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Journeys'
End
Australian Catholic
Migrant and Refugee Office
(ACMRO)
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1st Edition 2000
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Editorial
Each year, Pope John Paul 2 writes
a message for World Migration Day, which is observed in
Australia as Refugee and Migrant Sunday (this year on 27th August).
In this Jubilee Year, the Holy Father has written a very
relevant message which will speak to the hearts of many
Australians. Under the title, "I was a stranger and
you welcomed me", he says: "In celebrating the
Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the Church does not want
to forget the tragedies which have marked the century now
drawing to a close, for she hears the suffering cry of
all who are uprooted from their own land, of families forcefully
separated, of those who, in the rapid changes of our day,
are unable to find a stable home anywhere....at the same
time, States with a relative abundance tend to tighten
their borders under pressure from public opinion disturbed
by the inconveniences that accompany the phenomenon of
immigration. Society finds itself having to deal with the
'clandestine' men and women in illegal situations, without
any rights in a country that refuses to welcome them, victims
of organised crime or of unscrupulous entrepreneurs."
The
Holy Father's words are particularly relevant for Australia
at the present time.
In
the 2nd half of 1999, the number of people arriving
by boat without visas increased and their arrival was given
much negative publicity by the media, and in column letters
nd on radio talk-back, with suggestions that Australia
was about to be overrun by vast numbers of asylum seekers.
In November 1999, a series of measures was approved by
the Federal Parliament to curb these "illegal" arrivals.
One of these measures was to introduce a Temporary Protection
Visa (TPV) and to prevent family re-union for those
whose claims to refugee status were upheld by the Department
of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. This measure
is intended to send a negative message to people overseas
who may in future be tempted to arrive and seek asylum
on-shore in Australia. The TPVs give the right to
only 3 year's temporary residence, and will be reviewed
after 30 months. If it is then judged that the refugee
situation continues, TPV holders may be granted permanent
residence. More recently it was announced, as a further
measure to send a message to future on-shore asylum seekers,
that the TPV holders would have limited access to Government
benefits (such as accommodation assistance and English
language classes) and Government-funded agencies have been
told not to assist them. Most of the burden in this area
is being carried by Church agencies who do not have the
resources to provide assistance alone.
There
are many people in Australia who think that the Government,
and in particular the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural
Affairs, the Hon. Philip Ruddock, is being too "soft" in
granting these temporary visas. They would have the refugee
claimants sent away from Australia without any consideration
of their cases. I would ask such people to consider the
Pope's words which I quoted earlier. On the other hand
others, including ACMRO, criticise the "tough" measures
which are meant to deter people from seeking asylum in
Australia (or 'on-shore') by penalising those who have
been granted refugee status.
ACMRO
is a member of a new group called Refugee Alliance, which
wrote to the Minister in April requesting a more flexible
and generous refugee program and asking him to counteract
negative public perceptions of asylum seekers. The
Minister constantly says that Australia cannot support
a total refugee program of more than 12,000, including
successful on-shore asylum seekers.
Bishop
Peter Stasiuk (Secretary of the Bishops Committee for Migrants
and Refugees) and I wrote recently to the Minister about
the plight of those Kosovars who wished to remain in Australia
but who had to return to Kosovo. A copy of the Minister's
reply is given later in this newsletter.
At
the present time, in conjunction with the Australian Catholic
Social Justice Council, ACMRO is organising a national
conference to be held from 7th to 9th July
at St Joseph's College Hunter's Hill (Sydney NSW). Archbishop
Barry Hickey of Perth will open the Conference. Mr. Neville
Roach, Chairman of the Council for Multicultural Australia,
will give the keynote address on Saturday and, later in
the day, Mr. Robert Fitzgerald, Community Services Commissioner
NSW, will speak on Fighting Poverty in Multicultural Australia.
We hope that many of you will be able to attend the Conference,
especially those who work with migrants and refugees. There
are further details about the Conference later in this
newsletter.
May
the peace of Christ be with you all for the Year of Jubilee
2000.
