MIGRATION ACTION BROTTRHOOO OF ST. LAURENCE Vol. IX Number 3 (1987) 67 BRW’.SV.'ICK STREET FITZROY V iC T O R IT M Immigration Policy The Language of Multiculturalism Outw ork _ Photos by Irene Nicolaidis Multicultural Education Migration Action Migration Action is published by the Ecumenical Migration Centre (133 Church Street, Richmond, Victoria, Australia, 3121 — Tel: 428 4948). Migration Action Voi. IX Number 3 (1987) ISSN: 0311-3760 E.M.C. is a non-denominational TABLE OF CONTENTS agency which through its welfare, educational, project and Paradise Regained? After the Cuts and the Backlash community work fosters the by Stephen Castles........................................................................................... 1 development of Australia as a multicultural society. The Centre The Guidelines for Australian Immigration Policy has been working with immigrants by Jock Collins................................................................................................... 4 since 1962. Its work is diversified with a strong emphasis on Outwork and Migrant Women: Some Responses developing models of working by Caroline Alcorso.............................................................................................10 with non-English speaking Speaking of Cultural Difference background people, community by Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis..................................................................... 14 education and community development. Migrant Workers and Workers’ Compensation Within a framework of ensuring by Caroline Alcorso.............................................................................................18 equal rights for all in Australian Multicultural Education in Crisis? society, workers at E.M.C. provide by Mary Kalantzis and Bill Cope..................................................................... 23 information, a welfare and counselling service, and News from O M A.......................................................................................................30 community development activities to Greek and Turkish immigrants Around the States................................................................................................... 32 and Vietnamese refugees. Support is also given to smaller groups World Scene.............................................................................................................. 35 such as the Timorese and to many Action..........................................................................................................................37 individuals of diverse backgrounds. Book Reviews............................................................................................................40 CHOM1 (Clearing House On Migration Issues) is a unique information centre on migrant, refugee and ethnic issues which provides a base for the Centre’s Editor: Renata Singer community education Design and Layout: Kati Sunner programmes. The library holds over 40,000 documents and 250 It is not the intention of this journal to reflect the opinion of either periodicals which are used by the staff or the committee of the EMC. In many matters this would students, teachers, government be difficult to ascertain nor does the Editor think it desirable. The aim departments, community of the Journal is to be informative and stimulating through its vari­ organisations and others seeking ous articles, suggestions and comments. up-to-date information or SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (per volume of 3 issues) — $20.00 (individuals) undertaking research. — $25.00 (institutions) — $30.00 (abroad) — Single Issue: $4.00 Please issue cheques, money orders, etc to: Ecumenical Migration Centre, 133 Church Street, Richmond, Vic. Australia, 3121. Paradise Regained? After the Cuts and the Backlash Stephen Castles Who would have predicted the turn-around which has taken place since the beginning of this year? First Hurford was moved (a change which heralded the end of his ministerial career). His replacement, Mick Young is one of the most influential figures of the ALP, and has already demonstrated a capacity for listening to the views of ethnic communities, as well as a healthy scepticism on the supposed benefits of an expansionary labour migration program. Bill McKinnon has been exiled to New Zealand. Some of the ESL funding has been restored (although partly at the cost of the educational programs for other disadvantaged groups). The SBS-ABC merger has been dropped. Most important of all, the Prime Minister has been bending over backwards to show that he cares: he has announced the establishment of an Office of Multicultural Affairs within the Department of Prime This time a year ago we were still reeling from Minister and Cabinet and an Advisory Council on the impact of the Budget cuts: English as Second Multicultural Affairs, made up of prominent people, Language and Multicultural Education programs largely of migrant origin. had been slashed, the Australian Institute of OMA (which means grandmother in German) and Multicultural Affairs abolished, and the Special ACMA are the acronyms we are going to have to Broadcasting Service was due to be merged with live with for the next few years. Why has this abrupt the ABC. The Department of Immigration and turn-about taken place? Does it represent a real Ethnic Affairs was headed by an insensitive and change or is it just window-dressing, to keep the disinterested minister, Chris Hurford. Both he and "ethnic vote” on-side? the Secretary of the DIEA Bill McKinnon, seemed The reasons for the shift are not hard to more interested in meeting business demands for understand: the Government was taken by surprise expanded labour migration and in deporting Islamic by the strength of the reaction to last year’s leaders than in addressing the pressing problems measures. The protest meetings, demonstrations of the ethnic communities. ALP leaders had publicly and angry reports in the ethnic media had a thumbed their noses at the “ethnic vote”. It looked considerable impact. When bus-loads of protesters as if Blainey and Ruxton were getting their way, came to Canberra, plainclothed observers were albeit with a two year time lag from the outbursts sent out to look for “professional agitators”. Instead of 1984. Australia seemed to be on the way back they found working men and women, many of to its inglorious ethnocentric past. whom had never been on a demonstration before. This issue of Migration Action has been jointly edited with Stephen Castles, Head of the Centre for Multicultural Studies (C.M.S.) at the University of Wollongong. Since 1977 the C.M.S. has been involved in research on migration and on the situation of ethnic minorities in Australia. Caroline Alcorso, Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis are Research Fellows at the C.M.S. Jock Collins is Lecturer in Economics at Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education in Sydney. Migration Action Vol. IX No. 3 — Page 1 NSW Premier Barry Unsworth, afraid of losing his department, to assess their impact on multicultural tenuous majority, took the lead in telling Hawke that policies. This could make a reality of the things had gone wrong. Hawke blamed Hurford and Commonwealth Government’s Access and Equity Susan Ryan (retribution was to follow). With an Program, which has so far been an empty vessel. election on the way, something had to be done OMA also has a large staff (about 40) and a sizeable quickly. When Mick Young was appointed he, budget ($3 million this year, over and above rapidly became known as the “ Minister for the personnel costs). The Prime Minister will find it all ethnic vote”, and the ethnic communities were the harder to retreat from promises he has made spared further cuts in the May Economic to ethnic communities around the country, when Statement. But now that the ALP is safely home for the executive organ for their achievement is in his three more years, cynics might assert that own back-yard. multiculturalism can be put on the back-burner for According to Dr. Peter Shergold, who has been the time-being. seconded from the University of New South Wales The reality is more complex. The predominantly to head OMA, the Office has five main tasks. white, male, middle-aged Anglos who make policies 1. To monitor Commonwealth Government in Canberra, both as parliamentarians and services and programs to make sure that they are bureaucrats, may have little real interest in appropriate for a multicultural society. This includes multicultural affairs, but the political shifts of the supervising the working out and implementation of last nine months now have their own dynamic. Access and Equity programs by the 58 Structures have been established and funds voted. Commonwealth departments and agencies, as well The ethnic communities now have an opportunity as improving and unifying the collection of data on of ensuring that these are used constructively, and issues related to ethnicity. not simply squandered on the elaborate production of yet more rhetoric. 2. To work out appropriate policy initiatives in the multicultural area, including budgeting. This role Multicultural or Ethnic? requires a considerable amount of research, most One of the problems that Australians have with of which will be contracted out. their governments is the complexity and the 3. To carry out liaison and consultation with the breathtaking speed of change in bureaucratic community. This will involve the working out of new structures. At the time of writing much is unclear mechanisms of consultation, aimed