Migration Action
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MIGRATION ACTION LIBRARY ECUMENICAL MIGRA15* N BROTHERHOOD OF S I LAURENCE CENTRE INC. 67 BRUNSWICK STREET 125 LEICESTER STREET Vol. XII, Number 1, FITZROY FITZROY, VIC. 3065 AUS THAI March 1990 VICTORIA 3085 TEL: 416 0044 Federal Election '90 - WHO CAN WE TRUST? New books from EMC's CHOMI Bookshop 1. Australia's refugee intake: today and tomorrow Broadway, N .S.W .: Refugee Council of Australia, 1989 CHOMI 0/NB509 RRP $10.00 2. The Belgians in Australia K.A. Lodewycks Bowen Hills, Qld: Boolarong Publications, 1988 CHOMI 0/NB5I2 RRP $13.95 3. Cross cultural issues for health professionals in Australia edited by Ross Saunders Waterloo, N.S.W . Multicultural Centre, S.C.A.E. 1989 CHOMI 0/NB5I3 RRP $10.00 4. The cultural construction of race edited by Marie de Lepervanche and Gillian Bottomley Sydney, University of Sydney, 1988 CHOMI 0 /N B506 RRP $ 1 2.00 5. Early childhood services in multicultural Australia: meeting the needs edited by Elizabeth Stevens Waterloo, N .S .W .: Multicultural Centre, S.C.A.E., 1989 CHOMI 0/N B5I4 RRP $10.00 6 . Give me strength/Forza e coraggio: Italian women speak edited by Anna Maria Kahan-Guidi and Elizabeth Weiss Broadway, N .S.W .: Women's Redress Press Inc., 1989 CHOMI 0/N B5I0 RRP $13.95 7. Greeks in Australia/Afstraliotes Hellenes edited by A. Kapardis and A. Tamis North Melbourne, Vic.: River Seine Press, 1988 CHOMI 0/N B508 RRP $27.95 8 . Home and community care in a multicultural society Mark Deasey Fitzroy, Vic.: Ecumenical Migration Centre, 1988 CHOMI 0 / N B507 RRP $ 1 2.00 9. Multicultural education: Policies, programs and practices K-6 edited by Valerie Martin Waterloo, N. S.W. : Multicultural Centre, S C.A.E. 1989 CHOMI 0 /N B515 RRP $12.50 10. Welfare practice in a multicultural society David R. Cox, Sydney: Prentice-Hall, 1989 CHOMI 0 /N B5II RRP $29.95 Order form on inside back cover / MIGRATION ACTION Contents VOL XII NUMBER 1, MARCH 1990 ISSN: 0311-3760 Editorial Immigration no longer divides..................................2 Migration Action is published by the Ecumenical Election 1990 ■= The policies Migration Centre, 3 1 25 Leicester Street, Fitzroy, Labor........................................................................... Victoria, Australia, 3065. C oalition.....................................................................7 Tel: (03)416 00 44 . EMC is a non-government agency which, Democrats................................................................ 10 through its welfare, educational, project and community work fosters the development o f Australia as a multicultural society. The Immigration and Multiculturalism: Perspectives centre has been working with migrants since for the 1990s, Stephen Castles............................. 15 1962. Its work is diversified, from community service and development to social action and Letters .............................................................................14 community education. Within a framework o f ensuring equal access and rights for all in Australian society, EMC Response to Robert Birrell: provides counselling services and Here we go again ..........................................................19 community development activities to a number o f ethnic communities, both established and newly arrived. News from O M A ..........................................................23 EMC also initiates research towards an understanding o f a range o f issues, and promotes change where necessary. Media W atch................................................................25 EMC operates the Clearing House on Migration Issues (CHOMI), which is a unique information centre on migrant, refugee and Book Reviews ethnic issues. The CHOMI library holds over 40,000 documents and 250 periodicals which are used by students, teachers, government Refuge Denied.........................................................26 departments, community organisations and others seeking up-to- date information or undertaking research. Displaced Persons, Colwell's New Australians ...27 Editorial Committee: Tony Pensabene, Tonina Gucciardo, Eve Recht, Vivian Papaleo and Nicki Marshall Editorial manager: Eve Recht. Editing, design and production: Shane Scanlan Mediation It is not the intention of this journal to reflect the opinion of either the staff or the committee of EMC. In many matters this would be difficult to ascertain, nor do the editors think it desirable. The aim of the journal is to be informative and stimulat ing through its various articles, suggestions and comments. EMC gratefully acknowledges the contributions of Sourceware and Banksia Data Systems in the production of this journal. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (per volume of 3 issues) As from January 1990 — $ 25.00 (individuals) — $ 3 0 .0 0 (institutions) — $ 35.00 (abroad) — Single issue: $8.50. MARCH 1990 Editorial g rati on A ction Immigration no longer divides the A common Australian laundry soap label, 1924 parties he 1990 federal election provides an opportunity of a just and tolerant society”. It is therefore to assess the performance o f Labor over the last unfortunate that Ray’s article offers little by way of Tthree years and to consider the alternative option future directions. under a Liberal-National Government. While Ruddock’s article covers immigration, it does at This issue of Migration Action is devoted to the 1990 least acknowledge support for the national agenda, a election and is being released in the last fortnight of commitment to post-arrival programs and services, the election campaign to help readers to make their particularly in regard to the aged, grant-in-aid (under choice as to who can best direct Australia’s threat in recent years) and women. immigration and ethnic affairs programs through this Ruddock questions the value o f a community decade. relations program and the need for an act of Thanks to the co-operation of the three parliament on multiculturalism. Ruddock also sees a spokespersons on immigration and ethnic affairs — need to enhance the Minister’s capacity to deal with the Minister, Senator Robert Ray; Liberal significant cases of hardship, inhumanity and legal spokesperson, Philip Ruddock; and Democrat rigidity in regard to immigration. spokesperson, Jean Jenkins — we are able to publish Similarly, the Democrats have not exclusively focused the policies and programs o f the three main parties. on immigration, but on future directions in regard to As well, Professor Stephen Castles provides an post-arrival programs and services. Jean Jenkins assessment of Labor’s record over the last three years. documents the record o f the Democrats in Parliament Robert Ray has proved himself to be a competent as an effective and active voice in ethnic affairs. She Minister in charting a new course for Australia’s presents a sound case for a third force in shaping the immigration program and in creating a number of political agenda. new initiatives under the National Agenda for a Some 12 months ago immigration was high on the Multicultural Australia. Senator Ray has repaired election agenda. Today, the restored bipartisan much of the damage of his Labor predecessors.. approach of the parties has pushed it off the agenda. Yet Ray’s policy statement published in this issue of Regrettably ethnic affairsis also not a major election Migration Action strangely ignores Labor’s issue. achievements, seeking to focus attention on Let us hope that the next three years does not see immigration. Clearly, the Government sees ethnic affairs put on the back-burner. Whoever wins, immigration as a winner, believing that the opposition Migration Action sees a need for vision, lacking in the is vulnerable. policy statements, to be restored into ethnic affairs. As a strategy it fails. Under the Peacock leadership, Tony Pensabene Philip Ruddock has restored a bipartisan approach to immigration. As his article states, the Liberal Party is “totally committed to equal treatment and equal opportunity for all Australians regardless of race, color, creed or country of origin within the framework 2 MARCH 1990 / LABOR POLICY STATEMENT Labor's policy By the Minister for Immigration, Ethnic Affairs and Local Government Senator Robert Ray The Labor way for immigration uccessive waves of immigrants who have made Australia has ever seen. The result o f all of this has their home in Australia have all contributed to a been to create one and a half million new jobs, and Ssociety that draws its strength from diversity. put Australia in a position to take advantage of our From the ancestors o f Aborigines who arrived in economically strategic position on the Pacific Rim. prehistoric times, to the migrants today who come The changes to the administration o f immigration that from every country on the globe, all are part of our have been put in place over the past year allow multicultural society. adjustments in the balance o f the family, humanitarian One of the great myths surrounding immigration is and economic streams should our circumstances that Australia is doing migrants a great favor by change. allowing them to settle here. The facts are, and the The system is tailored to meet our present needs, but research proves, that the Australian economy benefits it is flexible and can accommodate changing enormously as a result of our immigration program. circumstances, social or economic, to produce the However, our interests are not always measured in best result for Australia. dollars and cents but often have to do with justice, I should add that even during periods of economic