(Fr)
John Murphy
Director
UPDATE/NEWS
Asylum Seekers
The
Australian Catholic Social Justice Council and ACMRO have
developed position and background papers on asylum seekers.
The documents are available on the ACMRO web page www.acmro.catholic.org.au
******
East Timorese Asylum Seekers
Still
under consideration. The situation of uncertainty remains
the same for the 1600 plus East Timorese who are waiting
to see whether they can remain in Australia. Most
of them have been in Australia since 1994.
******
Kosovar
Refugees Returned
Some remaining Kosovar
refugees returned to Kosovo last month. Those on medical
extension visas allowing them to stay in Australia will
be reviewed at 30 June 2000. Others have been allowed to
apply for protection visas. There are still
about 200 in Australia.
******
Refugee Alliance Group
ACMRO has joined 36 NGOs
in a refugee alliance group. A letter from the group
was sent to the Minister on 18 April 2000 raising concerns
about the linking of the offshore and onshore refugee programs
and the general treatment of asylum seekers in Australia
and asking the Minister to counteract negative public perceptions
of asylum seekers.
******
Refugee Council of Australia
For information and facts
about refugees and asylum seekers in Australia the RCOA
has published a pamphlet "Seeking Our Safety". The
RCOA web site is at http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au.
******
PolMin -
is a new national Catholic lobby network established to
press for changes in public social policy. The president
is Sr Marlette Black PBVM who wants the lobby network to "influence
public policy for the common good".
NEWS
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS' CONFERENCE - May
2000.
Bishops' Committee for Migrants and
Refugees - Membership
Bishop
Patrick Doherty has replaced Archbishop Barry Hickey
as Chairman of the Bishops' Committee for Migrants and
Refugees. Sincere thanks to Archbishop Hickey for his dedicated
years of service as Chairman and Secretary. Bishop Peter
Stasiuk (Secretary) and Joseph Grech (Member) continue
on the Committee, and we welcome Bishop David Cremin as
a new member.
******
President of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference
Congratulations
to Archbishop Francis Carroll who is the newly elected
President of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference.
******
Pastoral
Statement
The
Statement on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
was presented to the Bishops' Committee for Migrants and
Refugees, who endorsed the document. It is available
on the web page at www.acmro.catholic.org.au It will be produced in booklet form in English and other major
community languages.
******
Monsignor
Crennan's 100th Birthday
A
special dinner was held during the Bishops' Conference
to celebrate the 100th Birthday for Monsignor
Crennan.
******
Update News (continued...)
Ban Landmines Poster Display
Felicity attended the
Ban Landmines Poster display held at Pilgrim House in Canberra. The
Uniting Church of Australia hosted the call for posters. Alexander
Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Graham Edwards, Member
for Cowan and Janet Hunt, Executive Director, Australian
Council for Overseas Aid, assessed the posters on Monday
29 May. The theme was "USA Ban Landmines Today!'. The
selected entries will be sent to Washington in June as
part of a lobby strategy to encourage the US administration
to sign the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the
Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel
Mines and on their Destruction. The US is one
of the remaining 50 countries yet to sign the treaty.
****
Globalisation and Migration
According to the International
Labour Organisation (ILO) the number of migrants in the
world has increased to 130 million and has potential to
grow under increasing globalisation pressure. The
primary cause for such an increase is the fact that people
are leaving their homes to search for employment due to
an increase in trade and fluidity in global currency.
****
Canada Council for Refugees
The
Canadian Council for Refugees wrote to the Minister, the
Hon. Philip Ruddock, on 23 March 2000 expressing
concern at the freezing of Australia's off-shore refugee
resettlement program until June 2000. The
letter
encouraged the government to find cheaper alternatives
to detention to re-instate the resettlement program.
*****
REFUGEES DAILY
- is a global refugee news review
summarised by UNHCR
from publicly available media sources. However, it does not
reflect UNHCR's views, nor can UNHCR vouch for its accuracy.
