Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition supports the Immigration (Education) Amendment Bill 2010. It introduces amendments which will encourage more vulnerable migrants to undertake their most important and urgent settlement task, and that is learning English. This bill implements minor changes to the delivery and eligibility requirements of the Adult Migrant English Program. In particular, the proposed act will remove administration fees, at a cost to the budget of approximately $10,000. It will make New Zealand citizens ineligible for taxpayer funded classes and will allow new arrivals up to six months to register for classes but require them to commence classes within 12 months, which is an existing requirement. It will allow migrants five years to complete these courses under the program. It will also give the Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship discretion to adjust time limits on registration, commencement and completion of the program when required, which recognises one of the most important aspects of settlement policy, and that is that everyone’s case is different, particularly when we are dealing with those who have come from quite extreme circumstances under our refugee and humanitarian program. It is important that we recognise the individual circumstances of those individuals and that, wherever possible, we tailor our programs to suit their individual circumstances to assist their integration and assimilation into the Australian community.

The legislation also provides access to the program for 15- to 17-year olds who are not participating in school within the first year of arrival in Australia. The proposed amendments will ensure that clients under 18 years of age will not be subject to the six-month registration time frame but rather will be required to register and commence the program within 12 months. The five-year completion time frame will also apply to them.

As I move around the country and talk to those involved in the settlement services funded by the government—and I think there is a genuine level of bipartisanship on this aspect of the policy—it is always incredibly encouraging to hear stories of young children who have been settled in this country, particularly those coming through that refugee humanitarian program, who have gone to school and done extremely well. They have learnt English and they have gone on to higher education. Recently in Townsville I was talking to those who provide the settlement services there, and I learnt the wonderful story of a young woman who had gone through this exact process, having had very little English when she arrived. She went through this program of going to school, and she has now gone through university. She has achieved extraordinary things, and now her younger siblings are doing exactly the same thing. That is what happens to those who go through school. But there is the opportunity also for those who are not at school, for whatever reason, if they are under the age of 18, to participate in the English language program, which gives them the most necessary skills to make their contribution and to realise their own goals and objectives. That is a very positive thing.

This bill will also allow the program to deliver a citizenship course for vulnerable refugee migrants who are unable to sit the computer based test. This course does not form part of the Adult Migrant English Program curriculum but is in addition to it. It is another worthy initiative in this bill. The AMEP was established in 1950. It is a national settlement program that provides up to 510 hours of free English language tuition for eligible adult migrants and humanitarian entrants who do not have functional English.

Some migrants with provisional visas may be eligible to join the program. The AMEP is delivered nationally by 13 service providers with learning centres in more than 250 locations. Additional tuition is available through the special preparatory program to humanitarian entrants with low levels of schooling or who have had difficult pre-migration experiences, such as torture and trauma.

In 2008-09 the AMEP provided English-language tuition to 52,720 clients and expenditure was $174.5 million. That was money very well spent. Some 56.6 per cent of all AMEP clients were family stream entrants, 26.4 per cent were humanitarian stream entrants, and 17 per cent were dependents of skilled entrants. AMEP clients represent 193 countries of birth. Some 19 per cent of all clients indicated they had seven years or less of formal education, 68 per cent of all clients were female, 77.4 per cent of all clients were aged from 16 to 44, and 22.6 per cent were aged above the age of 44. The most common spoken languages were Mandarin, Arabic and Vietnamese.

Australia is almost unique in the world in the free provision of language tuition to residents. Both sides of politics have a pretty much bipartisan approach to settlement services. We both acknowledge the critical importance of English language acquisition, although we may disagree from time to time about the detail of how that is provided. The provision of settlement services in general is an uncontested area of policy. Again, both sides acknowledge the critical importance of providing services that ensure the successful and quick settlement and integration of new migrants into our community.

I was recently, as I referred to before, in Queensland, but on this occasion I was in Brisbane and I had the opportunity to visit with a group called ACCES, which is a non-profit group that delivers a range of services to newly arrived migrants and refugees in Logan City. It is run by their CEO, Gail Ker, and her team. ACCES Services is a community based non-profit organisation which was established some 25 years ago. They are a committed to fostering community development, settlement and employment initiatives and to providing personal support programs to address the needs of disadvantaged community groups, including migrants, refugees, humanitarian entrants and temporary protection visa holders. Under a social justice framework they are also committed to creating coherence through the development of needs based services and the establishment of collaborative service delivery with relevant service providers.

