CURRENT ISSUES

February 2010: Report highlights research on economic and social contributions of refugees
* Assistant UN High Commissioner calls for end to distorted political debate about refugees
* Former Ambassador for People Smuggling heads UNHCR Executive Committee
* Government introduces new people smuggling legislation

January 2010: Australians honoured for support of refugees
* Asia-Pacific network condemns forced deportations

November 2009: RCOA calls for a gesture of goodwill to Indonesia
* Regional asylum issues and cultural orientation explored at RCOA AGM and Public Forum

October 2009: RCOA urges thoughtful approach to asylum seekers
* Government establishes Council for Immigration Services and Status Resolution
* Prime Minister champions ‘sharing responsibility’ at UNHCR Executive Committee meeting
* Australian Ambassador elected to chair UNHCR Executive Committee
* NSW Health expands services to asylum seekers
* Australian Human Rights Commission releases Christmas Island report

September 2009: Complementary protection legislation introduced
* Government foreshadows changes to refugee settlement services
* Immigration detention debts abolished
* Citizenship test exemption for people affected by torture and trauma
* Senate rejects attempt to reverse abolition of '45 day rule'
* Iraq and Burma lead source countries for refugees in 2008-09

August 2009: Ministers respond to RCOA's plea for action on Sri Lanka crisis
* Senate committee completes inquiry into Detention Reform Bill
* Parliamentary committee recommends improvements to detention facilities
* RCOA reiterates concerns about citizenship test
* ALP retains excision policy in party platform

June/July 2009: New work rights arrangements for asylum seekers
* Crisis in Sri Lanka
* Poorer countries host largest numbers of refugees
* New RCOA study on refugee experience in Asia, Middle East

April/May 2009: Audit Office report on Settlement Grants Program
* Parliamentary Committee report on alternatives to detention
* 2009-10 Federal Budget
* Child's removal investigated
* Boat arrivals need humane response

General information: Refugee Welcome Zones
* Email campaign spreading misinformation about refugees
2008: Details on issues current in 2008

February 2010: Report highlights research on economic and social contributions of refugees

A new RCOA report highlights the entrepreneurial spirit and a strong commitment to education and volunteerism brought to Australia by the 740,000 refugee and humanitarian migrants settled since Federation. Researched and compiled by RCOA for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Economic, Civic and Social Contributions of Refugees and Humanitarian Entrants examines findings of 177 Australian and international research reports and articles. The 90-page report looks at the benefits of Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program, labour force and economic outcomes for former refugees, voluntary work among refugee communities, their contributions to Australian society and the educational and employment outcomes of their Australian-born children.   A public statement about the report is available here. RCOA’s CEO Paul Power was interviewed about the report by "World View" on SBS Radio.

February 2010: Assistant UN High Commissioner calls for end to distorted political debate about refugees

Erika Feller, UNHCR’s Assistant Commissioner for Protection, visited Australia in February, issuing a public call for a more balanced public debate in Australia about refugee policy. She called for “strong, ethical leadership” from politicians to focus discussion not on “the refugee problem” but on the problems faced by refugees. Ms Feller’s comments at a Melbourne forum were covered on ABC Radio’s PM program. She later gave an interview to Radio Australia.  During Ms Feller’s visit, RCOA was one of six NGOs to participate in a roundtable gathering with senior UNHCR and Australian Government officials to discuss Australia’s international involvement in refugee protection issues.

February 2010: Former Ambassador for People Smuggling heads UNHCR Executive Committee

Australia’s former Ambassador for People Smuggling Issues, Peter Woolcott, has been appointed Australia’s new Ambassador in Geneva and elected Chair of UNHCR’s Executive Committee. He replaces Caroline Millar, whose term as Ambassador in Geneva recently ended. Australia’s term as Chair of UNHCR Executive Committee concludes in October. Mr Peter Woolcott has been replaced as Ambassador for People Smuggling Issues by James Larsen, formerly Ambassador to Israel.

February 2010: Australian Government introduces new people smuggling legislation

The Australian Government has introduced new legislation to “strengthen the Commonwealth’s anti-people smuggling legislative framework”. The Anti People Smuggling and Other Measures Bill 2010 will, among other things, establish a new offence of providing material support or resources towards a people smuggling venture and introduce tougher penalties for multiple offences and for actions which involve “exploitation or danger of death or serious harm”.