One
Child Policy
A Chinese
family has been released from Port Hedland Detention Centre
after
five-and-a-half years in detention and is considering Australian
citizenship, a refugee advocacy spokesman said today, reports
AAP.
The Chen family - parents Chen Ring Ben and Tang de Ting,
and sons Martin, 3, and Andrew, 10 - were granted permanent
residency after a
lengthy court battle. The parents and their eldest son arrived
in Australia illegally by boat in November 1994. Last month,
the High Court ruled that Martin, who was born in Australia,
be granted refugee status, overturning an April 1999 decision
by the Federal Court. It found that the child would face
persecution if the family returned to China because he was
born out of wedlock to parents who had contravened China's
one-child policy.
State
Catholic Immigration/
Multicultural
Offices
Sydney - Good
luck to Clare Schmitzer in her recent retirement
from the Catholic Immigration Office and welcome to Lenka
Hill, who takes over as the Executive Director.
Darwin -
Mario Trinidad, formerly of the Adelaide Office, has taken
up the position of Director of Centacare in Darwin. Best
wishes.
Adelaide -
Maria Barredo has been appointed as Director to the Adelaide
office. Best wishes.
Centacare
Canberra- is working
hard with settling ten families (45 people) into Canberra.
They are Albanian Kosovar families. The children
range in ages from babies to 19 year old teenagers. The
refugee/migrant coordinator for the Archdiocese, Sr Lorraine
Phelan, is currently co-opting volunteers to support
some of these families. If you are able to help,contact
Lorraine on 6239 7700.
Brisbane -
congratulations to the Catholic Centre for Multicultural
Pastoral Care who were presented with an award by Minister
Ruddock in recognition of contributions to "Operation
Safe Haven". The Centre is currently
dealing with TPVs holders who have been released from detention.
Launches
at Parliament House
The
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs had
several launches at the end of last year and the beginning
of this year including:
- Adult Migrant Education Program (AMEP) Research Centre - to provide research, professional development, materials and information
to the AMEP nationally. The research centre brings together
the resources of Macquarie University's National Centre
for English Language Teaching and Research and the Graduate
School of Education at La Trobe University.
· Australian
Citizenship for a New Century- a report by the Australian Citizenship Council, February
2000. The Council's terms of reference sought to
advise on contemporary issues in Australian citizenship
policy and law and how best to promote increased community
awareness of the significance of Australian citizenship,
including its role as a unifying symbol.
- Protecting the
Border: Immigration Compliance - a report prepared by the Border Control and Compliance Division
of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural
Affairs concerning immigration compliance, enforcement
and investigation activities in 1998-99. It deals
with people smuggling and unauthorised arrivals by
air and sea, immigration malpractice detected at airports,
border control mechanisms, overstayers, compliance
activities, contrived marriages, illegal workers and
immigration detention.
· A
New Agenda for Multicultural Australia - the new policy statement acknowledges
Australia's commitment to freedom and the role of democracy
as the foundation of Australian multiculturalism.
Rest in peace
Sadly,
Sir William Keys AC
OBE MC, died on 3 May 2000. A thanksgiving memorial
service was celebrated on 15 May 2000 , at the Anzac
Memorial Chapel of St Paul, Duntroon, ACT. The family
and close friends of Sir William paid tribute to his
life. Also in attendance were Prime Minister John
Howard, the Governor-general Sir William Deane, former
Prime Minister Bob Hawke and other dignitaries.
Sir
William is fondly remembered by the members of the Burma
Support Network in Canberra and by the Burmese community for his wonderful
support and contribution to their cause.
******
Emeritus
Archbishop James William Gleeson, a beloved leader among Adelaide's Catholic Community, died peacefully
as he was preparing to celebrate Mass on 21 March 2000. He
was 79.
Archbishop
Gleeson was deeply involved in welfare and charitable work,
the ecumenical movement, social justice issues, education
and the welfare of Aborigines, migrants and refugees.