I was particularly impressed with their commitment to putting migrants into work as quickly as possible, and their hands-on, practical approach to ensuring that people can stand on their own two feet as quickly as possible. They have developed a number of very innovative ways for doing that—for example, outreach to a wide variety of potential employers to discuss employment opportunities and tell the good stories of employment success, particularly for those who have come through the humanitarian program. This includes discussions about cultural differences and practices and the importance of mentoring. Word of mouth is the most important PR tool newly arrived migrants have, once employers know how eager these people are to work and how committed and loyal they are to the companies that have put faith in them. They have found a number of willing employers and newly arrived migrants on their way to self-sufficiency.

Gail told me the story of one individual who was walking two hours to and from work every day. If only that level of enthusiasm was repeated more around the country it would be a great thing. I think it highlights the gratitude and the real sense of value that is placed by those who come to Australia on the opportunity that they have been given—and that they have been generously given by a generous nation. I noted also that ACCES had created and developed small business opportunities which employ migrants and refugees. For example, they have established a furniture removal business and even an asset maintenance business, with lawn mowing and things of that nature. They established a hub for migrant services, which is truly innovative, bringing together a range of government departments and service providers to help newly arrived migrants find their way. They have also obtained funding from a range of sources in order to provide more tailored services to the almost 500 clients they take care of each year. It is one of the most innovative and successful service delivery models I have encountered in the time I have been in this portfolio, and if this bill were consolidating these initiatives into the AMEP business model then it would be sure to be a great success.

When I was in Brisbane I met Mohammed Olad Salad, who was teaching English to some primary kids. They were Abdiaziz from Iraq, Umucaltum, Abdiwadud and Hamdi, a family from Somalia, and Maung Lwin, Tha Ku and Mumu from Burma. It was marvellous to witness the enthusiasm and commitment of these young kids of such diverse backgrounds and circumstances engaging with the programs and settlement opportunities that were being provided to them. It is a hope for all of us that these children not only learn English in the supportive environment provided by places like ACCES but learn the lessons about each other and the values of the broader Australian community, which I know they do.

There are a range of programs offered under our settlement strategy and policy. I think it is a great credit to this parliament that these settlement programs are supported by both sides of politics regardless of who is in government. I am aware that recently the parliamentary secretary, Mr Ferguson, has engaged in wide-ranging consultation with service provider groups all around the country. There has been feedback from those groups. The parliamentary secretary said to me, when we were both at a function, that he was a bit surprised that the feedback was so good and asked for it to be checked. I think it is great that he had that level of appreciation of the need to ensure that the feedback was right. But the feedback was, indeed, right and the policy parameters that have been put into these programs over a long period of time by our government, when we were there, and by this government have received a very good reception. There are always things that can be improved; they are being improved and there is always good advice.

The one thing I take away when I visit places like ACCES is that the key to the success of this model has been in engaging community based organisations in the delivery of these services. Gail, who was recently awarded an Australian honour—deservedly so—has created an integrated hub of service delivery that seeks to link people to services and to link people to each other. The more that we can empower Gail Ker and her colleagues all around the country who are engaged in this business the better. The more we can get out of the way and give them the tools they need to do the job they are so passionate about doing I am very optimistic about.

I am very optimistic about the success of our settlement programs. There is no doubt that around the world our settlement programs in Australia are perceived as the best in the world—long may that continue. People and governments come from around the globe to see how we do it. We do it well. We need to continue to do it well so, on behalf of the opposition, I am pleased to continue to give our support to working on the success of these settlement policies, to continue to engage with the sector and to listen to them about where the improvements can be made. We must continue to give them the assurance that this parliament stands behind the Gail Kers and all of Gail’s ilk all around the country as they stand in the breach and deliver these services, not just as a job, but out of a real sense of passion, service and commitment, which I know is represented by many, not only in that area but all throughout out community. It is an excellent model.

This bill, which seeks to make some minor amendments to the way that the English language program is delivered, takes another albeit small but good step forward. There will be more small steps and there will, hopefully, be some large steps as well. There is nothing more important than giving someone who comes to this country the language skills they need to be functional and to make a contribution. Without the language it is harder to get a job. Without the language you do not know how to get on a bus or you do not know how to access services. We all know of people in our own electorates and through our experiences who may not have had access to these services 30, 40 or 50 years ago and to this day are hamstrung by their ability to read the most simplest of things such as letters from government departments or agencies informing them of various things.

