NATIONAL SETTLEMENT POLICY NETWORK (SPN) TELECONFERENCE REPORT Wednesday 2 October 2013
Settlement policies: Where to from here? Advocacy priorities for the settlement sector under a new Government INTRODUCTION Settlement Policy Network (SPN) teleconferences provide an opportunity for RCOA and SCOA members to hear from guest speakers with expertise in particular areas of settlement policy, raise issues of concern, share ideas for ways forward and participate in planning joint advocacy on settlement issues. The election of a new Australian Government in September 2013 will result in significant changes to national settlement policy priorities and programs. The SPN teleconference held on 2 October 2013 provided an opportunity to reflect on some likely or possible changes and to begin setting strategic, proactive sector advocacy priorities aimed at influencing future settlement policies.
PRESENTATIONS Paul Power, Refugee Council of Australia • As outlined in the background paper, recent and upcoming policy changes impacting on the settlement sector include: changes to portfolio responsibilities for settlement services; the slated reduction of the Refugee and Humanitarian Program to 13,750 places (with the composition of the program yet to be determined but expected to be heavily skewed towards resettlement); offshore processing of all asylum seekers who arrive by boat after 19 July 2013; the reintroduction of Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs); and changes to the refugee status determination process. • Since the background paper for this teleconference was published, RCOA has received clarification as to the difference between “ethnic affairs” (within the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, or DIBP) and “multicultural affairs” (within the Department of Social Services, or DSS). Half of the former DIAC community liaison officers will remain within DIBP to assist the Minister in maintaining contact with communities in relation to visas, status resolution, citizenship and messaging on border protection, while the other half will move to DSS to administer multicultural affairs programs (such as the Diversity and Social Cohesion Program). • It was noted that there may be opportunities for positive engagement with the new Government on settlement issues, given that the previous Coalition Government was largely responsible for Australia’s current settlement services model and injected a significant amount of funding into the settlement sector.
Ramesh Kumar, General Manager SASP, AMES • AMES and its consortium partners are contracted to provide the full spectrum of services to asylum seekers, refugees and humanitarian entrants (ASAS, CAS, CD, HSS and SGP) and thus has a unique insight into the issues experienced by these groups at various stages of the asylum seeking and settlement process. • AMES’ concerns about recent and upcoming policy changes fall into three categories: o The impacts on asylum seekers and refugees, particularly asylum seekers who are living in the community without work rights and who no longer have access to permanent residency if found to be refugees. It is expected that the Government’s new policies will have a drastic impact on the physical and mental health of these asylum seekers. They are living in entrenched poverty, are very anxious about their status and their prospects of being reunited with the families and are losing hope. Even if they are found to be refugees, it will be very difficult for these groups to rebuild their lives and contribute to Australian society under the conditions imposed by TPVs. o The impacts on workers and the settlement sector more broadly. The redistribution of portfolio responsibilities may result in the fragmentation of settlement services, as overall humanitarian planning will remain with DIBP while settlement services will be moved to DSS and English language tuition will be moved to the Department of Industry. One of the key reasons why Australia’s settlement services are so successful is because the services are integrated. Splitting the services between different departments may lead to services becoming disjointed, disaggregated and disconnected. While there may be some benefits to moving settlement services to DSS, it will be important to protect the integrity and identity of specialist settlement services. o The impacts on Australian society more broadly. AMES is already seeing increased incidences of unprovoked violence against its clients, which it suspects is linked to negative public perceptions of refugees and asylum seekers. There is a perception that asylum seekers are coming in huge numbers and that they are dipping into resources needed by other disadvantaged groups. There is also general fatigue amongst charities on whom asylum seekers in the community have been relying for basics such as food and household items. • Suggested priorities for advocacy with the new Government included: o Seeking clarity on the situation of people who arrived after 19 July 2013 but will not immediately be sent to Nauru or Papua New Guinea due to limited capacity. There are concerns that this may result in asylum seekers spending prolonged periods in closed detention, the impacts of which can be highly damaging and sometimes irreparable. o Highlighting the decades of experience, community connections and “cultural intelligence” of the settlement sector and encouraging the Government to work closely with the sector to develop more constructive settlement policies. Violet Roumeliotis, CEO, Settlement Services International • Services working with refugees and asylum seekers have always worked within a highlycharged political environment and have always faced the challenge of providing services in accordance with the policies of the government of the day while still adhering to the mission of their respective organisations. • Over the past 10 to 15 years, organisations in the sector have faced significant dilemmas regarding their capacity to advocate, which has limited the sector’s ability to drive issues forward. • One of the greatest strengths of Australia’s settlement model is that newly-arrived refugees have immediate access to a whole suite of services and have the same entitlements as other permanent residents to health care, income support, education, etc. This is part of the reason why refugee entrants in Australia do not experience hate crimes and marginalisation to the degree seen in other countries. In light of this, the reintroduction of TPVs, and the associated reduction in access to settlement services and other forms of support, is very problematic.
• There has been a progressive shift in recent years towards a more integrated service provision model to facilitate a smoother transition between the asylum seeking process and permanent settlement. While moving settlement services to DSS may bring great opportunities, it will be important to ensure that this smooth transition between different stages in the process is maintained and the specialisation of settlement service delivery remains a priority. • The differential treatment of different groups of refugees based on their mode of arrival may have significant impacts at a social level. If people are spending several years in the Australian community without adequate settlement support, living below the poverty line and with no access to family reunion, their capacity to settle successfully will be seriously undermined.