January 2010: Australians honoured for support of refugees

The Australian Honours List announced on Australia Day 2010 included 10 people whose work in the community has included the support of refugees: Mr Hieu Van Le AO, of Burnside SA, a former refugee from Vietnam who is Lieutenant Governor of SA and chairman of SA Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission; Dr Mohammed Taha Alsalami AM, Fairfield NSW, an active member of Australia’s Iraqi community who has served on the Australian Government’s Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council (1997-2007) and Immigration Detention Advisory Group (2001-09); the Hon Bruce Baird AM, Queenscliff NSW, former Federal MP and NSW Government minister and now chair of the Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council; Professor Jude Butcher AM, of Burwood NSW, founder and chair of the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education since 1992; Mr Ken Habak OAM, Corrimal NSW, Chairperson of Illawarra Ethnic Communities Council since 2001; Ms Margaret McGregor OAM, Kensington SA, who has supported immigration detainees, asylum seekers and refugees through the Circle of Friends and other networks; Ms Denise Nichols OAM, of Montmorency Vic, who has worked for 20 years with international aid and refugee programs through agencies including Oxfam, International Needs Australia, AngliCORD, Jesuit Refugee Service and International Women’s Development Agency; Mrs Frances Orford OAM, of Bunya Qld, who has supported refugee entrants as coordinator of ESL programs at Yeronga State High School; Mr Erwin Richter OAM, of Wagga Wagga NSW, who has coordinated refugee support programs through the Lutheran Church; and Mr Anthony Sukari OAM, Thornleigh NSW, whose community roles have included being Chairperson of MigrantLINK.
The Australian of the Year for 2010 is Professor Patrick McGorry of University of Melbourne, an international leader in youth mental health, who has worked extensively with survivors of torture and detainees in immigration detention.

January 2010: Asia-Pacific network condemns forced deportations

RCOA has joined fellow members of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and other organisations in signing a joint statement on the principle of non-refoulement in response to the recent forced deportations of the Uighurs from Cambodia and the Lao Hmong from Thailand. The statement calls on all governments in the Asia-Pacific region to resolve to fully respect the rights of all refugees and asylum seekers under international law as of 2010, including by renouncing the practice of refoulement (forcible deportation of refugees and asylum seekers). Read the joint statement here.

November 2009: RCOA calls for a gesture of goodwill to Indonesia

In November 2009, RCOA issued two statements, responding to the unfolding situation of asylum seekers and refugees in Indonesia.
On November 8, RCOA called upon the Australian Government to act urgently to resolve the Oceanic Viking impasse, emphasising the importance of finding prompt resettlement options for the refugees involved and calling for greater regional cooperation on refugee protection.
On November 17, in response to media reports that the Indonesian Government was considering returning asylum seekers whose claims were yet to be examined, RCOA urged the Australian Government to take action to prevent the return of asylum seekers aboard the Merak boat to situations of persecution. At the RCOA Annual General Meeting in Melbourne on that day, RCOA’s members supported a resolution calling for the Australian Government to make an immediate allocation of 500 additional refugee resettlement places, as a practical gesture of Australia’s preparedness to work constructively with Indonesia to find solutions for refugees in the region.

November 2009: Regional asylum issues and cultural orientation explored at RCOA AGM and Public Forum

On Tuesday 17 November, the Refugee Council of Australia held its Annual General Meeting at Melbourne's Multicultural Hub, with the nature of Australia's engagement with Indonesia on asylum seeker issues and the question of post-arrival cultural orientation for refugees explored at public forums held in conjunction with the AGM. Five board positions were up for election, with existing board members returned to each position for another two years - John Gibson (president), Sky de Jersey (secretary), Dr Melika Sheikh-Eldin, Paris Aristotle and Jenny Semple. Motions moved at the AGM included a call for the Australian Government to make an immediate allocation of 500 additional resettlement places (see item above) and a call for the needs of people in protracted refugee situations in Africa and elsewhere not to be forgotten in discussions about Australia's resettlement priorities. Speakers at the public forum on regional cooperation were Professor James Hathaway (Melbourne University Law School), Dr Savitri Taylor, (La Trobe University) and Dr Elizabeth Biok (RCOA Board), while those speaking on cultural orientation for refugees were Haileluel Gebre-Selassie (2008 Churchill Fellow), Annerose Reiner (Foundation House) and Margaret Neil (ACCES Services Inc). A synopsis of the forum can be downloaded here.