The fact that we are now ensuring that a much higher proportion of migrants who come to this country have those language skills, I think, is a very positive thing. It builds social harmony. It moves away from the situation where people tend to stay clustered in enclaves and that more have an open outlook to the Australian community and are invited to engage. These are the tools that we want people to have. These are the tools that should be funded to be provided to those who are delivering services on the ground.

I commend the government on this bill. The coalition is very happy to support it and to continue to work with the government and, more importantly, Gail Ker and all the Gail Kers to ensure that we deliver these programs effectively in the future and maintain our reputation as being the best in the world in this area.

John Murphy (Lowe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like the member for Cook, I too am very pleased to have this opportunity to speak on the Immigration (Education) Amendment Bill 2010. I listened very carefully to the contribution by the member for Cook and I know Laurie Ferguson would be very pleased with his valuable contribution and his gracious comments in respect of Laurie and the work he has done in this area. As someone who has worked closely with the member for Reid I certainly know he really has his heart in this, not least because of his responsibilities as parliamentary secretary but because his electorate certainly is one of the most culturally diverse communities in Australia and his electorate is home to very many newly arrived migrants and refugees. Many of these refugees, including very young children, have been subject to horrors beyond our comprehension.

This bill today is an example of the government introducing measures that will provide longer term sustainable programs for newly arrived migrants. Further, it is another example of our government recognising the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society by implementing ways to ensure that they are given appropriate assistance to fully participate in our very fortunate country: Australia, the lucky country.

Specifically, the bill amends the Immigration (Education) Act 1971 to implement the new Adult Migration English Program, AMEP. That is the business model. Essentially, the AMEP is a federal settlement program that provides English language tuition for eligible migrants and humanitarian entrants who do not have functional English. Currently the AMEP offers up to 510 hours of free English language tuition to eligible adult permanent migrants and humanitarian migrants. Humanitarian entrants can also access further tuition if they have low levels of schooling or have experienced some form of premigration trauma or torture. Some 13 service providers deliver AMEP in more than 250 locations around our great country. Through the new AMEP business model a greater number of regions will deliver the AMEP and improve client outcomes.

The amendments will also improve the design, the delivery and the administration of the program and provide greater transparency and flexibility. The provisions in this bill today ensure that well-designed and targeted programs will deliver the assistance needed for newly arrived migrants to make an easier transition to Australian life. AMEP is a very important part of the government’s social inclusion agenda, highlighting the importance of language skills as a key to improved participation in everyday life as well as a gateway to further education, training, jobs and building friendships. That is why the government will extend the period for registering in an English course from three to six months from the date of the person’s arrival. I believe this amendment to extend the registration timeframe from three to six months from the date of arrival better reflects the many obstacles and difficulties newly arrived migrants face when settling into their new home.

Most of us understand the chaos that moving home brings, but few of us truly appreciate the enormous challenges that come along with moving country. Some of these are finding new schools for children; obtaining all the necessary household furniture and items; looking for long-term accommodation; attending many appointments, such as medical, Centrelink or social services appointments; and, not least of all, dealing with the emotional strains of leaving one’s homeland. It would be extremely difficult for those coming from other countries with very different environments, especially for those making the transition to our urban lifestyles. More importantly, the extended time frame recognises that others are dealing with post-traumatic symptoms which can be exacerbated by the sudden and significant pressures they experience with so much change, moving to a new country and a new way of life.

On this point, I would like to speak for just a few moments about a very important organisation that operates in my local area. It is called STARTTS, and is certainly well known to the Hon. Laurie Ferguson. STARTTS is an acronym for Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors. It was established in 1988. STARTTS is jointly funded by the state and federal governments and is one of Australia’s leading organisations for the treatment of torture and trauma survivors. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with the chief executive officer, Dr Jorge Aroche, and the Community Services Coordinator, Jasmina Bajraktarevic Hayward. Jorge and Jasmina work with and assist refugees who need help to recover from their traumatic experiences and build a new life in Australia, and they are doing an excellent job to help these people.