******
Wilfred
David (Mick) Borrie,
2 September 1913 - 1 January 2000. Dr Charles Price, a
former member of the ACMRO advisory group in Canberra,
paid respect to Wilfred (Mick) Borrie in an article
in which he called Mick a colleague and friend,
who had a remarkable life of achievements not least his
contributions to Australia's Post War Immigration. Members
of the Department of Immigration who had the good fortune
to come into contact with Mick Borrie will never forget
the positive and supportive assistance that he gave at
all levels, not only in research and reports, but also
in personal help.
Events
2000 National Conference on
Migrant and Refugee Issues
7th July Friday (evening opening)
to
9th July Sunday
St Joseph's College
Hunter's Hill, Sydney NSW
Enclosed is a brochure on the July Conference titled "Building Bridges:
communities of faith working together in a multicultural
society".
The
conference is being co-sponsored by ACMRO and the Australian
Catholic Social Justice Council.
We
strongly encourage everyone who works with migrants and
refugees, or who may be interested in the issues, to
attend the conference.
Mr
Neville Roach, Chairman, Council for Multicultural Australia
is the key-note speaker. Archbishop Barry Hickey of Perth
will open the Conference. Mr. Robert Fitzgerald,
Community Services Commissioner NSW, will talk on poverty
along with other experienced practitioners who will speak
on the multicultural nature of how issues for women, youth,
schools and areas of poverty are part of the migrant/refugee
experience and how certain approaches and programs are
meeting these specific social needs.
The
conference aims to acknowledge that migrant communities
today share many social problems which they are increasingly
called upon to remedy with little or no government funding. The
conference has a dual aim. Firstly, to provide a
forum where strategies found effective in remedying disadvantage
can be shared with others. Secondly, participants will
be encouraged to discuss the possible advantages to be
gained by migrant communities cooperating on a regional
level through the existing organizational structures provided
by communities of faith in their neighbourhood. Speakers
have been invited with experience in working with religious-based
organizations in a range of communities to alleviate poverty,
to counter disadvantage among women, youth and refugees,
and to encourage harmony within schools in culturally diverse
regions.
To
take advantage of discount fares, flights can be
booked with Qantas on the toll free number 1 800 684
880 and you should qu6te the Association Profile
Number 1171189.
Conference
fees are $176 (live-in) or $88 (non-residential), both
including GST. Please contact either ACMRO or the Australian
Catholic Social Justice Council (02 9956 5811) for
a brochure with further registration details and information
about the conference.
We
look forward to seeing you at the conference.
******
'Welcome Refugees' is the theme for this years' Refugee
Sunday Poster Competition
The
Catholic Church in Australia celebrates Refugee and Migrant
Sunday on the last Sunday of August each year - 27 August
2000 - in harmony with "World Migration Day".
Poster
competition information kits designed to help students
to participate in this years' poster competition were sent
to all Catholic Schools in Australia in March 2000. The
poster competition closes on 9 June 2000. The competition
is held in conjunction with the National Council of Churches
in Australia and the Mercy Refugee Service who make up
the judging panel for the competition. The winning
poster will be used in hundreds of churches across Australia
on Refugee and Migrant Sunday. $100 prize will be
awarded to the winning entrant.
The
information kit includes Pope John Paul's special message
for world migration day.
******
Refugee Week - 7 - 15 October
2000
Last years theme of "clearing a safe path" has been adopted again
for this year and will be celebrated from 7 - 15 October
2000. Timetables for activities will be arranged
and published by each State Refugee Week Committee.
******
Baha'i' Association
The
Association for the Baha'i' Studies human rights conference
will have the theme is "A new Rights Based World Order".
The Conference is being held on 9th and 10th of
June 2000 in Canberra. For further information contact
Michael Curtotti at michaelc@bahai.org.au
National
Reconciliation Week 2000
17
May - 3 June
Additional
material is available by phoning 1 800 807 071. The
'Corroboree 2000 Walk' across the Sydney Harbour Bridge
on Sunday 28 May was well supported by many Australians
clearly indicating a desire by the people of Australia
to put aside differences and attain unity in our society.
