Yet HERALD SUN writer, Simon Benson (Most refugee households rely on welfare, 5 May 2011) chose to cherry-pick a few unflattering statistics about humanitarian entrants and present them in a manner which did little but reinforce the preconceptions of a small segment of our community, avoiding the overall positive findings of the report.

Fortunately, I’m confident that most Victorians are aware of the immense challenges humanitarian entrants face in integrating successfully into modern Australian life and the tremendous effort the vast majority make toward achieving independence and self-determination given appropriate support and opportunity.

Take the example of Samuel Venansio (THE AGE, 6 May 2011) who after 9 years in a refugee camp in Kenya has finished years 11 and 12 and is now doing a full-time tertiary degree at Victoria University.  His story is consistent with the findings of the report which show that those who are not in the work force are in some form of study and trying to find their way into the mainstream.

According to the DIAC report, one of the factors nominated by new arrivals as a predictor of their comfort in their new home was ‘being treated well by the local community since coming to Australia.’

In this regard, it would be helpful if some in the media took this message to their hearts.

Sam Afra
Chairperson
Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria

* Settlement Outcomes of New Arrivals, DIAC, April 2011

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/research/_pdf/settlement-outcomes-new-arrivals.pdf

No, I’m not talking about US President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare legislation, but the Australian policy of multiculturalism which has once again found itself being debated with no one entirely sure what all the fuss is about.

Apparently, this latest storm in a teacup stems from recent comments made by British Prime Minister David Cameron.  Why Australians should feel so influenced  by the internal policy discussions of a country whose population size and demography, geo-political location, and current economic circumstances is now so different to ours is unclear.

We are Australians, we have a different experience, we make our own distinctions and our version of multiculturalism is ours to debate.

However, it is appropriate from time to time to acknowledge what continues to make the Australian brand of multiculturalism so successful.  Namely, its willingness to evolve and improve according to society’s changing aspirations and needs.

This is not say that the thriving nation of Australia is without its tensions and inequities.  Our very public struggle to reconcile with the first peoples of this country is a case in point

But as we have done countless times in the past, Australia will succeed in forging a truly strong way forward. Political leadership, the goodwill of all of us and the sensitivity to recognize one another’s unique hopes and dreams are all key determinants of that success.

Ultimately that is the gift our multicultural triumph affords us as Australians and it is the only one that truly counts.

Sam Afra JP

Chairperson

Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria

Devised to help the MFB better serve Victoria’s increasingly diverse population, the proposed program has been criticised in some quarters as being tokenistic and potentially harmful to the standards of the fire brigade.

Yet all the program seeks to achieve is to better inform and prepare applicants traditionally unfamiliar with the rigours of the MFB application and assessment process about what they should expect.

In practice, it is little more than providing a range of translated directions to the starting line.  Contrary to the fears of some, it does not require special allowances be made so that women or ethnic minorities reach the finishing line easier.

All applicants who attend the pre-employment training sessions still have to meet exactly the same benchmarks and pass exactly the same tests of strength, skill and expertise.

The long-term benefits are obvious.  An emergency involving a Victorian from a newly-arrived community is going to be able to communicate more efficiently and effectively with a fire fighter who can speak the same language.

Our state is all too aware of the horrific toll that can arise when such immediate and knowledgeable communication is unavailable.

I urge the MFB not to abandon its push to make the ranks of our fire services as ready-placed and broadly prepared as possible.

Sam Afra JP

Chairperson

Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria

Sam Afra JP

Chairperson

 You can’t judge others from the position that one is always right and one is absolutely wrong. We need tolerance and an acceptance that we as a society must respect each other for who we are as individuals, the same (as humans) but different. It is expected those in high positions or those held in high regard in our community are responsible when they speak in public.

 What we need is strong leadership from those who can influence public opinion. They should be positive and see the glass is half full not half empty. We have a strong community now we don’t want to derail all the efforts of those who’ve gone before to build a harmonious and successful society.

 We agree with General Cosgrove in his Australia Day Address that multifaceted society like Australia cannot be blind to the existence of some level of intolerance but as he says, we shouldn’t be complacent about it but face it head on.

 We must not take it for granted that we’ll always remain the ‘lucky country’ but we need to work on finding ways to welcome our new arrivals and help them to be a part of our society through integration not through assimilation.

 We can not ignore the fact that Victoria is leading Australia and the world in protecting multicultural identity. In acceptance of the Indian community, Dandenong (South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne) provides a good example where an Indian precinct exists and Indians live and trade harmoniously with the rest of the community. The attacks in the western suburbs of Melbourne have not yet been established as racist but we wish to work with Victoria Police on finding a mechanism to take it beyond any doubt either way.

Sam Afra JP

Chairperson

DAVID Imber raised many valid points on the challenges faced by low-income renters (Comment & Debate, 1/7). However, an extra hierarchy of vulnerability exists among this disadvantaged socio-economic group.