Torture, as defined by the United Nations declaration against torture, is the deliberate use of physical or psychological methods that cause a person severe pain and suffering with the intention of punishing, intimidating or extracting information from him or her. The torture must be perpetrated by a public official or at his or her direction. Trauma or traumatic experiences cause great stress or pain and/or fear for a person. Traumatic events can disrupt or disturb a person’s health and everyday living.

STARTTS is particularly concerned with trauma that happens in situations of organised violence such as war or violence inflicted by government or paramilitary forces. Examples include rape; death or disappearance of family, friends or colleagues; harassment by authority figures; and burning or looting of a home or workplace. STARTTS notes that more than 60 per cent of refugees in Australia have survived torture and trauma. STARTTS has seen many refugees live with physical reminders of broken bones and injuries to all parts of the body from torture and incarceration, resulting in chronic pain, diseases and cardiopulmonary disorders—to name but a few. However, STARTTS knows that it is often the psychological effects that are the most debilitating. The problems can range from depression, severe anxiety and sleep disorders to memory and concentration problems and intrusive thoughts. This is compounded by the changes they face in relocating to a new country that has a foreign language and different culture, social norms and sociopolitical systems.

STARTTS has a long history of providing refugee services to help them regain their ability to live full lives and to contribute to our country. They provide refugees with a broad range of services, including individual family counselling; youth services; group therapy; activity groups such as English, craft and exercise classes; physiotherapy; pain management groups; early intervention programs; psychiatric services; and neurofeedback, to help retrain the brain to overcome the effects of torture and trauma. Torture and trauma survivor clients need more time to recover from such experiences with the assistance of outstanding organisations such as STARTTS. I again commend the work of STARTTS. I commend them for their efforts to help some of the most vulnerable people in our society, and I look forward to working further with them in the future.

It is evident, in the light of the challenges facing and services offered to new migrants, particularly refugees, that the amendments in this bill today better reflect the challenges many new migrants face by providing the appropriate flexibility to the AMEP. It is important for newly arrived migrants to have enough time to adapt to their new homes before they can focus on learning English. However, the bill will also introduce a time frame to complete an English course. The five-year time frame will provide the incentive for clients to make good use of the program early in their settlement period. It will also ensure that the services are used to optimum effect, as support for services is needed most in the initial years of settlement and will lead to more independent and valued members of society equipped with the necessary language skills. If, however, a client does not complete the AMEP within the five years and is not eligible under compassionate and compelling circumstances, they will have the opportunity to improve their English through other English language programs including those provided by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The amendments will also allow the extension of registration, commencement and completion time frames for English courses to be prescribed by regulation, recognising that circumstantial issues may require individual review.

I am pleased to note that the amendments will also provide support for youth under 18 years of age by extending the registration and commencement period from six months to 12 months from arrival. Access to AMEP for 15- to 17-year-olds who do not remain at school within the first year of arrival in Australia was announced in the 2009-10 budget. This measure aims to keep young people engaged in education and provide them with the skills to secure work and improve their social participation. We know that, even for English-speaking youths who do not remain at school or in some form of training, they are at risk of long-term unemployment and of becoming disaffected members of our society. It is very pleasing that the amendments do not overlook this very important group of new migrants.

The bill will also remove the annual administration fee for English courses, removing any financial disincentive to registration. I understand that the revenue collected through the fee was small and only charged to roughly one per cent of AMEP clients. To assist AMEP providers in their assessment of clients and their English proficiency, the term ‘functional English’ will be updated through the amendment bill to ensure it is consistent with the current definition in the Migration Act 1958. The bill will clarify, through a legislative instrument, the standards to be used by providers to determine ‘functional English’. Not only will this amendment provide greater clarity for providers; it will offer greater transparency and clarity in the assessment of a client’s English proficiency.

The 2006 census data indicates that almost 50 per cent of residents in my local area were born in a country other than Australia and that 40 per cent of my constituents speak a language other than English at home. These are significant figures, and a number of younger people in my electorate will benefit from a bilingual upbringing. However, it is also important for English courses to be provided to ensure non-English-speaking adults are given the opportunity to learn English so that they may participate fully in Australian life. That will also enhance opportunities for migrants to contribute meaningfully in our society and add to the richness of the community. While children are offered English as a second language at school, the AMEP is a wonderful opportunity for eligible adult migrants to learn English, free of charge.