October 2009: RCOA urges thoughtful and considered approach to asylum seekers

Throughout the often shrill public debate about asylum seekers arriving by boat, RCOA, through countless media interviews, has been urging a thoughtful and considered approach which respects the rights of vulnerable people.  RCOA president John Gibson addressed the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA) Congress in Shepparton on October 29, outlining the features of Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, including the movement away over recent years from a punitive system based essentially on deterrence. He built on a public statement RCOA issued on October 17 warning against scaremongering about asylum seekers.  RCOA has expressed the view that any new regional arrangements between Australia and Indonesia must involve UNHCR and include minimum standards of fair and humane reception, credible refugee status determination (including guaranteed non-refoulement) and resettlement within a reasonable timeframe for those found to be refugees.

October 2009: Government establishes Council for Immigration Services and Status Resolution

The Australian Government has established a new Council for Immigration Services and Status Resolution to provide independent advice on the implementation of the government’s immigration policy initiatives, including New Directions in Detention and the national rollout of the Community Status
Resolution Service. The council will be chaired by Paris Aristotle AM, director of the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture and a former member of Immigration Detention Advisory Group. For details on the council, see http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2009/ce09094.htm

October 2009: Prime Minister champions ‘sharing responsibility’ at UNHCR Executive Committee meeting

UNHCR’s recent Executive Committee meeting in Geneva – the main annual meeting of the body which governs UNHCR – opened with an address by video conference from Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. In his speech, Prime Minister Rudd commended the work of the UNHCR and highlighted that “Governments must continue to work together and support the efforts of UNHCR. … We must support them, and indeed each other, by sharing the responsibility”. The Prime Minister again reiterated the need for sharing responsibility and sharing the burden in his concluding remarks: that nations “face a
challenging future. But one thing we do know from experience is that lasting solutions can be achieved through global cooperation. Working together with UNHCR - sharing responsibility and sharing the burden - we can build on the legacy of achievements to date, to meet the challenges of displacement and give people back their normal lives”. The text of Mr Rudd’s speech is available at http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/resources/unhcr.html#2009

October 2009: Australian Ambassador elected to chair UNHCR Executive Committee

Australia’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Caroline Millar, has been elected as Chair of UNHCR’s Executive Committee for the coming year. Ms Millar said she will actively engage with UNHCR to support its efforts in finding practical solutions to restore normality to the lives of the displaced of the world. Ms Millar has wide-ranging experience in refugee issues. She is the outgoing Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee and was previously Australia’s Ambassador for People Smuggling. “From these roles I have gained an understanding of the impact of displacement on people’s lives and the tragedy that can occur when some of the world’s most vulnerable people are subject to exploitation,” said Ms Millar. “I will work with UNHCR and the international community to address protracted refugee situations and to find durable solutions to existing situations.”

October 2009: NSW Health expands services to asylum seekers

NSW Health has revised its policy on medical treatment of asylum seekers, approving fee waivers for specified public health services to community-based asylum seekers who are Medicare ineligible. Inclusions are: emergency care for acute medical and surgical conditions (including admission); elective surgery for conditions listed as Clinical Priority Categories 1 and 2; ambulatory and outpatient care required to maintain health status of asylum seekers with acute and chronic health conditions (e.g. diabetes); maternity services, including antenatal care; and mental health services (inpatient and community based). Compliance by Area Health Services with the new policy is mandatory.

October 2009: Australian Human Rights Commission releases Christmas Island report

The Australian Human Rights Commission has reiterated its concerns about the detention and processing of asylum seekers on Christmas Island in its latest report on detention arrangements on the island. The report, compiled after the Commission’s visit to Christmas Island in July, raises concerns about asylum seekers being held on a remote territory with limited access to essential services such as legal assistance, health care, torture and trauma counselling and religious support. The Commission recommends the scrapping of the policy which sees asylum seekers arriving in excised offshore places barred from the mainland’s refugee status determination system, noting that asylum seekers in excised zones go through a ‘non-statutory’ process with no access to the Refugee Review Tribunal and very limited access to courts.
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, responded to the Australian Human Rights Commission report with a statement confirming the government's intention to retain the excision policy.

