Unit 3 Area of Study 2
Australian Cultural Communities
“Debates about multiculturalism, immigration
and refugees”

Multiculturalism
◦ First, multiculturalism is often used to describe the
diverse cultural make up of a society.
◦ Second, multiculturalism refers to a set of norms
that uphold the right of the individual to retain and
enjoy their culture.
◦ Third, multiculturalism is the name given to a
government policy which seeks to recognise,
manage and maximise the benefits of diversity.

Multiculturalism
◦ Australia’s multicultural policy Multicultural
Australia United in Diversity: Strategic Directions
2003-2006 expired in 2006.
◦ There is currently no federal government policy on
multiculturalism.
◦ The Rudd Government has recently established the
Australian Multicultural Advisory Council to develop a
new policy. The 16-member council, which includes
representatives from the Filipino, Chinese and Islamic
communities as well as human rights and antidiscrimination experts, will be chaired by the chief
executive of the AFL, Andrew Demetriou.

What was the policy
◦ Multicultural Australia United in Diversity: Strategic Directions

Who developed the policy
◦ Howard/Liberal

When was it developed/applicable
◦ 2003-2006

Why was the policy developed
◦ Sought to recognise, manage and maximise the benefits of
diversity

How was the policy implemented
◦ Continuation of previous multicultural policies

Where does the policy apply
◦ Federally


Use the “Ripple Effect” graphic organiser to
identifying arguments for and against a
multiculturalism policy in Australia
Each argument needs to consider
consequences, or “ripples”
 Refer to the articles ‘Australia must affirm its
commitment to multiculturalism’, ‘Race offence
against truth’ and ‘Anti-racist bid targets hot
spots’ for ideas

Emigration

Immigration
◦ Refers to the movement out of a country
◦ Refers to the movement of people into a country
◦ There are two programs designed to help people
wanting to come to Australia permanently:
 Migration program
 Humanitarian program

Difference between migrant and refugee
◦ Migrants choose when to leave their country, where they
go and when they return
◦ Refugees flee their country for their own safety and
cannot return unless the situation that forced them to
leave improves

Go to the ABS website and answer the following:
◦ In 2007-08, how many new settlers arrived from overseas?
◦ How many were under each of the following categories:
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Skills Stream
Family Stream
New Zealanders (Trans-Tasman Travel Agreement)
Refugees (and humanitarian entrants)
Others (including former citizens returning
Qualified under special eligibility criteria
◦ In 2007-08, how many people already in Australia on temporary
visas were granted visas allowing them to stay permanently?
◦ How man were under each of the following categories:
◦
◦
◦
◦
Skills Stream
Family Stream
Refugees (and humanitarian entrants)
Qualified under special eligibility criteria


Until the 1970s, the White Australia Policy
restricted immigration from non-European
countries.
Are we still a “White Australia”?
 Use the ‘Face the Facts’ booklet to identify the top
10 countries of birth for 2007-08.

The following categories are used by the
Department of Immigration and Citizenship
(DIAC) to select who can get an Australian
visa:
 Skilled Stream Migrants
 Family Stream Migrants
 Humanitarian Program Entrants

Use the ‘Face the Facts’ booklet to describe
the eligibility for each criteria.

Would the migrants in the Safeway ad be
allowed to become citizens today?
◦ On 30 May 2007 the Australian Citizenship
Amendment (Citizenship Testing) Bill was
introduced into parliament
 The Bill amended the Australian Citizenship Act 2007
◦ The law now requires most permanent residents to
complete an English-language test successfully
before applying for Australian citizenship

Use the graphic organiser to consider how the
intake of migrants has, or will, impact on
Australia in the following ways:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦

Politically
Economically
Environmentally
Technologically
Socially
Consider things such as employment, welfare,
declining fertility, aging population, crime,
religious beliefs, etc
 Refer to the articles ‘Concerns on immigration continue
to linger’, ‘Murky agenda behind this green debate’ and
‘Australia to boost skilled migrant numbers’.