*****
Mercy
Refugee Service
Volunteer for Refugees
Contact Jacqui Taylor at the Mercy Refugee
Service on 02 9564 1911 if you are interested in assisting
new refugees to settle in Sydney. No experience needed
as full training and support will be given. Must
be flexible. Second language useful but not essential.
IMMIGRATION NEWS
Humanitarian Intake for 2000-2001
12,000 Places
The humanitarian Program
in addition to 12,000 places will be supplemented by any
unused places rolled over from the previous year to cater
for "increase in unathorised boat arrivals",
according to Minister Ruddock. Following the announcements
made in a media statement (MPS#35/2000), The Refugee Council
of Australia released a statement on 5 April 2000
raising its concern with
the cuts of 2,000 places to the Humanitarian Program for
2000-2001 especially as the 2,000 places have been moved
to the onshore component of the program. In the media
statement of 5 April 2000, Minister Ruddock announced that
Special Assistance Categories (SAC) will be closed during
2000-2001. All existing applications under SAC at
the advanced stage will be processed and future applications
will be lodged under the refugee category 200, under the
subset 201 if applying within their country and for those
outside the country of origin they can apply under 201.
Migration (Non-Humanitarian) Program 1999-2000 to 2000-2001
| |
Outcome
(project)
|
Planning Level
|
| FAMILY STREAM |
|
|
|
Spouse
|
24,000
|
24,000
|
|
Finance
|
3,000
|
3,365
|
|
Child
|
2,350
|
2,770
|
|
Parent
|
500
|
500
|
|
Designated Parent*
|
610
|
1,600
|
|
Preferential
|
1,240
|
980
|
|
Interdependency
|
300
|
300
|
|
Total Family
|
32,000
|
34,400
|
| SKILL STREAM |
|
|
|
SAL/SAS
|
8,400
|
5,950
|
|
Independent/State
Nominated**
|
14,300
|
21,350
|
|
ENS/Labour/RSMS**
|
6,000
|
5,800
|
|
Business Skills
|
6,000
|
6,700
|
|
Distinguished Talent
|
200
|
170
|
|
1 November
|
100
|
30
|
| Total Skill |
35,000
|
40,000
|
| SPECIAL ELIGIBILITY STREAM |
|
|
|
Former Citizens/Residents
|
350
|
350
|
|
Resolution of Status
|
2,650
|
1,250
|
|
Total Special Eligibility
|
3,000
|
1,600
|
|
TOTAL
|
70,000
|
76,000
|
*This is a new parent category
announced in October
1999 to cover those parents
who had applied in the parent
category that was disallowed
by the Senate on 31 March
1999. This will be separate
from the 4,000 place
Subject to adequate arrangements
to minimise cost to the
taxpayer, there will also
be an additional 4,000 contingency
reserve for aged parents. These
arrangements are explained in the next column.
** Planning levels for these
categories would be increased
(against the contingency
reserve of 5,000 places), if there
were sufficient increased
demand through State Specific
migration initiatives and
targeted nominations from
business/employers under
the Employer Nomination
Scheme and Labour Agreements
categories.
Source:
Media Release MPS# 035/2000, 3 April 2000
Migration
Program
The skill stream has been increased by 5,000 places totalling, a number of
available skill places at 40,000 and an allocation of 34,400
for family visas and 1,6000 for special eligibility. A
total of 76,000 places.
Migration Legislation Amendment
(Parents and Other
Measures) Bill implements
the Government's decision to create new visa category
that will allow parents of Australian citizens and residents
to migrate to Australia provided that guarantees of support
are given. These include paying of a social security
bond of $10,000 for the principal applicant and $4,000
for each adult dependent, and either taking up private
health insurance to cover the first ten years after arrival,
if such a product is available.
(Visa Application) Bill amends the Act, to provide a new maximum limit of visa application charge of
$30,000 to take into account the $25,000 health service
charge on applicants in the new Parent Class.