September 2009: Complementary Protection legislation introduced

The Australian Parliament is reviewing legislation to introduce a system of complementary protection, to consider the needs of people facing persecution on grounds which fall outside the Refugee Convention but are included in other human rights treaties. The Refugee Convention restricts protection to people facing persecution on the grounds of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. Under current arrangements, there is no clear process for people who may face persecution, torture or death on other grounds - other than to seek the intervention of the Immigration Minister after all other avenues have failed. On September 7, the Rudd Government introduced the Migration Amendment (Complementary Protection) Bill 2009, to address Australia's responsibilities under the Convention Against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. RCOA has written to all Federal MPs and Senators, encouraging them to support the Bill. RCOA has been promoting awareness of the need for a better system of complementary protection, including a model for an Australian system of complementary protection in 2004 and a position paper on the issue in 2002. The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee is conducting an inquiryinto the Bill. RCOA has lodged a submission, expressing support for the Bill and outlining some recommended improvements.

September 2009: Government foreshadows changes to refugee settlement services

Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, Laurie Ferguson, has foreshadowed changes to on-arrival refugee settlement services, following recent national consultations about the future of the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS). Speaking in Brisbane, Mr Ferguson said IHSS was good at meeting immediate needs but less successful at creating sustainable settlement outcomes. He said the Government was considering a new settlement framework, “to provide a continuum from offshore to onshore to deliver long-term sustainable settlement outcomes”.

September 2009: Immigration detention debts abolished

On September 8, the Australian Senate passed the Migration Amendment (Abolishing Detention Debt) Bill, ending months of political debate about the policy of charging people for their time in immigration detention centres. The policy was introduced by the Keating Labor Government in 1992, maintained by the Howard Coalition Government and had proven to be both highly ineffective and heartless. It failed in its stated goal of recovering costs but still managed to put a heavy burden on many people ultimately given residency in Australia. As a deterrent, it also failed, as the policy was largely unknown internationally or domestically. The legislation passed with the support of Labor, Greens, Independent and Family First Senators and Victorian Liberal Senator Judith Troeth. In June, four Liberal MPs also supported the legislation in the House of Representatives. To view RCOA’s statement on the issue, click here.

September 2009: Citizenship test exemption for people affected by torture and trauma

People who have a “permanent or enduring physical or mental incapacity” will, from November 9, be exempted from the Australian Citizenship Test, following the passage of the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Test Review and Other Measures) Bill through the Australian Parliament. Aimed primarily at providing a citizenship pathway for people who have suffered torture and trauma, particularly refugee and humanitarian entrants, this section of the Bill was amended following debate within the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee. The Bill originally provided for an exemption for people who had “suffered torture and trauma outside Australia”. The Coalition opposed this, suggesting in the Senate Committee’s report that the definition of trauma was so vague “it is almost meaningless and could open the floodgates”. The Greens argued (ultimately successfully) that the exemption be expanded to include people who have suffered significant trauma while in Australia, a position also put forward in the RCOA submission to the Committee. For more information, see the Minister's explanation of the legislation, information from the Senate Committee inquiry and RCOA's submission.

September 2009: Senate rejects attempt to reverse abolition of '45 day rule'

The Senate has rejected a Liberal Party motion to disallow changes to asylum seekers' access to employment and Medicare services. New regulations introduced by Immigration Minister Chris Evans from July 1 replaced the old "45 day rule" with a system which allows more categories of asylum seekers who comply with the Migration Act to support themselves and have access to basic health care while their status is resolved. Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells introduced a motion to disallow the regulation but this was defeated on September 8 with the support of Labor, Greens, Independent and Family First Senators and Victorian Liberal Senator Judith Troeth. Prior to the vote, RCOA wrote to all Senators encouraging them to vote against the motion.

