Page 5122 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 17 November 2009
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The Youth Coalition has continually called on the government for an updated social and demographic profile of young people, including a multicultural focus. The Greens support this as a notion as this could provide invaluable information by identifying clear gaps in evidence-based policy.
I would like to note that, in the achievement gap inquiry conducted by the Standing Committee on Education, Training and Youth Affairs, a section of the community that has consistently come up as a priority is refugees. I do not believe that as a government or as a community anyone has yet adequately begun to address or even understand the level of need with young refugees.
I note that we have moved forward on refugee policies. However, the current debate occurring nationally indicates that we need to be vigilant on this issue and ensure that human rights are always at the forefront when we discuss the treatment of refugees. Asylum seekers are among the most vulnerable and disenfranchised people of our community. It is fundamental that they are recognised and explicitly included across government policy, programs and services.
There are multicultural and settlement services in the ACT. However, we cannot be sure these are truly meeting the level of need. This is particularly concerning as many refugees and asylum seekers face serious homelessness, family conflict and mental health issues. The Greens recognise the conflict between territory, state and federal responsibilities that may result in the stalling of entitlements or access to services such as income support and housing. We would like to see government documents such as the multicultural strategy acknowledge and address this issue.
I would like to acknowledge the excellent work of groups such as Companion House and the Multicultural Youth Service in providing services that address the very specific needs of refugees. I would also like to see the government acknowledging the need for such multicultural-specific services.
I would also like to acknowledge the Chief Minister’s comments and I would hope that more people in the Labor Party, and I would also hope the Liberal Party, speak out on the issue of refugees and challenge those views that are being expressed by some others.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Women) (4.15): I thank Ms Le Couteur for bringing this MPI to the chamber today. The United Nations has estimated that in the year 2007-08 there were 16 million refugees worldwide—people forced to flee religious, environmental, racial, language, ethnic and political persecution. In many cases, these people have extended families, small children and aged parents that put them in positions of great stress and, in many cases, the need to relocate quickly, often in the face of great personal risk or even death.
They are also subject to the threat and, in many cases, the reality, of torture, trauma, robbery, rape, starvation and dealing with many unscrupulous people, such as the
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