ANNUAL SUBMISSION ON REFUGEE PROGRAM
The national consultation process
Each year, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) invites
people from across Australia to participate in its annual national consultations
on the future of Australia's refugee and humanitarian program. These consultations
inform RCOA's annual submission to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
on issues the Australian Government should consider in planning the coming year's
refugee program.
The 2010 submission
During November and December 2009, a national consultation process was held across eight states and territories, involving more than 430 people from 33 cities and towns. Participants included refugee and humanitarian entrants from at least 17 countries of origin and representatives of more than 180 organisations. Consultation participants were invited to respond to questions in a discussion paper which RCOA circulated prior to and during the consultation process. An abridged version of the discussion paper was also circulated.
The Refugee Council's submission, Australia's Refugee and Humanitarian Program 2010-11: Community views on current challenges and future directions, includes community views on the planning of the Refugee and Humanitarian Program, visa processing and asylum policy concerns and a wide variety of settlement issues for refugees, as well as thoughts about how the refugee program could be better promoted to the Australian public. The 139-page submission also draws together key statistics on Australian immigration, global refugee needs and resettlement trends. It makes 58 recommendations to government, providing concrete planning suggestions for how Australia’s refugee program and recommendations on issues as diverse as post-arrival orientation, employment and family support. RCOA presented the submission to Immigration Minister Chris Evans on January 27, 2010 at the Minister’s annual meeting with peak bodies and national organisations. The submission was released publicly in February 2010. It will form the basis of RCOA's advocacy with the Government during 2010.
RCOA appreciates the support of the 38 organisations which hosted local consultations and the hundreds of people who participated.
Previous Submissions
To view the Refugee Council's previous submissions on Australia's
Refugee and Humanitarian Program, click on the links below:
• Refugee and Humanitarian Program 2009-10
• Refugee
and Humanitarian Program 2008-09
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