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MIGRATION ACTION Migration Action Vol. VII No. 3 1985 SbtTOG./lfL' c*>py. How they do it in NSW: mainstreaming, anti-discrimination, migrant women etc . plus all our regular features! Migration \ Action Volume VII — Number 3 (1985) Migration Action is published by the Ecumenical Migration Centre (133 Church Street, Richmond, Victoria, Australia, 3121 — Tel: CONTENTS 428 4948). E.M.C. is a non-denominational agency which through its welfare, Ethnic Programs in Government: Marginal or Mainstream?..... 4 educational and community work Des Crowley fosters the development of Australia The Anti-Discrimination Board......................................... 9 as a multi-cultural society. The Cen Margaret Helman tre has been working with im Community Disputes and their Resolution.................................. 13 migrants since 1962 and is one of the Wendy Faulkes few agencies geared specially to meet Migrant Women in the Women’s Movement................................. 17 the needs of immigrants. Its work is diversified with a strong emphasis on Suvendi Perera welfare work with a non-English Ethno-specific and Community Services........ ............................. 21 speaking clientele, community education and community develop Assurances of Support — Update................................................ 25 ment. Interview: Jo Lo Bianco................................................................... 27 Workers provide a much needed welfare and counselling service for Legislation against Incitement to Racial Hatred........................ 33 Greek and Turkish immigrants and Vietnamese refugees, as well as sup World Scene...................................................................................... 35 port for smaller groups such as Timorese. Action................................................................................................. 38 CHOMI (Clearing House on Migration Issues) is a unique infor All in the Family..... ....................... 50 mation centre on migration issues What the Academics Tell Us.......................................................... 57 which provides a base for the Cen tre’s community education pro Reviews............................................................................................. 59 gramme. The library holds 30,000 documents and 200 periodicals which are used by students, teachers, government departments and others Editor: Michael Liffman seeking up-to-date information or Design and Layout: Michael Liffman undertaking research. Editorial Committee: David Cox, Walter Lippman and Lidio Bertelli. It is not the intention of this Journal to reflect the opinion of either the team or the committee of the 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 stimulating through its various articles, suggestions and comments. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (per volume of 3 issues) — $10.00 (individuals) — $12.00 (institutions) — $15.00 (abroad) — Single Issue: $3.50 Please issue cheques, money orders, etc to: Ecumenical Migration Centre, 133 Church Street, Richmond, Vic. Australia, 3121. Page 2 — Migration Action Vol. VII No. 3 1985 ; '•*++++*+*•■+*+**■*■»****+*■++++*■*■++**+•++++++++••++*++++++++*■*■•■++*■**■*■ f —-**++*+*++++****-*-++**»+*++»++*-+*+'i Editorial In keeping with Migration Action’s objective of providing a national forum for discussion of immigration and ethnic affairs, for this issue the NSW Ethnic Affairs Commission has been invited to present several contributions dealing with the work and perspective of the NSW Government. In the following introductory comment, Dr Paulo Totaro, Chairman of the Commission, summarises those contributions. Alongside the special emphasis on NSW, some other articles are included, as are Migration Action’s regular features. Special thanks are due to the NSW Ethnic Affairs Commission, especially to Paulo Totaro and Des Crowley for their editorial assistance, and to Jarka Sipka for her illustrations. Michael Liftman, Editor “Mainstreaming” is the turning point in the better access to government services will be brief history of the NSW government’s ethnic achieved by effecting change within the and multicultural affairs. During the period mainstream of government departments — 1975-83 the emphasis in NSW intervention was and not through the creation of more specialist to set up special ethnic and multicultural units, units. How this is being achieved is illustrated to compensate for deficiencies in the provision in an article by Des Crowley. by the government sector of services to migrant Two important innovations in NSW have been and ethnic communities. This led to the the creation in 1979 of the Anti-Discrimination creation of a