I know that many other countries around the world provide language proficiency programs for the benefit of new migrants. Understanding and being able to communicate in the language of the country in which you reside is extremely important for social inclusion and a smooth settlement into a new way of life. As the member for Reid, Laurie Ferguson, has previously mentioned, it is a well-established fact that the ability to communicate effectively in English is a key factor in participating in Australian society.

The new program model aims to provide improved support for participants, encourage participant retention and improve the English language proficiency of clients. Further, the amendments proposed in this bill aim to provide greater settlement support, flexibility and clarity for the clients and providers of the AMEP. I am very, very proud of the contribution that education has made for the new migrants in the area that I represent and the concomitant contribution that those migrants have made not only to our local community but to our great country, Australia. I commend them for the contribution that they make and the rich cultural heritage that they bring to our country. They make it a bigger, stronger and better Australia. I commend the bill to the House.

Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also join in this debate to offer my full support for the Immigration (Education) Amendment Bill 2010. In doing so, I would also like to join with the member for Cook in acknowledging the contribution that the member for Lowe has played in relation to the migrant community and refugees in this country. On many occasions I have had the opportunity—and possibly to the embarrassment of the member for Lowe—to indicate that he is probably one of the best versed people in this place on this issue. He fully understands the issues facing new immigrants in this country. He has a very personal commitment in that respect. It certainly shows through in the work that I see him doing in our local community in the south-west of Sydney. As I said, I join with the member for Cook in making that observation.

This is an important bill, particularly when implementing the new Adult Migrant English Program business model, which is intended to improve the settlement programs, in line with government’s broader settlement framework. It is with some pride that I make my contribution to the bill as a member of this House. In the area that I come from, the south-west of Sydney, the new arrivals to our country play such a significant part in my local community. It is my view that there can be nothing more important, when advocating for migrants and refugees, than ensuring that our most recent arrivals achieve a sense of belonging in this country and quickly develop a capacity to participate in their newly adopted homeland.

Many here would know that Sydney attracts a significant proportion of immigrants to this country. There are 40,000 new arrivals to Sydney each year. Four in 10 of Sydney’s residents are immigrants. Further, we know that the south-west of Sydney has a disproportionately large contingent of new arrivals, which places demands on the various service organisations out there which are looking after their needs. I am therefore very grateful to the many local groups, such as the Liverpool Migrant Resource Centre, the Cabramatta Community Centre and the Vietnamese Community in Australia for the valuable work that they do, not just in welcoming people from other countries to our great nation but in making sure that these people acquire the skills, the knowledge and the know-how to fully participate. I think that is pretty important.

I would like to put on record my gratitude to people such as Ahmed Muktasha, President of the Liverpool Migrant Resource Centre, and Kamalle Daboussy, its CEO. It is a reflection not only of what they do for new arrivals in the migrant community but of what they do for our community generally. I think they make an extraordinary contribution. Most of it is unsung. I think we should take opportunities in this place to acknowledge the good work that they do and the positive outcomes they bring in building a very wholesome community, particularly where we come from, in the south-west of Sydney.

These organisations, as part of 10 organisations across the south-west of Sydney, were only recently granted $2.8 million from the government’s Settlement Grants Program, and I know that money will go to very good use. I have already met with each of those organisations and have seen the programs they are developing. What is more important is that I know this is not just another grant going to another organisation. The checks and balances applied are very good. I personally know each of those organisations and have seen the outcomes they have delivered in past activities, and they are extraordinary. This money is well invested by the Commonwealth in those programs, which will be administered at a local level. This funding will make a difference in the lives of many, and I know for a fact that it is welcomed and will go a long way to assist these organisations to meet the demands on their valuable services.

I would be remiss if I did not in this debate recognise the many cultural benefits that have flowed to this country, particularly throughout my electorate, and the achievements by the migrant community. I am very honoured to live in and represent an area which has an abundance of strong ethnic groups which include Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, Lebanese, Fijian, Bangladeshi, Filipino and New Zealander people, to name just a few. Their culture really does enrich our region in many ways. Their colour, vibrancy and diversity have combined to produce an overall richness of spirit in this country which we, particularly in the south-west of Sydney, are particularly proud of.

I recognise that there are many challenges for these ethnic communities to overcome, and that is where it falls to the various groups that operate so diligently to assist that integration into the wholesome nature of our region. I emphasise that I am confident that, through the diligent work of those community organisations and their focus on assimilation and inclusion, this is very much in good hands. Again, I pay tribute to Laurie Ferguson for what he has achieved in that regard. I do know that he is a household name throughout the south-west of Sydney. That is not just because Laurie is a good mate or anything like that; it is a fact that he does tireless and very good and meaningful work for people who need that assistance.