What was the policy?

Who developed the policy?

When was it developed/applicable?

Why was the policy developed?
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How was the policy implemented?
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Where does the policy apply?
 Citizenship Test
 Howard/Liberal
 2007
 So newly arrived migrants could be tested on their
knowledge of Australian cultural values and norms
 All migrants seeking citizenship in Australia were required
to sit a test in English
 Federally
* Choose another policy
relating to immigration and
summarise it in the same
manner as above.

Asylum seeker
◦ The terms asylum seeker and refuge are often
confused.
◦ An asylum seeker is someone who has fled their
own country and says that he or she is a refugee
but whose claim has not yet been assessed by the
country in which they are seeking protection.
◦ The number of people seeking asylum in Australia
is relatively low:
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


50,700
45,600
36,400
06,303
-
United States
South Africa
Sweden
Australia

Refugee
◦ A refugee is someone who has been assessed by a
national government or an international agency and
meets the criteria set out under the Convention Relating
to the Status of Refugees 1951 (Refugee Convention).
 eg, a person who flees to a foreign country or power to
escape danger or persecution “owing to a well-founded fear
of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
membership or a particular social group, or political opinion,
is outside the country of their nationality, and is unable to
or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail him/herself of the
protection of that country.”
◦ The concept of a refugee was expanded by the
Conventions’ 1967 Protocol and by regional conventions
in Africa and Latin America to include persons who had
fled war or other violence in their home country.

Refugee
◦ At the end of 2007, there were roughly 11.4 million
refugees around the world that were under the
responsibility of the United Nations Office of the High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
◦ In 2007 the largest country of origin for refugees was:
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Afghanistan (3.1 million)
Iraq (2.3 million)
Columbia
Sudan
Somalia
Burundi (Eastern Africa – borders Rwanda, Tanzania and
Congo)
◦ Why do you think so many people sought asylum from
those countries?

‘Authorised’ arrivals:
◦ enter Australia with a valid visa (tourist/student)
◦ can apply for a PPV (permanent protection visa)
◦ will get a bridging visa while protection claim is
being assessed

‘Unauthorised’ arrivals
◦ enter Australia without a valid visa (by boat or air)
◦ detained for identity, health and security checks
◦ may be given a bridging visa

Under its Humanitarian Program, Australia accepts a number of
refugees.
Australia is only obligated to protect refugees if:

This program has two main parts:


◦ the applicant has a well founded fear of persecution covered by the
Convention
◦ the applicant has not committed war crimes or serious non-political
crimes
◦ the applicant does not have effective protection in another country
◦ Off-shore resettlement (Refugee Visas and Special Humanitarian Program
Visas)
◦ On-shore protection (Protection Visa (PV) and Permanent Protection Visa
(PPV))
Based on the ‘Face the Facts’ booklet, explain how refugees are
processed by the government and how this process has changed
between the Howard and Rudd leadership.

Based on the ‘Face the Facts’ booklet,
respond to the following questions:
◦ Why should Australia accept refugees?
◦ How should refugees be processed and/or
detained?
◦ What settlement services should Australia provide?
◦ Describe debates about refugees during the Howard
years including MV Tampa, the Pacific Solution and
Temporary Protection Visas (TPV)?
◦ What did the “Inquiry into Children in Immigration
Detention, A last resort?” find?

What was the policy

Who developed the policy

When was it developed/applicable

Why was the policy developed

How was the policy implemented

Where does the policy apply
 Pacific Solution
 Howard/Liberal
 2001-2007
 So asylum seekers would not be processed in Australia
 Thousands of islands were re-zoned out of Australian territory,
the Defence Force intercepted boats and relocated them to Pacific
Islands, asylum seekers were taken to islands in the Pacific to be
processed. Australia provided financial assistance to the
participating islands.
 Federally
* Choose another policy
relating to refugees and
summarise it in the same
manner as above.

Write definitions of the following terms in
your glossary:
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◦
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Assimilation
Asylum seeker
Integration
Refugee