CASEY.VIC.GOV.AU Joint Standing Committee on Migration - Inquiry into Migrant Settlement Outcomes City of Casey submission (23 March 2017) About the City of Casey The City of Casey is located around 35 kilometres to the south east of Melbourne, on the urban fringe between the City of Greater Dandenong and the Shire of Cardinia to the west and east, and the City of Frankston and Shire of Mornington Peninsula to the south. Casey has the highest population of any Local Government Area in Victoria and is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Australia. Approximately 311,000 residents from more than 150 different cultural backgrounds and 120 religious faiths currently reside in Casey. The population is growing by an average of 7,600 people per year. By 2041, the number of residents is expected to increase to 514,000. This population growth is driven largely by young families. Some facts about our diverse community include:1 Over one third of Casey’s residents were born overseas, with the majority aged 40-64 years and migrating from Great Britain, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Afghanistan. Almost 30 per cent of Casey residents were born in non-English speaking countries and 31 per cent speak languages other than English at home, with Sinhalese being most commonly spoken. Around 16 per cent of residents do not use English as a main language and 3.4 per cent experience limited English fluency. Casey has the fourth highest number of residents in Victoria from a refugee or asylum-seeker background (9.5%). Among asylum-seekers living in Casey, 43.5 per cent reside in the suburb of Doveton/ Eumemmerring. In 2015/16, 1,472 immigrants settled in Casey from over 70 countries, largely from Afghanistan, India, Sri Lanka and China. Casey is home to the largest number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents in Melbourne (1,402). In relation to Casey’s young people:2 Casey has a young population. Thirty eight per cent of Casey’s population is aged between 0-24 years (compared with only 32.2% for Greater Melbourne). 1 Derived from the ABS Census of Population and Housing (comprising of the Indigenous Profile, 2011; Time Series Profile, 2011; TableBuilder; Basic Community Profile), Statistical Data for Victorian Communities, Department of Immigration and Border Protection, covering the time period of 1951 to 2015/16. 2 Department of Justice (December 2016), Demographic data set for Casey and postcode 3977. State Government of Victoria 1 Casey has a high youth disengagement rate (i.e. 15-24 year olds not engaged in education or employment) - 9.6 per cent compared with 7.4 per cent for Greater Melbourne. Pockets of Casey have especially high youth disengagement (Doveton/ Eumemmerring at 16.2%; and Cranbourne West at 17.7%). A disproportionately high number of children in parts of Casey (Doveton/ Eumemmerring, Cranbourne and Cranbourne West) are vulnerable on two or more domains (16-19% compared with 11.9% in Casey as a whole; and 9.9% across Victoria). Socio-economic status:3 While the median household income in Casey is similar to that of Greater Melbourne, pockets of Casey experience disadvantage. In particular, Doveton/ Eumemmerring, which is also a popular place of settlement for a range of diverse communities, has almost half the median household income of Casey and Greater Melbourne. The disadvantage experienced in this area has been identified in the Dropping off the Edge series of reports4, which investigate place-based disadvantage across the nation. In the 2015 report, Doveton continues to be in the top banding of disadvantaged suburbs in Australia. Involvement of Youth Migrants in Anti-social Behaviour Crime Statistics Following is a summary of available crime data in Casey for 2015-16:5 There were 7,591 offences per 100,000 population in Casey. This increased from 5,343 in 2011-12. There was a 14.6 per cent increase in the offence rate per 100,000 population between 2014-15 and 2015- 16. Of the total offenders in Casey (3,262), 422 were aged 10-17 years and 931 were aged 18-24 years. 10-24 year olds made up 41.5 per cent of all offenders. Casey had the highest number of high frequency offenders (i.e. processed for six or more incidents in a year) in Victoria. Between April 2015 and March 2016, there were 119 high frequency offenders aged between 10-24 years. The majority were male (113 compared with 16 females) and aged between 18-24 years (59 compared with 44 males aged 10-17 years). Of the 119 high frequency offenders, 34 per cent resided in the postcode 3977 (which includes the suburbs Cranbourne, Cranbourne North/East/South/West, Botanic Ridge, Cannons Creek, Devon Meadows and Junction Village). The majority (54%) of the 3,159 offences of the high frequency offenders were recorded under the property and deception category. Magistrates Court data shows that, of the principal proven offence (the most serious offence an offender is convicted of at each court appearance), the majority were related to traffic and transit issues, with a slight increase in this category between 2014-15 and 2015-16. Children’s Court data shows that, of the principal proven offence, the majority of offences were for property and deception, with a slight decline in this category between 2014-15 and 2015-16. The above data demonstrates that there has been an increase in crime perpetrated by young people in Casey, with certain pockets of Casey housing the greatest number of offenders. The data suggests there may be some link between socio economic status and the number of offenders. 