training, Conferences and Forums
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- Refugee Research @ La Trobe Seminar Series 2: 2008 - monthly seminars until November - La Trobe University's Refugee Health Research Centre invites you to attend this seminar series on current issues in refugee research. Seminars are held monthly; visit the RHRC website for more details.
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Events
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- Whitehorse Festival of Refugees - 3pm, Sunday 31 August, Box Hill Town Hall - Come and celebrate the contributions that refugees make to Australian society, with music, dance, story and food. Download the invite (PDF, 642kb) for more details.
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FROM THE SECTOR
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Information and updates on new projects, programs and services in the sector. If you are involved in a project that you would like others in the sector to know about, send details to info@cmyi.net.au
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New Projects, Programs and Services
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- Sliding Door Café - The Sliding Door community training café is a not-for-profit community enterprise, offering training and practical hands on experience in the hospitality industry, particularly to people who have not been in training or employment for an extended period of time. The Cafe’s aim is to create a welcoming and supportive environment where members of our community can enjoy healthy, multicultural, low cost food. Local community members and businesses are encouraged to utilise the cafe to support the trainees gain a diverse range of experience. The Sliding Door Café is situated at the Reservoir Civic Centre (23 Edwardes Street, Reservoir, Victoria).
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IN THE MEDIA
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Multicultural youth issues in the media – what are some of the issues that are making it into the news? If you come across media articles you think should be highlighted in this newsletter, please forward to info@cmyi.net.au
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Shunned in a strange land, we should offer them more (The Age newspaper, 17 August 2008)
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Alice Pung relates her experiences with international students: “They do not live in their own little worlds: they have opened up my world.”
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> read the article at The Age website
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Africans face racism: Tanner (The Age, 31 July 2008)
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Federal Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner has made a powerful attack on racism in Australia, saying it is now directed mainly at people born in Africa — many of whom came here traumatised by torture.
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> read the article at The Age website
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Fighter for the oppressed (The Manly Daily newspaper, 29 July 2008)
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Interview with Dr Eileen Pittaway, director of the University of NSW's Centre for Refugee Research, who played a leading role in the long international campaign to have rape recognised as a war crime by the International Criminal Court.
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> read the article at the Manly Daily website
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Faith in their students leads to understanding (Hume Weekly newspaper, 17 June 2008)
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Cultural and religious diversity is a strong feature of Roxburgh College, so much so that students have held their own youth multifaith forum.
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> read the article at the Hume Weekly website
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