Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration, I wish to make a statement concerning the committee's inquiry into migrant settlement outcomes. I rise to inform the House that the Joint Standing Committee on Migration has commenced an inquiry into migrant settlement outcomes. This inquiry has been jointly referred by the Minister for Social Services and the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection.

I have spoken many times in this place of my concerns in my electorate about the rise in crime committed by gangs of young migrants. It is timely that reasons behind this trend are examined, to put a stop to the crimes that are occurring and to prevent young migrants from being caught up into these gangs in the future.

I encourage all members who have these issues arising in their communities to publicise the inquiry and to encourage individuals and service providers to make a submission. The inquiry will examine issues that lead to migrant youth becoming involved in youth gangs and issues arising from social marginalisation and disengagement. This is not just for young people but for their whole families.

The inquiry will consider the availability of settlement services and whether these services are effectively promoting good settlement outcomes for migrants. The increase in crimes committed by migrants in my electorate and in Victoria would suggest that more needs to be done in this regard. This is an issue that the inquiry will look into closely.

The committee has been asked to consider national and international best practice strategies for improving migrant settlement outcomes. In a globalised world our migration mix is increasingly diverse and we must be aware of and open to new approaches for managing settlement services to achieve the best outcomes for migrants and the Australian community as a whole. The inquiry will also consider whether the Migration Act character test is a useful mechanism for responding to migrant crime and whether in its current form it is an adequate deterrent. Finally, the inquiry will examine whether current migration application and vetting processes adequately assess an applicant's migrant settlement prospects and whether English language ability impacts on a migrant's settlement outcome.

The committee will travel through Australia next year to listen to the stories in our community and to learn about what is and what is not working with our migration settlement services. The committee hopes to hear from a wide range of groups: migrant communities, providers of settlement services, law enforcement agencies, English language education providers and the wider Australian community. The more groups and individuals we hear from, the more likely it is that the committee will develop a strong understanding of the issues at play and prepare clear recommendations that will assist in addressing the issues currently emerging in electorates like mine right around the country. I would also like to thank the member for Bonner, who is also a committee member.