September 2009: Iraq and Burma lead sources countries for refugees in 2008-09

The Australian Government achieved its target of issuing 13,500 Refugee and Humanitarian visas in 2008-09. In all, 13,507 visas were granted - 11,010 offshore Refugee and Humanitarian visas and 2,497 onshore Protection visas. For the offshore program, visa grants were divided evenly between Africa, Asia and the Middle East (including south-west Asia), with 33 per cent each. The 10 leading source countries for offshore Refugee and Humanitarian visas were: Iraq 2,874; Burma 2,412; Afghanistan 847; Sudan 631; Bhutan 616; Ethiopia 478; Democratic Republic of Congo 463; Somalia 456; Liberia 387; and Sierra Leone 363. The Refugee and Humanitarian Program quota for 2010 is 13,750 places. For more information, see the Immigration Minister's statement.

August 2009: Ministers respond to RCOA's plea for action on Sri Lanka crisis

The Ministers for Immigration and Foreign Affairs have responded to RCOA's letter in June about the crisis in Sri Lanka. In his response, Immigration Minister Chris Evans outlines the Government's attitude to granting Humanitarian visas to Sri Lankan citizens affected by the crisis and to the return of Sri Lankans whose claims for asylum have failed. Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith outlines the Government's diplomatic and humanitarian aid responses to the crisis.

August 2009: Senate committee completes inquiry into Detention Reform Bill

The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee has completed its inquiry into the Immigration Detention Reform Bill, taking up some concerns raised by RCOA and other organisations. The Bill's stated aim is to put into legislative effect the "Detention Values" announced by Immigration Minister Chris Evans in July 2008. RCOA has raised concerns (through its submission and at the August 7 public hearing) about the absence of some of the values from the legislation and some provisions which are at odds with these values. Our concerns include: the need for an independent guardian for unaccompanied children; the lack of clarity about which aspects of the legislation apply to people detained on Christmas Island; the stipulation that resolution of a non-citizen's immigration status can be a purpose of detention; the absence of a requirement to release a detainee once there is no further basis to detain; the lack of clarity as to how discretionary decisions to detain are to be made; and the need for judicial review of detention. The Senate committee's report recommends eight changes to the Bill. The Liberal and Greens Senators have put forward separate minority reports, with the Liberals expressing opposition to the legislation and the Greens putting the case for additional changes.

August 2009: Parliamentary committee recommends improvements to detention facilities

The Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Migration has completed its inquiry into immigration detention with a third report, making 11 recommendations on detention facilities, services and transparency. These include: reconstruction of Stage 1 at Villawood detention centre; the upgrading of Perth detention centre; the removal of caged walkways, perspex barriers and electrified fencing from Christmas Island's North West Point detention centre; and the removal of razor wire from all immigration detention centres. The committee also recommends that: wherever feasible, immigration residential housing be used in lieu of detention; physical and mental health facilities be upgraded on Christmas Island; and the Australian National Audit Office be engaged to review detention services and facilities. Additional recommendations relate to public release of information and access to detention centres by the Australian Human Rights Commission and the media. Liberal MP Petro Georgiou and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young put forward separate dissenting reports, raising concerns about children being housed in detention facilities, the standard of facilities at Christmas Island's Phosphate Hill detention centre, the absence of judicial review of decisions to detain and the need for an Immigration Detention Health Review Commission. Liberal Shadow Minister Sharman Stone refused to endorse the committee report, arguing that she joined the committee too late to hear much of the evidence and has not received information that she has requested from Government.

August 2009: RCOA reiterates concerns about citizenship test

RCOA has reiterated its concerns about the Australian citizenship test in a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee inquiry into proposed changes to citizenship test legislation. We expressed our view that the citizenship test is an inappropriate method of determining whether a person is ready for Australian citizenship and that results from the first 18 months of the test's operation had confirmed our original fears that the test would discriminate against refugees and humanitarian entrants. However, we noted that the limited changes proposed are improvements to the original test arrangements introduced in 2007, particularly the test exemption for people who have experienced torture or trauma.

August 2009: ALP retains excision policy in party platform

The Australian Labor Party's biennial National Conference has reiterated the party's support for retaining the excision policy. Despite efforts of some party members to remove the policy which excises Australian offshore islands from the migration zone and applies a different visa processing system for asylum seekers outside the migration zone, the policy remained part of the ALP platform passed by the conference in Sydney on August 1. Resolutions of the ALP national conference will form the core of the ALP's platform for the 2010 Federal election. The sections on immigration policy, citizenship and cultural diversity can be found here. On August 18, Immigration Minister Chris Evans declared that the Christmas Island, in a response to the latest report from the Joint Standing Committee on Migration.

