Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too wish to speak on the Immigration (Education) Amendment (Expanding Access to English Tuition) Bill 2020. The longstanding Adult Migrant English Program has been one of this country's most successful settlement support programs, and we welcome any moves to enhance and extend it. Being able to speak, listen, respond, read and write in English is fundamental to successful settlement in Australia. It enables the opportunity to work, to undertake further training or education, to function in daily life and to establish meaningful relationships with neighbours and others in the broader community. It's important, however, to emphasise that while learning English is very important we should not penalise those who have difficulty in learning the language to an arbitrary standard. Many of us who make the laws of this land have never had to learn a second, third or subsequent language, especially in adulthood, and cannot begin to presume the difficulties that such a task involves.

In relation to the AMEP, this program is not only a vital service for its role in language education; it's also a key gateway to broader settlement. Adult English language classes provide a valuable place to learn about how Australian society works, what other services and supports are available, where to start when trying to get financial advice or medical advice, where to look for a job or how to look for a job, and how to meet people within the broader community. None of this advice is provided in an official capacity, of course, but the regular contact with English teachers, and even with fellow students, provides an important informal support and advice network. We need to be mindful that successful settlement involves much more than just sentence structure and a few key phrases of English.

I think that we're all in agreement that the Adult Migrant English Program is a vital and an invaluable program. It's therefore of the utmost importance that it's properly funded and supported to deliver the best possible service. Unfortunately, this does not seem to have been the case in recent years. Changes made in 2017 to the structure, funding and curriculum of the AMEP have to date proved to be unhelpful and in urgent need of re-evaluation. Both the Social Compass evaluation for the Department of Home Affairs of August 2019 and a critique by the Scanlon Foundation in June 2019 found a great deal of dissatisfaction and perceived inefficiencies brought about by the changes to the AMEP.

The amendments in the bill before us will ostensibly provide greater flexibility and extend access to English language classes, including the removal of the 510-hour entitlement cap, extended eligibility, removal of time limits for registration and allowing for the provision of tuition offshore. These changes will allow for greater access to free English tuition for students for longer periods, and until they reach a higher level of English proficiency. These changes are welcome, and ones that stakeholders have themselves been arguing for. There is some cause for concern, however, in the potential lack of funding to make these improvements achievable without further affecting the quality of the service. If there is no new money attached, are these changes just a fine-sounding announcement with no policy substance?

My electorate of Calwell is home to one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia, which now includes one of the largest communities of recently arrived Syrian and Iraqi refugees and migrants. Many of these people come to us with extensive education, professional training and a strong desire to work hard and establish their families in their new home. A strong and good-quality adult migrant English program is not only the key to enabling these community members to build the secure and flourishing lives they yearn for; it is also the key to enhancing the broader Australian society, making it more inclusive and ensuring our nation gets maximum benefit from its more recently arrived members, who have so much to offer.

In closing, I'd like to give a shout-out to my main three providers of the AMEP program in Calwell—the Melbourne Polytechnic based in Broadmeadows and its subcontractor the Kangan Institute, the Hume Global Learning Centre in Craigieburn and the Newbury community centre, and the Meadow Heights Education Centre, which offers AMEP classes at seven different locations across Meadow Heights and Craigieburn. Altogether, these services teach hundreds of newly arrived adults, ranging in age from their 20s to their late 60s. The vast majority of these students hail from Syria and Iraq, but there are also Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian, Hmong, Indian, Sri Lankan and Egyptian students.

So, whilst service providers welcome the proposed amendments in the bill, there are some concerns about whether the changes will actually result in a genuine extension of services given the lack of clarity around budgetary support. I look forward to keeping a close eye on how this bill delivers to my local community.

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