Among the most deprived, marginalised and exploited are new refugee families with four or more children. Already burdened with adjusting to life after surviving traumas and tragedies, these high-population households encounter further anxiety in trying to secure even the most modest housing. Affordable opportunities are virtually non-existent in the private property market, with the design of modern living environments reflecting an era of shrinking families. Scandalously, the public housing sector is little better.

With so much fanfare made about Melbourne's international "liveability" status and the merits of a booming population, it is appalling that needy households should be punished for exceeding the average composite of parents and 2.4 children. Even if we have reached the sad stage that market forces no longer deem these families to be a worthwhile investment, governments have a responsibility to ensure that public housing is not so restricted in vision and compassion that close-knit families are forced apart, into over-crowded conditions or to sleep out in the cold.

Let's offer refugees classes about their new home rather than exams.

The effect of the former Howard government's higher-level citizenship test has been absolutely as predicted: educated skilled migrants, who today make up the great bulk of our immigration program, are passing the test easily. But some refugee groups from non-English-speaking backgrounds, such as those from Sudan, are experiencing failure rates of around 25%.

The decision by Immigration Minister Chris Evans to review the test, is therefore to be welcomed.

The test was always going to be difficult for people with lesser English language skills, who these days are mostly refugees from Africa and Asia. The previous test simply required people to demonstrate basic spoken English whereas the new computerised test requires higher-level English reading, comprehension and computer skills.

For recently arrived refugees who may have spent a lifetime in a refugee camp and may still be illiterate in their own language let alone in English, these skills may not be immediately achievable.

Now, many people are simply not sitting the test because they are afraid they will fail, a situation reflected in the substantial reduction in the number of test applicants.

The minister has also informed us that some refugees are not sitting the test because they are afraid of being deported. This fear is not quite as absurd as it sounds because one of the important rights of citizenship is the right not to be deported. Fail the test and you've basically confirmed you don't have the important rights and responsibilities that most of us take for granted.

The Rudd Government has recently announced social inclusion as its key social policy issue. This has created genuine excitement in the community sector as we grapple with the types of strategies, targets and measures we can develop to overcome social disadvantage and ensure equal opportunity for all.

But surely one key measure is that you can't be socially included if you don't have citizenship. You can't be socially included if you can't help decide who represents you in Parliament, if you can't work in our public service, serve in our armed forces, get access to some of the benefits only available to Australian citizens or perform the mutual responsibilities that we expect from our fellow citizens.

The recent debates around citizenship as channelled through the citizenship test arose from the growing, and sometimes legitimate, concerns about the need for greater social cohesion in Australia and the desire to ensure that all Australians understood the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

These are laudable goals. However, the new higher-level citizenship test has hindered rather than helped us attain them. The new test has excluded people who would otherwise make fine Australian citizens on the basis that they haven't quite learned English yet (think of the many Greek and Italian-Australians who helped build this country who would never have become citizens under this test).

The test has made outsiders of people who should be insiders. It has also downgraded the hugely important place of citizenship to sometimes trivial questions about our recent history.

There is a way out of the citizenship conundrum that the newly appointed committee should consider — that is through a teaching rather than a testing policy for applicants from refugee or family reunion backgrounds who have poor English language skills.

The much smaller refugee and humanitarian component of our immigration program was always going to have problems with a higher-level computerised test. Rather than test them and create exclusionary barriers that have disastrous consequence for them as individuals and, more broadly, for Australia's reputation, let's create a teach rather than test exemption for this special-needs category.

Applicants could take classes on the important role of citizenship, on Australia and its people (including an introduction to basic English skills) and when these are successfully completed, they could be conferred with Australian citizenship, without a test being necessary.

In this way Australia would no longer be in breach of its humanitarian obligations to provide our refugees with citizenship (which is actually a core human right under article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights). It would also give our refugees the chance of new hope and a new start rather than the continued uncertainty and hopelessness of being stateless.

Our larger category of skilled migrants would continue to take the current test and no one would be the worse off.

Citizenship is not just about rights and responsibilities, it's an affirmation of belonging. It allows you to travel unhindered with a valid passport, to visit dying loved ones overseas or to attend cultural or religious pilgrimages and return home safely. It's about being able to call Australia your home rather than your residence.

Akoch Manheim of the Sudanese Lost Boys Association said it is hard to "truly express how it feels for a stateless person to receive the privilege of Australian citizenship in a country like Australia. An approximation might be the experience of a person who has battled a serious illness, experiencing the borderline of death, only to recover and resume full health. Citizenship is a gift from God of priceless value." It is only when you talk to people who have been non-citizens that you begin to understand its immense significance.

