Prime Minister Malcolm Turnball has made the claim that “It is a great time to be an Australian” but ladies and gentlemen, is it really a great time to be an Australian citizen given that unemployment is at an all-time high and refugees are being deprived of basic human rights? Yes, Australia is a picturesque and peaceful continent but behind this curtain of beauty, there are issues which are disheartening and very controversial.
Ladies and gentleman being able to work for a wage and having secure employment is a very important of how we identify ourselves and our worth as individuals and Australians. In 2016, however, the unemployment rate across Australia has risen to an all-time high with terrible consequences. Statistics have shown that
…show more content…
In the 1990s, former Prime Minister Paul Keating introduced mandatory, indefinite detention for all refugees who arrived by boat. Since then, compulsory conditions for those seeking asylum in Australia have only worsened. In 2013, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made the announcement that no asylum seeker arriving by boat would ever be settled in Australia. This decision was very controversial but sadly the Australian public’s feelings were ignored and men, women and children were held prisoner at Nauru’s Regional Processing Centre. Imprisoned for weeks, months and years The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that, Transfield Services, who run the detention centre, have cited 67 child abuse claims, 33 sexual assault and rape claims and 253 self harm attempts. In January 2016, one year old asylum seeker Asha was accidently burnt in the Nauru Processing Centre. Transferred to Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, along with her parents, she was treated with compassion by hospital staff who openly refused to discharge her back to Nauru. Sadly the government informed the public that after Asha had been treated, the three would return to Nauru. Ladies and gentlemen Nauru is not a centre which fills me with pride and out treatment of asylum seekers is horrendous. It is time to change how we see these victims of
In doing so, we are also blocking out people who have the potential to bring even more cultural diversity into the community. If we honestly believe that we are a generous and multicultural nation, it’s time we show it by empathising with our fellow human beings. In order to improve the conditions in detention centres there must be a change to our unnecessarily harsh system. We need rules to be enforced, such as; a maximum 30 day time limit, and the people that are detained must be let out within this time frame. Within this time, health, character and identity checks must be completed. Shutting down isolating and remote detention centres. Speeding up the processing system. Asylum seekers must be given the opportunity to communicate with the outside world and have full access to legal advice and counselling. This means that telephones, internet and external activities need to be an option. Unaccompanied minors also need to be a priority. It is time that Australia treats our neighbours with all the dignity and respect that they finally
It is evident that there is human injustice with refugees and asylum seekers in Australia. Refugees and asylum seekers are seeking safety and protection from the severe circumstance of injustice that they have had to experience. There are over 436 people in offshore detention in Australia
Phillips, J. (2011), ‘Asylum seekers and refugees: What are the facts?’, Background note, Parliamentry library, Canberra.
After the Vietnamese ’boat people’ started arriving in Australia, the Australian attitude towards refugees and asylum seekers has been very effective at integrating them.
U.S. immigration law is very complex, and there is much uncertainty as to how it works. The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), the body of law governing current immigration policy, provides for an annual worldwide limit of 675,000 permanent immigrants, with certain exceptions for close family members ("How the United States Immigration System Works: A Fact Sheet"). Around the world there are so many immigrants/refugees who are in the hunt for a fitter life. Some come from places where civil war occurs or some suffer economically trying to support their family. Knowing the fact that they are desperate to seek for a better life, the best option is to migrate to the U.S, the land of opportunities. The problem lies in the migration to the U.S. What are the quotas for new immigrants arriving to the U.S? What are the eligibility requirements to becoming a permanent citizen in the U.S? With much inquiry, this topic has become very intriguing. What people must understand is that
As a part of my English communications study I have chosen to explore the various social and political issues regarding asylum seekers in Australia. Firstly I would like to clarify the term asylum seekers, or as they are more commonly referred to: ‘boat people’.