The bill introduces measures to help newly arrived migrants in relation to English courses. As the member for Lowe said, it will remove the administration fee for these courses. Funnily enough, only about one per cent of people are actually charged for their course. The department would know this better than most, but I think it probably works out that the administration charge for collecting that fee is far outweighed by the one per cent that is collected. So withdrawing that fee is a very good thing, and it also sends the very good message that we in this country put a premium on inclusion.

The bill will also amend the language definitions used to refer to ‘functional English’. The purpose is to provide clarity and to ensure that it is relevant within the act. It will also remove the eligibility for New Zealand citizens, who hold a special category of visa. Importantly, this will not breach our commitments. It does not mean that people who do not have functional language skills will miss out. There are other programs through which they can be assessed, but this amendment will ensure that there is some practical application when we are referring to ‘functional English’.

We know that after migrants arrive in this country they undertake a range of activities. The ones I get to meet spend a lot of time familiarising themselves. The migrant resource centres spend a lot of time with them. Their kids get into schools and they try to find employment. All those things are happening. It is difficult, in terms of the time frames, for them to get out within three months to undertake a language course. I know after speaking to these people that coming to a new country is full on, particularly if they are trying to find a place to live and do all these other things. Their mindset is not: ‘I must now enrol in and turn up at this English course.’

The bill will address this difficulty by extending the registration period from three months to six months for newly arrived persons. That way, it can allow them to get their lives in order, concentrate and prioritise what they are going to be doing. Their biggest priority, I have to say, is family. I know from the Liverpool Migrant Resource Centre that one of the biggest tasks they have with newly arrived people is getting their kids to schools and getting them access to transport and all that sort of thing. For any mums and dads, newly arrived or not, that is the key thing that needs to be addressed.

Following on from this bill we will introduce a five-year time frame to complete the course, with an extension on compassionate grounds or if there are compelling circumstances. As I understand, in 2007 we removed the three-year time frame for completing the course, possibly on the basis that there will be changes and people will do part of the course and then come back and complete it further down the track. It is a little bit like our kids removing themselves from a university course thinking that they are going to go back in a couple of years time. The reality is that they probably do not go back. While this provision was designed to give some flexibility, the practical result was that people did not return.

Apart from not achieving the outcomes, the provision also leaves us with the contingent liability, because a number of things flow from the Commonwealth providing these courses to so many clients. As I understand it, there is a contingent liability of almost $300 million. We have a responsibility to get them to have functional English. If people adjourn their participation in a course and fail to come back, it creates all sorts of problems. I think bringing time frames back into it is a very good thing. It allows people to function and to arrange their lives, but it also ensures that they know there is a responsibility to participate. There is flexibility in completing within five years; you can certainly complete it in a far shorter period. Your life can be worked around the completion of this course.

The other thing is that this has to drill down to the fact that completion is not simply getting a certificate. This is all designed to provide, through this qualification, functional English and literacy to people in such a way that they can fully participate in life in this country.

Once again, I would like to praise the efforts of the department. I see what they do firsthand in my local community. I would also reiterate my support for the respective migrant resource centres and the good work that they do. We are indeed a very lucky community. In the south-west of Sydney, we regard ourselves as particularly blessed because we are multicultural and we have a very strong sense of inclusion. Our kids grow up thinking that it does not matter whether their kids are playing football with kids from Chinese, Japanese or Filipino backgrounds. This is our modern Australia. We are seeing the next generation of that now developing in such a way that you could not be anything other than proud of our population mix and the way that we bring a new vibrancy and dynamism, particularly in the south-west of Sydney. I commend the bill to the House.

Laurie Ferguson (Reid, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

in reply—I thank members for their contribution to the debate on the Immigration (Education) Amendment Bill 2010, and I will turn to those individually at a later stage. The provisions in the bill reflect the government’s commitment to delivering long-term sustainable settlement outcomes for newly arrived migrants through the integrated, targeted and well-designed programs that support clients in their transition to life in Australia. The Adult Migrant English Program is Australia’s largest and longest running program, having been in place for over 60 years. It is delivered at more than 250 locations around Australia to more than 50,000 clients from 193 countries each year.