Detention Update
The following is taken from the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) Report
as at 11 May 2000:
Centre Male Female Total
Curtin 933 117 (131) 1050
Port Hedland 514 105 (105) 619
Woomera 1229 196 (210) 1425
Marybyrnong 66 15 (6) 81
Perth 23 - - 23
Villawood 267 53 (28) 320
(indicates # of minors)
Other Male Female Total
Hospital 10 3 13
Prison 109 3 112
Derby Lock-up 9 - 9
Woomera " - - -
Total Residents 3652
Male 3160
Female 492
Minors 482
Joint
Standing Committee
on
Migration
The Joint Standing Committee
on Migration is currently considering the Migration Legislation
Amendment Bill (No 2) 2000. A submission was sent
to the Committee on behalf of two Committees of the Australian
Catholic Bishops Conference, the Committees for Migrants
and Refugees and for the Family and for Life. Public
hearings were held in Sydney and Melbourne and both Fr
John and Dr Warwick Neville (Reserarch Department of the
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference) were called as
witnesses at the hearing in Sydney on Wednesday 24 May
2000. A media report stated that the "Catholic
Church has slammed a proposed Federal Government crackdown
on refugee court action as offending Australian law in
every way and giving the Immigration Minister too much
power... restricting the right of failed asylum seekers
to appeal in a higher court".
ACMRO warmly thanks
Warwick for developing the submission and attending the
hearing in Sydney with Fr John.
Immigration
Detention Centre Guidelines
The
Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti has released guidelines
to protect the rights of immigration detainees in Australia. The
guidelines can be found at www.hreoc.gov.au/human-rights/asylum/
Administrative
Review Tribunal (ART)
The
ART is the merging of federal tribunals which is designed
to simplify the tribunal system and is expected to be operational
by February 2001. The ART will take
over the work of the Administrative Review Tribunal, the
Refugee Review Tribunal, the Migration Review Tribunal
and the Social Security Appeals Tribunal.
The
Community Input Guide
The
Community Input Guide to settlement programs and services
sponsored by the Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council
was recently updated. The Settlement Branch of DIMA
suggest that many issues raised in the annual Minister's
(Immigration) Consultations on migration issues are "carefully
considered in the development and implementation of policies
and programs directed at achieving one of the Department's
main outcomes" which is to achieve "a society
which values Australian citizenship, appreciates cultural
diversity, and enables migrants to participate equitably".
Information Session - presentation by
DIMA Staff
ACMRO
and its Canberra Advisory Group thank the members from
DIMA who presented an information session to the May meeting. We
thank the DIMA representatives for an open and interesting
discussion on the issues surrounding 'locally engaged staff'
in overseas DIMA posts.
Research/Reference Material
Centre
for Immigration Studies at http://mail.cis.org/guest/RemoteListSummary/THISWEEK is an independent, non-profit research organization
that in the United States, providing information on immigration
issues.
The
Sydney Law Reform, Volume 22, Number 1, March 2000.
Fr
Larry Reitmeyer, formerly a member of ACMRO, provided assistance
with research for an article in the volume on Protecting
the Human Rights of Immigration Detainees in Australia:
An evaluation of Current Accountability Mechanics.
Crock,
Mary, 1998 Immigration & Refugee Law in Australia, Sydney,
Federated Press.
A
text to provide a comprehensive account of the laws and
politics governing immigration and refugee law in Australia.
Seeking
Our Safety:
facts about refugees & asylum seekers in Australia,
Refugee Council of Australia, 2000. You can obtain
a copy of this by contacting the RCOA on 02 9660 5300
or at http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au
Temporary
Protection Visas
Campaign to Stop Illegal Entrants
The
following is a media release by the Bishops Committee for
Migrants and Refugees entitled
Justice
and Equity amiss in the Federal Government's treatment
of holders of Temporary Protection Visas
Refugees
who have been given a Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) should
be entitled to the same basic rights as other residents
of Australia.