DISCUSSION Questions to ask the new Government • Asylum seekers: o When will processing recommence for the post-13 August, pre-19 July cohort of asylum seekers? o When will the proposed audit of Australia’s refugee status determination system commence? o Can the Government provide more detailed information about its proposed fast-track refugee status determination process (e.g. a flow chart)? o Will the slated changes regarding access to the Refugee Review Tribunal be legislative or administrative? o Does the Government intend to grant work rights to asylum seekers in the community who currently lack them? o What will happen to asylum seekers who arrived by boat after 19 July 2013 but will not be immediately transferred to Nauru and Papua New Guinea due to lack of capacity in offshore processing facilities? • TPVs: o Will TPV holders have access to SGP services and, if so, will additional funding be provided to SGP services to compensate for the likely increase in caseload? o Will TPV holders have access to Commonwealth-funded health care services (.g. hearing, disability) in addition to Medicare? • Refugee and Humanitarian Program: o What are the Government’s plans regarding the structure and composition of the Refugee and Humanitarian Program, including both the target countries of origin and asylum for the offshore resettlement program and the breakdown of the program by visa category? o What are the Government’s plans regarding settlement of humanitarian entrants in rural and regional areas of Australia? o What are the Government’s plans regarding the Community Proposal Pilot? • Funding of services: o What is the current status of the Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) tender? o When will the application process for the next SGP funding round commence? o Will the recently-announced funding cuts to social services be extended to settlement services as well? • Changes to portfolio responsibilities: o Will responsibility for torture and trauma services remain with the Department of Health? o Which department will have responsibility for the Translating and Interpreting Service? o How will DIBP, DSS and the Department of Industry work together to coordinate settlement service delivery and facilitate smooth transitions between different stages of the asylum seeking and settlement process?
o Will the priorities, content and focus of the AMEP be affected as a result of the program moving to the Department of Industry? Key messages and advocacy priorities • The effectiveness of Australia’s settlement service model and the importance both of maintaining specialised settlement services and ensuring access to these services. • The positive contributions that people who arrived as asylum seekers have made to Australia and the waste of human capital that results from policies which hamper successful settlement. • The importance of maintaining a clear and constructive policy on multiculturalism. • The need to shift from a time-limited model of settlement service delivery to a needs-based model, under which eligibility for services would be based on an individual’s needs rather than an arbitrary time limit. • The importance of transparency in the implementation of the Government’s new suite of asylum policies, particularly offshore processing and the various measures which form part of “Operation Sovereign Borders”. • The inadequacy of the initial health assessment undertaken before asylum seekers are transferred to Nauru and Papua New Guinea (it was noted that this issue is also of concern to the Immigration Health Advisory Group). • The likely impact of the TPV policy in terms of demand for services on state and local governments. • The rationale for reintroducing TPVs given that offshore processing has essentially made TPVs redundant as a deterrent. • The broader social impact of the language used by the Government to describe asylum seekers, particularly with regards to the increase in violence towards people seeking asylum. • The situation of refugees facing indefinite detention due to adverse security assessments, particularly in light of the recent UN ruling on this issue and the termination of the Margaret Stone review process. • The importance of upholding Australia’s international obligations (although it was noted that the language of human rights and social justice tends not to have a lot of traction in Australia).
RCOA UPDATE RCOA has launched a new publication called Bright Ideas, which highlights innovative programs, initiatives and projects developed to support refugees, asylum seekers and other humanitarian entrants. The five Bright Ideas briefs published thus far can be downloaded at http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/brightideas.php. RCOA is also interested to hear from SPN members about projects and initiatives that could be profiled through Bright Ideas. RCOA is currently conducting a national research project on the issues and challenges faced by asylum seekers and people from refugee backgrounds in securing affordable, appropriate and sustainable housing and the strategies which are most effective in assisting them to do so. Consultations with community groups, service providers and individual asylum seekers living in the community on Bridging Visas are currently underway across Australia and a literature review has recently been published on the RCOA website (http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/r/rpt/1309_HousingLitRev.pdf). RCOA’s annual national consultations on the Refugee and Humanitarian Program will be taking place throughout October and November. Further information about the consultation process, including a discussion paper and national calendar of consultation sessions, can be found at http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/r/isub.php.
SPN members interested in receiving regular updates on recent policy developments and other issues can join RCOA’s mailing list by sending an e-mail to
[email protected] with “Subscribe” in the subject line.
SCOA UPDATE The national settlement service standards will be a major focus of SCOA’s work over the next few months. SCOA is also in exploring the possibility of developing a research portal to share research and academic publications on settlement issues. SPN members interested in receiving news and information about settlement issues and policy can join SCOA’s mailing list by sending an e-mail to
[email protected].
NEXT STEPS Both RCOA and SCOA are planning to meet with the new Ministers responsible for the various aspects of settlement policy over the coming months. The ideas and feedback gathered through this teleconference will be used as a basis for advocacy with these and other Government representatives. RCOA and SCOA will also seek information on the questions put forward by SPN members. It is hoped that one of the relevant Ministers will be able to attend the final SPN teleconference of the year to answer additional questions and provide further information on the Government’s settlement policies.