healthy number of specialist Board, and more recently, setting up of the bodies. Their function has been central in Community Justice Centres. Two articles, altering the public sector perspective as to the respectively by Margaret Helman and Wendy expectations and needs of the diverse Faulkes, tell of these NSW experiments. population that makes up our society. Their The NSW Ethnic Affairs Commission’s achievements have been too many to even Suvendi Perera recounts the experience of a mention in a brief editorial. group of ethnic women from NSW attending the recent Women and Labor Conference in An unfortunate by-product, however, has Queensland — and how that group turned what been that many such bodies and their staff seemed to be a further experience in have found themselves in subordinate and marginalisation into an assertive and positive marginalised positions. The marginalisation in intervention. certain cases has been such as to create A current topic for debate in NSW, as well profound concern. It almost seemed as if the as in the Commonwealth, through the marginal status of ethnic policy advisers on, worthwhile efforts of the Human Rights say, migrant health or education was a mirror Commission, is whether special legislation of the marginal and subordinate status of so should be introduced to offer recourse against many migrants in the community. those who incite the public to hate members It was with this in mind that the government of the community because of race. My personal decided to make a decisive change of tack. The views on the matter are included in the form course is the same but the strategy is different: of an article. Migration Action Vol. VII No. 3 1985 — Page 3 Ethnic Programmes in Government: Marginal or Integral? Des Crowley Des Crowley is a Project Officer with the NSW Ethnic Affairs Commission ADMIMISTRATiorl Since 1976, it has been the policy of the N.S.W. Goverment: Ma n a g e m e n t )> "... that no individual or group in the p e r s o n n e l S> community should be discriminated against or 4 e n q u i r i e s excluded from the fullest participation in the social, economic and cultural life of the « INFORMATION community or from the fullest share of all the A c c o u n t s s> opportunities the community offers".'1 4 6 'T o R A G f The establishment of the Ethnic Affairs Commis OMBUDSMAN sion in 1977 was the first major step taken to 4 promote participation and equal access for ELECTORAL o f f k i immigrants and ethnic groups. copyrnsHT <5 TR i B u n i a l In December 1983, the N.S.W. Government took another major step in launching a policy initiative So c ia l Se c u r e $ Pu Bu iC tCRVICt that has the potential to change the face of ethnic A R B r f a A f b R affairs in the state. Premier Wran, in a memo to all immigration ! Ministers, requested that every Government HEALTH DEPT R> department and statutory authority prepare, by December 1984, an Ethnic Affairs Policy Statement, i r t g i s t ^ l J a form of management plan which would set out c iv il c l a i a i s goals and strategies aiming to ensure that all g r a i n h an d un g! members of the N.S.W. community, regarjdless of « language, ethnic, racial or cultural background, GoVT ACTUARY have equal access to the services provided by the o e p t c#= ' state government, and further that such services AhIT i DISCR i M i MATW should be culturally appropriate an^l non- ! discriminatory. HO VACANCY j)N The Policy Statements are to be assessed by the Ethnic Affairs Commission, which will advise the Premier as to their acceptability. Departments and authorities are also required to report annually on /\ - how they implement their policies. Page 4 — Migration Action Vol. VII No. 3 1985 The precise objectives of the policy initiative rticular difficulties that had been identified; for are:— example, the translation of publicity or information, (i) to increase the awareness of ethnic groups compiling of “ in-house interpreter” lists, inclusion of the services that are available to them, of components on cultural awareness or cross- (ii) to eliminate any discrimination in the cultural communication in training for counter planning and delivery of services, officers. While all of these may be valid and (iii) to promote services which are culturally effective practices which improve access for ethnic sensitive and appropriate to all clientele. groups, they were rarely incorporated within any Over the past five years, most of the major overall policy context, thus, there were inconsist government departments offering services to the encies in implementation, and it was also difficult public — for example, Education, Health, TAFE, to evaluate the effect of steps taken. In some Youth and Community Services (YACS), Police — instances,