Since roughly 20 years ago when I went out to the Villawood migrant centre, which has become a detention centre in more recent times, and met Peter McBorney, George Campbell and other staff—and equally through my sister-in-law Patti Waller—I have appreciated that there is a particular commitment by migrant English teachers in this country. They are like us. We might be interested in overnight allowances, our superannuation et cetera. There is a degree of self-interest with everyone. In some of the struggles around the allocation of hours for teaching et cetera, they are like everyone else and have a degree of their own industrial interest. But I have run across so few groups of people as committed to the clients they work with as these migrant English teachers. They give their time on weekends. They know these people personally. They enrich their lives and are involved with these families. It is worth remembering when we talk about the 60-year anniversary—an anniversary that was saluted by the department of immigration last year—that the people who established the migrant English service in Australia went there on their holidays as volunteers. It is internationally renowned and, as I said, it is full of very committed people.

The Adult Migrant English Program plays a significant role in the government’s social inclusion agenda by providing clients with settlement focused English language tuition and settlement support soon after their arrival in Australia. Participation in the Adult Migrant English Program is the beginning of the path to further education, employment and participation in Australian society. It is a well-established fact that the ability to communicate effectively in English is a key factor in participating in Australian society.

The initial results from the Employment Pathways and Traineeship in English and Work Readiness initiatives announced in the 2008-09 budget demonstrate the effectiveness of the Adult Migrant English Program. Over half of the 1,047 pilot program participants progressed to further education and training and approximately one-third gained employment. For people who are separate from the realities, who are not involved and who are unaware of what really goes on, half might not sound impressive, but I think it is an extremely successful outcome.

We have to understand the kinds of people we are dealing with. I often get, quite correctly, particularly African communities saying to me: ‘Australian politicians and Australian government employees often talk about the fact that we have problems. In actual fact many of us come here through the skilled intake.’ That is very true, and I appreciate that. However, when we talk about the success rate for this program being half of the over 1,000 participants we have to understand that we are talking about a cohort in the refugee intake who have in many cases lived in refugee camps for decades. We are talking about people who have had very limited educational options in life. We are talking about people who come from families that have been destroyed. We are talking about family formations that have had to be recreated when parents were killed—nieces taken over by their aunts et cetera. We are talking about in many cases people who come to this society without any formal education whatsoever and are from families where the parents are illiterate in their own language, let alone English. That is a tremendous outcome for that pilot program, and it has certainly informed the government direction in this field.

The new Adult Migrant English Program business model, which is an amendment in this bill, will provide greater settlement support, flexibility and clarity for clients. Clients will now be able to register for the program within six months of arrival rather than within three months, enabling them to concentrate on establishing themselves and their families when they first arrive in Australia.

That reality very much informed our consultation process last year on the broader issue of our settlement process in this country. It is renowned internationally as the best in the world and has been created by Labor and Liberal governments. But that informs very much our directions on a number of fronts. People are under so much pressure in those first three months: re-establishing in our society, getting to know the education system, getting connected with Medicare, meeting people in their community and being concerned with family who have been left behind and are still in traumatic circumstances. Extending that to six months I think is a very intelligent move.

The introduction of a five-year time frame for completion of the English language tuition will provide clients with an incentive to fully participate in the program soon after their arrival. Clients can move on more rapidly to further education and employment, enabling them to more fully participate and contribute to Australian society. The flexibility established by the bill allows clients to apply for extensions of the program registration, commencement and completion time frames both before and after these time frames have expired. The five-year time frame for program completion may only be extended where—and I stress this—compassionate and compelling reasons exist. This approach ensures that most clients participate in the Adult English Migrant Program early in their settlement period, whilst providing flexibility for a few vulnerable clients in difficult circumstances. As the member for Werriwa indicated, the reality even amongst Australian students is that if people get put off things and drift away from the system for a while the chances of reconnecting are diminished. Quite frankly, this is an overdue change to our requirements.

Amendments to program eligibility will provide clarity and equality in program participation. By providing for a registration time frame of 12 months for clients under 18 years of age rather than the six-month registration time frame that other clients must meet, the amendments will ensure that clients who are not participating in the school system in the year after their arrival in Australia are able to access the Adult Migrant English Program, as announced in the 2009-10 budget. This measure enables these youth to begin building a positive life for themselves in Australia. Once again, it is indisputable that we do not want these people dropping out of society and becoming marginalised, outside of education, disconnected and ready recruits for antisocial activity. I think this will be universally welcomed as a progressive change.