The 2002 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act abandoned the dispersal policy and voucher scheme and introduced warehousing accommodation in the form of a camp that’s like a prison to house asylum seekers with a separate education and healthcare provision, these finally excludes them from normal community life (Bochel et al, 2009:388). This was highly criticized by NGOs, refugee council, refugee organization and several charitable organizations for refugee and this sometimes led to riots in the detention centre. The 2004-2006 Act further tightens the asylum system and speeded detention and removal by the withdrawal of legal rights (Bochel et al, 2009:388). The home office insist the dispersal policy is going on well whereas on the ground opinion is mixed (Guardian, 27 June 2001) this came up due to the case of some 14 asylum seekers on hunger strike in protest against the poor living condition in the privately run Liverpool tower block. The refugee council has serious concern over the dispersal policy especially as unaccompanied minors are being dispersed alongside adults with no proper resources and support service put in place. Chief executive Nick Hardwick mentioned that for dispersal policy to work government department need to develop proper support services for asylum seekers in dispersing areas and that dumping asylum seekers on poor estate blocks where they cannot access basic services like healthcare and education is leaving them abandoned and vulnerable (Guardian, 27 June 2001). In some situation asylum seekers refused to be dispersed and decide to
They have been found to have detrimental psychological effects, as they leave refugees in a state of limbo, fearing their imminent forced return, where they are unable to integrate into society. This emotional distress is often compounded by the fact that refugees on TPVs in Australia are not able to apply for family reunification nor are they able to leave the country. Family reunification is a well-established right in Sweden, as well as most western countries. Moreover, it is a human right protected under the ICCPR whereby refugees have the right to family (Article 23) and the right to freedom from arbitrary interference with family life (Article 17). As a result of living in a state of uncertainty and heartache caused by family separation, refugees on TPVs face a “700 percent increased risk of developing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in comparison with PPV (permanent protection visa) refugees (Mansouri et al. 2009, pp. 145). Denial of family reunification under TPVs is likely to cause more asylum seekers to engage in illegal means to arrive in
Moreover, there is no legislature in the UK setting out a minimum level of care for asylum seekers, financial support comes as weekly payments and and accommodation is on a no choice basis. However, this is different in cases of UASC as a statutory responsibility under section 17 and 20 of the children’s act 1989 and 2004 is triggered. This Act is triggered only after establishing that the child is indeed under 18, this then leads to an assessment with the child subsequently becoming a looked after child with an allocated social worker. The social worker is therefore a first contact for the child responsible for integrating the child into the community and taking care of their educational, social and emotional wellbeing. Consequently, an ongoing assessment is necessary to build an in-depth understanding of the vulnerabilities and competences of each child or young person to appreciate the risk or protective factors resulting from their circumstances and to plan service responses appropriate to their needs and wishes. There should therefore be emphasis placed on assessing the mental health of these kids because of the adverse experiences in their home countries and the distress experienced in an alien country or culture in which they find themselves. Weaver and Burns (2001) thus argue that social workers need a greater understanding of the impact of trauma to be effective with asylum seekers in general and UASC. However, many people who are exposed to traumatic experiences do not necessarily develop mental issues so social workers should be cautious about making assumptions as studies shows that most asylum seekers point to social and economic factors as important rather than psychological
Asylum seeker issue is a complex and continuing struggle between the heart and the head. It will continue to haunt us as long as Australia shines to be an oasis of space, peace and prosperity in a global sea of overcrowding and escalating suffering.
An extraordinary 65.3 million Refugees have been displaced around the world. In 2015 Australia took 12,000 of them. But where are Australians placing these Refugees? Australia is deporting these Refugees to a third country, either on Manus or Nauru Island. These Islands have reports of inhumane and cruel treatment towards Refugees For those who aren’t fully aware of what Refugees are; they are people whom come to Australia illegally without the appropriate visas. They cannot obtain these visas because of the reasons they are fleeing their country … their Government. None the less it should be the Australian Government they fear. The concepts of refugees are kept hidden away from us by our own Government in reflection of their Governments own self-interest. This tragedy is classified as a modern day witch hunt.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander refers to persons of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and are accepted as such by the community in which they live.
A refugee is an individual who has escaped their country of origin and is incompetent to return due to fear of being victimized because of their religion, race and for political or social view (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2006).This essay illustrates some of the main impacts that affect the health of refugee in Australia from overseas. Language is a significant barrier to health, these refugee come from non-English speaking countries and find it hard to access health services. They feel disempowered because every time they need an interpreter who is not always available (Australian Human Rights Commission [AHRC], 2010). The use of interpreters is many impacts on health such as, miss communication (The department
Reflection (Choose a quote or series of quotes and respond. Locate your reflection in evidence and LANGUAGE not in feelings)
Australia is a multicultural country where immigrants from all over the world immigrate to Australia. This research is focused on Australian’s immigrants who play a big role in this society. Immigration carries significant factors that affect the process of adaptation on an immigrant. The significant factors discussed further on are social factors, economic factors and cultural factors. To understand immigration and immigrant it would be explained the meaning of it and the types of immigrants. Answering the Research question, it would also be explained what an immigrant aims to reach by explaining the factors that help to feel settled in a new country. As I’m an immigrant in Australia I personally know how factors affect directly the process of adaptation. During this research I aim to prove how these factors affect the process of adaption. It is intended to make useful recommendations to the host country and to the immigrants in order to adapt to a new country easily. It must be said that not everyone experience the same process of adaptation because everyone is exposed to different factors. Moreover, immigrants may experience more than one factor as one factor can lead to the development of other factor.