3 Department of Justice, op cit 4 Jesuit Social Services and Catholic Social Services Australia (2007, 2015), https://dote.org.au/ 5 Department of Justice, op cit 2 Detailed statistics that highlight the involvement of youth migrants in anti-social behaviour are not available publicly or to Council. Risk Factors A number of risk factors lead to disengaged young people participating in anti-social behaviour. These include lack of sense of belonging, escaping family violence, poverty, boredom and poor education outcomes. These factors can be exacerbated for youth migrants who are also experiencing living in a new community with potentially different cultures and societal norms. There may also be unaddressed issues relating to trauma, behaviours and family functioning, including parents experiencing social isolation in their new communities. The impact of social media must also be acknowledged, with many young people’s behaviour being influenced by digital platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. Social Engagement of Youth Migrants Council facilitates the provision of a range of programs and services that aim to minimise the risk of youth in the municipality becoming disengaged, including migrants. Support is provided through direct program or service provision, funding to external organisations and partnerships. The Importance of Sport Sport can be an important means by which to engage with migrant young people. They often prefer semi- structured and less formal activities and competitions. Council officers work with sporting organisations to support them to be inclusive of different groups and assist them in finding space to bring people together. Work is currently underway to map programs in Casey to get a better understanding of where gaps exist. Council Services and Programs A number of roles exist within Council to support migrant residents. These include: A Multicultural Youth Development Officer (MYDO) who works with multicultural youth and a range of service providers. Recent activities include: o The MYDO worked in partnership with a number of local services to oversee personal development programs focused on increasing young people’s sense of belonging and community engagement. o The MYDO provided support for young people to participate in ongoing sport programs including soccer and Australian Rules Football. o Girls Soccer Program - Goalden Girls: The MYDO and Casey Youth Services staff developed the program to assist in relieving the barriers many local young women face when participating in community sport. It also provides a unique opportunity to bring together young women from diverse backgrounds to increase cross-cultural awareness, and create new friendships and understanding via sport. The soccer tournaments have been held during the school holidays in response to the needs of the community. The activity provides a healthy environment for young women to form an improved sense of self and belonging. 3 o Multicultural Camp: This is an annual camp held at Lord Somers Camp where young people are encouraged to develop their leadership potential. This year, two past participants of the Power House leadership program returned in the capacity of camp leader. Enhanced Maternal and Child Health Multicultural Caseworkers that specialise in working with culturally diverse mothers of young children who need extra support. This role is currently fully State Government funded. The growing culturally diverse community led Council to employ an initial Multicultural Case Worker approximately nine years ago and then another worker five years ago. There is also an additional bi-lingual worker within the Enhanced Maternal and Child Health program. Staff conduct a comprehensive assessment with the family, engaging them in joint planning and goal setting and work with them to achieve these goals. The officers have a great understanding of cultural practices and can direct their supports in an appropriate manner. They undertake significant advocacy work with organisations such as Centrelink and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. They also link families with multicultural resources, language programs (e.g. English) and cultural support groups, and may be used for translating assistance. Supported Playgroup program provides playgroups and home visits to support parenting. The majority of families currently utilising this State-funded program are from diverse cultural backgrounds.