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There are a lot of myths and confusion in the community about who
refugees are, where they come from and why they are in Australia. We
have addressed some of those myths below:
Refugees have no right to come here and expect us to help them
Article
14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has
the right to seek and enjoy in other countries freedom from
persecution".
It is an accident of birth that we are born in a
country where human rights are respected. If we were in the same
situation and forced to flee our home due to instability, war or
persecution, we would hope to receive such assistance in our new
country.
While this does not mean that Australia alone must take
the full burden for protecting the persecuted, it does mean that we
have to play a part in an international response that includes a wide
spectrum of initiatives from addressing root causes to providing asylum
to people whose human rights have been violated.
Refugees are economic migrants who come here to get a better life
Although
the terms "refugees" and "migrants" are frequently used either
interchangeably or in close association, there is a very important
difference between the two groups.
While migrants are people who
make a conscious choice to come to Australia, refugees are people who
have been forced to leave their countries because they have been
persecuted.
Refugees rarely have the chance to make plans for
their departure: to pack their belongings, to say farewell to their
friends and families. Some refugees have had to flee with no notice,
taking with them only the clothes on their backs. Refugees often have
little idea about where they are going - they are running away, but not
running to anything. Many have experienced severe trauma or torture,
and those who come to Australia have had no opportunity to prepare
themselves physically or psychologically for their new life in
Australia.
In contrast, migrants make a conscious choice to come
to Australia. They are able to make all necessary preparations, pack
their belongings and say good-bye to the important people in their
lives. Migrants can also go home at any time if things do not work out
as they had hoped or if they get homesick.
Because refugees and
migrants are different groups of people, with different pre-arrival
experiences, it is important that the distinction be made in the
services provided. Refugees have needs distinct from and additional to
migrants, in particular in relation to torture and trauma counselling,
secure housing and medical care.
Refugees take our jobs, or conversely, all refugees go on unemployment benefits
It
is true that newly arrived refugees have higher unemployment rates than
the community average. This is not unexpected. Amongst the refugee
arrivals are people who have been tortured and deeply traumatised. This
can interfere with employment. There are also a significant number of
entrants whose qualifications are not recognised in Australia and they
need time to make adjustments. There is also the issue of learning
English. Refugees are entitled to 510 hours of free English language
instruction which must be taken in the first 2 years - and it is
beneficial that the entrants do this as they are unlikely to do this
later.
The fact that refugees "come from behind" in the
employment stakes highlights the need for specifically targeted
intervention programs that recognise issues such as their trauma, their
unrecognised qualifications and their lack of English. Targeted
programs that do this have shown that they are very successful at
placing refugees in the workforce. If we are to bring refugees to
Australia (and it is Australia's decision that we do so) it is
important that we recognise their specific needs and address these. If
we do this, we will reap the benefits. Most refugees want to work, both
to restore their damaged sense of self esteem and to repay what they
see as their debt of gratitude to Australia for providing them with
protection.
Whether "refugees take our jobs" is the sort of
question that has no easy answer. Refugees do compete for jobs but they
are also consumers. Because they arrive with nothing they have to
purchase household goods, clothing etc, all of which provides jobs for
the people who make and sell these commodities.
Refugees get all sorts of handouts from the government
Refugees
essentially have the same rights and entitlements as permanent
residents. They are, however, exempt from the waiting period for Social
Security benefits and they get 510 hours of free English language
instruction and some get access to post-arrival assistance. These extra
entitlements are in recognition of their particular needs.
Most
refugee families do need some assistance in settling into society and
learning English. However, after this initial period of adjustment,
most are keen to find stable employment and provide for their families
without relying on government benefits.
If we let one in, then Australia will be flooded with refugees
Due
to its geographical isolation, the difficulties of getting into
Australia mean it is highly unlikely that we will ever see the large
numbers of asylum seekers other countries experience.
It is also
incorrect to presume that everyone wants to come to Australia.
Australia is a lesser-known country and far less of an incentive than
countries such as the United States.
While it is realistic to
expect that asylum seekers will keep coming to Australia, it is highly
unlikely that there will be "floods" of people with the ability
inclination to make the difficult journey by irregular means.
Refugees cannot possibly contribute anything to us
It
is a myth that all refugees are illiterate peasants. The majority that
come to Australia are educated middle class people - whose education,
profession or political opinions have drawn them to the attention of
the authorities and resulted in their persecution. Others are from a
broad cross-section of society, forced to flee from instability or war
that does not discriminate between the educated and the uneducated.
By
definition refugees are survivors. They have survived because they have
the courage, ingenuity and creativity to have done so, and these are
qualities which we value in Australia. The challenge for Australia is
to assist newly arrived refugees to process the experiences of their
past and rebuild their lives in Australia. If we do this we will reap
the benefits of the qualities and experiences they bring to Australia.
These myths and facts have been drawn from a variety of sources, including the Refugee Council of Australia’s website.
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