July 2009: New work rights arrangements for asylum seekers

After years of lobbying by many organisations and community members, modifications to asylum seekers' eligibility for work rights and their access to Medicare came into effect on July 1. The stated intent of the changes is to allow those who comply with the Migration Act to support themselves while awaiting a substantive outcome. Under the new arrangements, many of those who were previously prevented from working because they had sought protection after having been in Australia for more than 45 days in the previous 12 months, are now either eligible to work or to apply for permission to work. Some asylum seekers will still need to demonstrate a compelling need to work and good cause for delayed lodgement (lack of access to migration advice is cited as an example of an explanation that is unlikely to be deemed acceptable). It seems that those who are litigating, and who have previously been affected by the 45-day rule, will remain ineligible for work rights. For more information on the new arrangements, see information from the Immigration Department website.

June 2009: RCOA appeals for greater support for victims of Sri Lanka crisis

The severity of the crisis in Sri Lanka has prompted RCOA to write to the Australian Ministers for Immigration and Foreign Affairs, asking for the Australian Government to increase its support to victims of the crisis. In a letter to Ministers Chris Evans and Stephen Smith, RCOA president John Gibson asked for the Government to:
* Expedite the processing of family reunion visa applications by members of the Australian Tamil and other Sri Lankan community members with heightened family concerns;
* Allocate additional settlement places for Tamil and other Sri Lankans of humanitarian concern under the 2009-10 intake (through the In-country Special Humanitarian visa sub-class 201);
* Refrain from removing Sri Lankan asylum seekers until conditions have improved within Sri Lanka;
* Allocate additional financial assistance to UNHCR to support its activities within Sri Lanka; and
* Join other countries in seeking to encourage the Sri Lankan Government to: allow UNHCR and other international agencies unrestricted access to all IDP camps; release, or expedite trials for, all detained civilians against whom charges have not been laid; and release the findings of its inquiry into serious human rights abuses and prosecute individuals who have authorised, carried out or been complicit in extra-judicial executions, disappearances and other human rights violations.
See RCOA's statement on this issue.

June 2009: Poorer countries continue to host largest number of refugees

June 2009: New RCOA study sheds light on experiences of refugees in countries of first asylum

In Refugee Week, RCOA released a new research report, The Search for Protection: Resettled refugees reflect on seeking asylum in Asia and the Middle East, documenting the experiences, in camps and urban settings, of refugees in countries of first asylum. Written by Lia Kent and Dr Jamileh Abu Duhou and supported by Caritas Australia, the report brings together first-hand accounts from interviews and focus group discussions of Chin, Karen and Iraqi refugees and humanitarian entrants to Australia. It explores individuals' experiences in relation to protection, highlighting the impacts of discrimination, exploitation and corruption. The report also documents respondents' suggestions for addressing these protection-related issues, including their recommendations for NGOs. To access the report, click here.

May 2009: Audit Office recommends improvements to Settlement Grants Program

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has released a report of its investigation of Settlement Grants Program (SGP) administered by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). ANAO concludes that the program is generally well managed but makes six recommendations for improvements to DIAC's management of SGP. Criticisms include:
* a failure to develop or implement an effective performance management to monitor the performance of individual projects and the whole program;
* the need to provide more meaningful settlement needs information to assist applicants; and
* poor documentation of the basis of funding recommendations.
RCOA was consulted by ANAO and raised concerns about the high percentage of one-year grants under SGP and the very late notice given to SGP providers prior to the beginning of the new funding year. The report notes that organisations apply for funding seven months prior to the funding announcement and are given notice of funding decisions only one month prior to the new financial year. Commenting on the high proportion of one-year grants (62%), ANAO notes: "Short term grants impact on grant recipients in terms of, inter alia, decreased ability to plan, difficulty attracting and retaining competent staff and disruptions to service provision. There is also an administrative impact on DIAC of granting a higher percentage of one year grants." ANAO suggests DIAC review the balance of one-year and multi-year grants. The full report can be viewed here.
On May 29, the Federal Government announced $34 million in funding for the Settlement Grants Program in 2009-10. For the full list of grant recipients, click here.