The
Chairman of the Bishop's Committee for Migrants and Refugees,
Archbishop Barry Hickey, expressed concern that the government's
failure to provide adequate access to basic community services
to holders of TPV's was discriminatory.
"The
Federal Government awards successful on-shore refugee applicants
with a Temporary Protection Visa but does very little
to assist them settle into this country," said Archbishop
Hickey. "How can we expect these people to integrate
into society when they have no access to federal assistance
in the areas of accommodation, employment, or English skills? The
limited financial assistance they receive is insufficient
to support them till they find employment."
Catholic
Agencies, along with many other churches and community
groups, are responding to the immediate needs of TPV holders. However,
they do not have the resources to do this alone. In
addition, many non-government agencies are not permitted
to use government funds for this purpose.
"We
are not asking the government to find a solution which
excludes the involvement of the Catholic Church," said
Archbishop Hickey. "We are seeking an opportunity
to work with the government to provide these new Australian
residents a fair and equal chance to find their feet."
The
Catholic Church stands ready to assist with an increased
refugee program," said Archbishop Hickey.
17
May 2000
Photograph
(hard copy available from ACMRO if you wish to view
the photo
The above
photograph was taken at a dinner to celebrate the approaching
100th birthday of Monsignor George Crennan
(center), who was Director of the Federal Catholic Immigration
Office from 1949 to 1995. Monsignor was instrumental
in establishing many Catholic Church programs for migrants
and refugees. With Monsignor are Cardinal Edward Clancy
(President of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference)
and Archbishop Hickey (Chairman of the Bishops'
Committee for Migrants and Refugees. All have been
outspoken advocates for maintaining social rights
and dignity for migrants and refugees.
Kosovo
Albanians
The
following response letter is from Minister Ruddock.
Dear Reverend Murphy
Thank you for your letter of 31 March 2000 concerning
the return of the Kosovo Albanian who were given temporary
safe haven in Australia. I appreciate your concern
about their welfare and can understand your wish for the
highly successful Operation Safe Haven to be concluded
with compassion.
As you would be aware, these Kosovo Albanians came
to Australia on a temporary basis at the request of the
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). When
the conflict ended in June 19999, most people who had fled
the situation in Kosovo had returned. This included
some 3000 from Australia, most of who had returned with
a generous allowance from the Australian Government.
In October 1999, I wrote to all remaining Kosovars
asking them to set out in writing any reasons why they
should be allowed to say longer. I did this because
a number had indicated that they had concerns about return. I
referred all claims to stay to the UNHCR for advice and
claims to stay for health reasons were also referred to
the Department of Health and Aged Care.
On 14 March 2000 Mr Hitoshi Mise, the regional representative
of the UNHCR, advised me that most of the Ethnic Albanians
from Kosovo no longer had protection needs but that there
were certain categories of Kosovo Albanians who continue
to need international protection. In the light of
the UNHCR advice, 80 Kosovar families were interviewed
to clarify their protection claims.
The process of considering the claims was a comprehensive
one. I personally considered each case in the light
of the UNHCR advice, interview reports, medical trauma
counselor reports, the individual case material put forward
and an assessment from my department. I considered
each case in terms of whether a claim for protection could be
mounted - a much lesser test thank would be faced in the
protection visa process. After I had advised my decisions,
I received a large number of new claims and, despite having
no obligation to do so, I personally reviewed these cases
(changing my decision in a number of cases).
The results speak for themselves: I allowed 123
people to make further applications for visas (including
121 for protection visas). I also allowed 170 people
further stay on their temporary safe haven visas (mainly
for medical and trauma related reasons).
The timing of the recent return of Kosovars was
considered carefully and I decided that to return them
now, with the European Spring underway, would be appropriate. This
decision took account of conditions on the ground in Kosovo
(conditions which are not perfect), advice from the UNHCR
about the advisability of return and the availability of
considerable international aid in Kosovo. Refugee
experts in the United Nations have also pointed out that
return undertaken within 12 months of displacement is much
more likely to be sustainable and that a decent period
of rebuilding/re-establishment would be best before
the onset of the European Winter.