Reflecting on Australia's national anthem recently, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said: "You've got verses like: For those who come across the seas, we've boundless plains to share. That should be the resolve of any Australian government, unlike the one that we replaced, which seemed to pull up the shutters when it came to our proper international obligations, particularly to refugees who found themselves in real strife."

These were words that gave heart to many people working with migrants and refugees who had previously been used to very mixed messages about the intrinsic value of the migrants and refugees who help make up this country.

Removing the discriminatory barriers from the new citizenship test would be a great place to start if we want to achieve a truly inclusive Australia.

Peter van Vliet is the executive officer of the Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/04/29/1209234860115.html

Focussing on the views of residents of one suburb (Migrant Mix Not Right, 5/2/08) may not reflect the wider Victorian community which generally supports cultural diversity. Some individual areas may also attract people who prefer to live among people from more established backgrounds. Recent VicHealth research with a broader representative sample found that 89% of Victorians think cultural diversity is a good thing. In that research only a minority of Victorians oppose cultural diversity. More can always be done to increase English language teaching and employment and training opportunities for new migrants but Victoria has a proud history of settling people from different backgrounds successfully and harmoniously. Our cultural diversity enriches us socially, culturally and economically. When reading the Monash University people should also consider the VicHealth report

In commemorating Australia day, Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) celebrates the cultural and linguistic diversity that our vibrant multicultural society has been built upon, including the important place of the traditional owners of the land in Australian society. Australians from migrant backgrounds helped build our great nation but many are disadvantaged and face barriers to enjoying the same opportunities as mainstream Australia. After many years of the ‘Multicultural’ word being shunned it was heartening to hear Kevin Rudd state that he would be a Prime Minister for all Australians, including those ‘who have come here from afar and have contributed to the great diversity that is our nation’. Implementing policies that close the gap between the standard of living enjoyed by mainstream Australia and that of some of our culturally and linguistically diverse communities should be a key priority for the new government. On this Australia Day let's focus on the things that unite us--including our cultural diversity and the contribution of our migrant communities which is undoubtedly one of our great strengths.

Victoria's 100,000 international students bring $3 billion into the Victorian economy every year but are made to feel like second class citizens when travelling on our trams, buses and trains. The Victorian Government is now trying to make new laws to prevent international students getting concessions (Herald Sun September 21). These laws will override a complaint we have made under the Equal Opportunity Act. Overseas students deserve a fair go. The Liberals and Greens should block this legislation.

Letter Published In The Herald Sun – 19 May 2007Steve Bracks deserves praise for his great support of migrant communities in Victoria. He was a champion of immigration and cultural diversity and oversaw an important regional migration program in Victoria. Many migrants will remember Steve Bracks fondly for the support he gave us as equal and valued members of the Victorian community. We thank him for his legacy and wish him all the best for the future.

Letter Published In The Herald Sun – 25 January 2007While the new citizenship test may help people learn about Australia there should be exemptions for some refugees and family reunion migrants. If we truly believe in the 'fair go' promoted as an Aussie value in the test we shouldn't deny refugees citizenship because of a lack of English. Refugees need to be supported and encouraged to become part of the Australian family. There should be an exemption for those with genuine learning difficulties. We should teach as well as test!

The Howard Government yesterday dumped the word multicultural affairs from its Ministry. You can remove the ‘M’ word but you can’t remove the reality that Victoria has one of the most successful multicultural societies in the world.

People should be free to celebrate their individual cultural background while uniting as Australian citizens around core values like democracy, the rule of law and love of Australia.

While we welcome the Government’s focus on citizenship, it needs to start thinking about equal citizenship. New migrants need help in employment, education and training so that citizenship is not just about passing history tests then being dumped in unemployment lines

Kicking the latest people off the boat

COUNCILLOR Peter Brown's tirade against Sudanese-Australians (Letters, 9/1) adds to the long tradition of established Australians getting stuck into the latest people off the boat.

Twenty-odd years ago, the media and some politicians labelled Vietnamese-Australians as out-of-control drug dealers. Now many Vietnamese are the pride of the Australian community. Recently arrived Sudanese and Horn of African migrants are now under sustained attack from sections of the media, with a few politicians like Mr Brown and Pauline Hanson adding further fuel to the fire.

It seems now almost every time an African-Australian commits a crime there is a media report on it. But this small refugee community needs our support, not our harassment. The great majority of the community are decent, law abiding people trying to build new lives in Australia. As with all communities, some of the younger men in this community are hot-heads. But this requires a police response, not sermons from politicians.

Cr Brown's critique of the adequacy of the security arrangements and venue on the night of the brawl may be appropriate, but his critique of a small and struggling community is way off the mark. His stated preference that Sudanese from outside Dandenong not congregate in the area is downright racist.

Peter Brown represents one of the most culturally diverse communities in Victoria. He should get on with providing decent settlement and community harmony initiatives rather than attacking a small and struggling community.