May 2009: Parliamentary Committee recommends changes to bridging visa system

The Federal Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Migration has released its second report, "Community-based alternatives to detention". The majority report, supported by four Labor Parliamentarians and Liberal MP Danna Vale, made 12 recommendations, including:
* Reform of the bridging visa system, enabling it to be used in lieu of community detention until a person's immigration status is resolved;
* Providing information on grounds for refusal of bridging visas and access to merits review;
* Improved access to means-tested migration counselling and legal advice;
* Providing indicative processing times and criteria for the ministerial discretion process and providing reasons for ministerial decisions;
* Establishing an ongoing voluntary repatriation program, accessible to people in detention or on bridging visas;
* Ensuring bridging visa holders have, where needed, access to health care, basic income assistance, housing support and community orientation information;
* Ensuring that children have access to appropriate accommodation with their guardian, basic necessities such as food, health care and schooling;
* Allowing all adults on bridging visas to work, conditional on compliance with reporting requirements;
* Developing a stock of open immigration housing for bridging visa holders unable to meet their own housing needs.
Liberal MP Petro Georgiou and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young supported these recommendations but raised concerns about children being detained in alternative forms of detention, addressed the need for judicial review of decisions regarding bridging visas to increase transparency and advocated for enhanced access to legal advice. Liberal Shadow Immigration Minister Dr Sharman Stone opposed some of the main recommendations, saying that the committee report "fails to send a message to people smugglers that Australia should not be targeted as a favoured destination". The fourth Liberal on the committee, Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, said she was unable to endorse the report conclusions as, having joined the committee only in February, she had not participated in the majority of the inquiry process.
The committee's third report later this year will focus on transparency, infrastructure and service provision under the immigration detention system. The "Community-based alternatives to detention" report can be viewed here.

May 2009: Federal Budget changes build fairer refugee determination process

RCOA has welcomed changes announced in the 2009-10 Budget which increase the fairness of Australia's treatment of people seeking refugee status and improve planning of the refugee resettlement program. See our media release and analysis of what the Budget means for refugees.

May 2009: Investigation into child’s removal ordered following Ombudsman’s report

The Commonwealth Ombudsman has released a report into the circumstances of the 2003 removal from Australia of the seven-year-old daughter of an Iranian asylum seeker who was being held at Baxter Immigration Detention Centre (IDC).  The child was return to Iran without permission of her father, who was her legal guardian and was being held in solitary confinement at Baxter IDC.  In July 2005, the Immigration Department released the father from immigration detention on a Temporary Protection Visa and billed him $288,608 for his four years in detention and for his daughter’s detention and removal. The Ombudsman found that the Department deceived the child’s father, acted against its own legal advice, failed to find out the child’s wishes (possibly breaching its obligations under the Convention of the Rights of the Child), ignored advice from the then SA Department of Family and Youth Services, possibly breached the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct and acted at odds with the Migration Act by recording the removal as voluntary.  In response, Immigration Minister Chris Evans has ordered an internal DIAC investigation of the case and of policies relating to the management of children of immigration detainees, apologise to both the father and the daughter, investigate compensation options and assist the daughter and her mother in any efforts to migrate from Iran to Australia.  The Minister said that the father’s $288,608 detention debt (since written off) would be formally extinguished if his current legislation on detention debts was passed by the Parliament.  For more details on this case, see:

April 2009: Refugee Council calls for humane and moral response to unauthorised boat arrivals

RCOA has called for strong moral leadership on asylum policy and urged the Opposition to abandon its call for a return to the cruel and counterproductive Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) regime, which inflicted intense suffering on people known to be refugees, failed in its attempt to deter people smuggling, and attracted widespread international condemnation. See our media releases.

Refugee Welcome Zones

Email campaign spreads misinformation about benefits to refugees

The Refugee Council of Australia has called on Australians to ignore an email which continues to be circulated nationally and claims that a single refugee receives $1458 more per month than an aged pensioner. For more details, click here.

For issues current last year, see our 2008 Issues page