Thank you for drawing your concerns to my attention.
Yours
sincerely
Philip
Ruddock
POPE
DENOUNCES XENPHOBIA
In
his homily for the Jubilee for Migrants on Friday, Pop
John Paul II denounced "discrimination" and "closed-minded
attitudes" in contemporary society towards "the
foreigner".
Speaking
to the crowd in St Peter's Square he said: "Among
you, there are refugees who fled violent situations and
who ask that their basic rights be recognized... For the
Catholic Church, no one is foreign, no one is excluded,
no one is held at a distance. Unfortunately, there
stills exists in the world, closed-minded attitudes and
rejection, which are due to unjustified fears and self-interest." The
Pope preached "fraternity" and the art of celebrating
differences". Some 50,000 migrants and itinerants
were gathered in Rome for the Jubilee observance last week,
including students, sailors, migrant workers, and even
members of traveling circus groups.
After
the Mass, about 200 protestors, mostly from India, Bangladesh
and Sri Lanka, unrolled streamers and asked for the extension
of residence permits in Italy. "Conscious of
what the Church in Italy had already done and still does
for those in this situation," said Holy See spokesman
Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the group of demonstrators wanted
to present to the Vatican a document containing their requests."
Catholic
Immigration/Multicultural Offices
National
Director
- Rev Fr John J Murphy
Australian
Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office
GPO
Box 2720, Canberra ACT 2601
Tel: 02
6201 9848
Fax: 02
6247 7466
Email: director@acmro.catholic.org.au
or projectofficer@acmro.catholic.org.au
Street
Address:
2nd
Floor, Favier House, 1 Ballumbir Street, Braddon ACT 2612
Brisbane
Coordinator
- Jose Zepeda
Centre
for Multicultural Pastoral Care
PO
Box 112 Paddington QLD 4064
Tel: 07
3876 3294
Fax: 07
3369 3094
Street
Address: 333 Given Terrace
Paddington
Qld 4064
Sydney
Executive
Director - Lenka Hill
Catholic
Immigration Office
9th
Floor
Polding
House
276 Pitt
Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
Tel: 02
9390 5148 or 02 9390 5100
Fax: 02
9264 5093
Adelaide
Director
- Maria Barredo
Catholic
Multicultural Pastoral Service
2nd
Floor, Diocesan Church Office
39
Wakefield Street
Adelaide
SA 5000
Tel: 08
8210 8235
Fax: 08
8223 3880
Perth
Director
- Gerald Searle
Catholic
Migrant Centre
25
Victoria Centre
Perth
WA 6000
Tel: 08
9221 1727
Fax: 08
9221 3793
Episcopal
Vicar for Migration -
Rev.
Adrian Pittarello CS
Melbourne
Episcopal
Vicar for Migrants and Refugees
Rev.
John Raccanello CS
Melbourne
Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office
PO
Box 146
East
Melbourne Vic 3002
Tel: 03
9926 5677
Fax: 03
9926 5617
Street
Address:
383
Albert Street, East Melbourne Vic 3002
Hobart
Contact-
Rev Fr Chris Mithen CP
St
Joseph's Presbytery
65
Harrington Street
Hobart
Tas 7000
Tel: 03
6234 4866
Fax: 03
6234 3584
Darwin
Director
of Centacare - Mario Trinidad
GPO
Box 547
Darwin NT
0801
Tel: 08
8941 0022
Fax: 08
8981 9739
Street
Address, Gsell Centre, Darwin
Canberra
Director
Centacare
Neil Harrigan
PO
Box 1367
Manuka
ACT 2603
Tel: 02
6239 7700
Fax: 02
6239 7171
Street
Address:
42
Canberra Avenue
Manuka
ACT 2603
This newsletter is published twice a year. If you wish to contribute an article
to the next newsletter contact us on 02 6201 9848 or
at www.acmro.catholic.org.au or
email to projectofficer@acmro.catholic.org.au |
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