Stand Together Get Together The best web site providing good links for the whole issue is the Refugee Council of Australia
At the local level (in Brisbane ) you might like to attend and/or promote the following event: Show your support for our African-Australian brothers and sisters: Join us for a “Get-Together Stand Together” on Sunday 21 October from 11am-2pm at Orleigh Park Hill End Terrace West End. Free Hamburgers, Sausage sizzle, Soft Drinks. Organised by ACCESS Inc. Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, Multicultural Affairs Queensland, Multicultural Development Association, Multilink Queensland, African Communities Council, Sudanese Community Council
Govt’s rationale for African refugee cut deeply concerning – Catholic Bishop 11 Oct 2007
The Federal Government’s revelation that it based its decision to cut the intake of African refugees on perceived problems with their ability to settle in to life in Australia was deeply concerning, a Catholic Bishop said today.
In August, the federal government cut African refugee numbers in 2007-2008 to allow for an increase from Asia and the Middle East (especially Iraq) where there is also great need for humanitarian resettlement places. Given that Australia cannot accept all refugees in its annual humanitarian programme of 13,000 (an intake which many people, including the Catholic Bishops, have argued should be increased), this decision was generally accepted for the reasons given.
But last week, the Government said that perceived problems with the ability of refugees from Africa to settle into Australian society was also a reason for cutting the African intake.
Bishop Joseph Grech, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference delegate for immigration and refugee issues, said the comments from Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews raised important issues. “The first and most fundamental principle in determining our refugee intake is that it must be based on need,” Bishop Grech said.
“And there can be no doubt that the situation of refugees from Sudan is among the most dire in the world, after years of civil war, violence and famine. “We should be welcoming these people to our country and offering them every assistance to adjust to their new life in the best way possible.”
Bishop Grech said Sudanese refugees faced the same challenges as all refugees when it came to settling into a new society. “Because many of these people have languished in refugee camps in Africa for many years they face many hurdles when coming to a new country,” he said. “These can include lack of education, socialisation issues, fear of authority figures, difficulties finding employment, housing and dealing with bureaucracies. These challenges are common to many people who flee from strife-torn countries to Australia’s protection. “Rather than using these issues as a reason to cut back on refugee intake from certain areas, the government should instead increase its efforts to assist people in this situation.”
Bishop Grech said the Catholic Church, through its education and social service agencies, was playing a role in helping the Sudanese community to settle into Australia, by providing comprehensive programs which cover education, English language tutoring, employment, and social assistance.
“As a prosperous, wealthy nation, we must live up to our obligations to assist our brothers and sisters who are most in need in every way possible,” Bishop Grech said.
“To cut the refugee intake for a certain area based on perceived problems with resettlement is both short-sighted and wrong and we would urge the Federal Government to reconsider its stated position on this issue.”
MEDIA RELEASE – African refugee settlement 5 October 2007
The Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland has called on Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews to withdraw his divisive, racist and inaccurate comments on African and Sudanese refugees.
ECCQ, the peak body for ethnic communities and multicultural organisations in Queensland, says it is “appalled” at the Minister’s comments which it says are damaging and at odds with his own department’s emphasis on harmony.
“As the peak body in Queensland we can say with certainty that the majority of African migrants, including Sudanese, who arrive here under Australia’s humanitarian program, settle well into Australian life and get on with establishing new lives for themselves and their families despite the horrific and traumatic experiences most of them have endured,” says ECCQ chairman, Mr Serge Voloschenko.
ECCQ was responding to reports that Mr Andrews has cited “failings” of Sudanese refugees as justification for the Howard Government’s decision to slash its intake of migrants from the war-torn African nation.
“Mr Andrews has accused Sudanese migrants of fighting each other in bars, forming gangs and congregating in parks to drink alcohol. Some Sudanese do. So do some third-generation Australians. So do some Australians of Vietnamese background. So do some Australians of Greek background. So do some Australians of Irish background,” Mr Voloschenko said.
“His comments smack of those expressed at the turn of century about Irish migrants, then Greeks, then Italians, then Vietnamese, then Lebanese, then Chinese. Can we not move on? “We cannot fathom where this comes from. Mr Andrews has no facts or statistics to back this up.
Certainly, the facts in Queensland would not support Mr Andrews’ case at all. “The Minister has relied on anecdotal information about a minority of badly-behaved Sudanese and Ethiopian refugee boys to greatly decrease the intake of African refugees. We would have preferred that he consult the overburdened community leadership who are crying out for help.”
Mr Voloschenko said Australia’s humanitarian program should be based on need and that need should be recognised with the appropriate settlement policies and programs. For further information: Serge Voloschenko, Chairman, ECCQ Ph: 3844 9166 Mobile: 0418 874 162
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