Additionally, the amendments will ensure continued access to the citizenship course for eligible clients. Only applicants for citizenship who face significant difficulty preparing for and sitting the computer based test will have access to the alternative citizenship course based test. I am pleased to say that, when I was in Adelaide last Saturday, as well as meeting the general African community I had separate meetings with representatives of the Burundian, Liberian and Sudanese communities. The continuation of these courses was stressed to me as a very necessary requirement in their communities. I was pleased to say that the government was continuing these courses through the Adult Migrant English Program. The government firmly believes that the AMEP plays a vital role in the government’s social inclusion agenda by helping newly arrived migrants transition to life in Australia and start on the path to further education and employment. The bill ensures that the Adult Migrant English Program continues to play this role whilst providing greater support and certainty for clients, enabling them to be more fully participative in Australian society at an early stage of their settlement.

I now turn to the contributions of previous speakers. I am pleased to join with the member for Cook, the opposition spokesman in the area of migration and settlement, in saluting the efforts of Gail Ker in gaining the Order of Australia. That is why we appointed her to this nation’s multicultural advisory committee. We recognised the vital work she was doing in Logan City and broader Brisbane. Last Friday I was pleased to be in Brisbane at a very successful refugee art launch in West End. Quite frankly, I think everyone present was absolutely surprised by the quality of material there. I agree with the member for Cook that Gail has been at the forefront of settlement of this country. It is also worth acknowledging that Brisbane has two of the lead agencies in this country—MDA, which is run by Kerrin Benson, and ACCESS, which is run by Gail. To my mind, if we went through the migrant resource centres around the country, these two Brisbane based organisations would be in the top half a dozen. It certainly is indicative of a very professional approach in Brisbane with regard to settlement of people. Both people are acknowledged in this nation as amongst the leaders of thought and action on this front.

I am pleased of course in the broader sense. The opposition spokesman has given bipartisan support for this bill. We have been extremely successful in settling seven million people over the postwar period, including 700,000 refugees, and this scheme—I have said it before and I will say it again—which was recognised by the UNHCR on the visit of their international director as being the best in the world, has been created on an essentially bipartisan agreement over many decades. Whether it is connecting people with society, getting people connected with education or health or putting people through torture and trauma counselling, we are in the forefront internationally. I acknowledge Mr Morrison’s interest in the sector and I am pleased to say that he has played a role in being very positive about the settlement programs in this country. Whilst we might disagree about the refugee policies on detention, temporary protection visas, the rules and working rights, on this matter we do have a commonality of purpose and position.

I also want to refer to the member for Werriwa, who plays a very active role in this policy area. I note he made a speech earlier this week about demands by the Syrian government with regard to Australian migration officials and the question of claims that the Syrian government requires certain information about refugee claimants. Last night the member for Mallee and I had the opportunity to attend a very interesting talk by Diana Buttu on the question of Palestine. I took this issue up with the Ambassador of Syria and I will certainly be pursuing the matter in the future. We certainly do not want to have to give information about claimants’ details to another country. The ambassador put a different point to me. He gave a different reason for that and said that it had largely been sorted out. But it certainly is typical of the member for Werriwa’s interest in this field, most particularly centred around the significant number of Middle Eastern Christians in the Liverpool-Fairfield region. As he notes, his region is one in which there is a high prevalence of, particularly, Bangladeshis and Pacific Islanders, and it is typical of the region and his own personal involvement that the Casula Powerhouse in the next month will be running a nationally recognised, nationally renowned cultural two-day event with regard to Pacific Islander communities. The member for Lowe also made a contribution. Of course he is very clearly associated with hyperactivity in the Italian, Tamil and South American communities! Both of them are people with a deep interest in the realities of multicultural Australia.

I want to end by saying that I have come here this morning from an interview with Korean television about multiculturalism. What we are doing in this country, despite 2GB and a few other people, is really world renowned. It is typical that Korea is now looking at having to go down our road of multicultural policy because they can no longer survive as a monolithic, one-culture society. They need significant people in the workforce. They have a significant number of intercultural marriages. They are here in Australia to see what this country is doing, what they can learn from us and how can they build their structures.

Thank you to all those who have contributed in the debate.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.