Resetting the national agenda
It was pleasing to see freshly minted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promise to reset the national conversation and provide an opportunity for more humane and evidence-based policy settings in the aftermath of the 2022 federal election.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m sure we are all looking forward to a more inclusive and cohesive society underpinned by a refreshed nation-building agenda.
The new government has promised more refugee places, a revamped immigration program and an end to temporary protection visas – initiatives welcomed by most multicultural communities.
Labor made immigration reform a key plank in its election policy agenda, vowing to end the nation’s dependence on short-term visa holders and make it easier for foreign workers to become permanent residents.
And also, importantly, the election saw around 378,000 new Australian citizens vote for the first time – the most at any election in history.
And, according to Australian Electoral Commission and Department of Social Services data, among the new citizens voting were more than 15,000 former refugees, many of who have never voted before or have voted only under duress.
The data shows that in recent months more than 80 per cent of new citizens enrolled to vote within three months of their citizenship ceremonies.
Perhaps the new government’s most emblematic move was the release from home detention of the Sri Lankan Murugappan family, which allows them to return home to the Queensland town of Biloela.
The family’s happy news comes ahead of Refugee Week later this month, which celebrates the theme of ‘healing’ and aims to highlight aspects of the refugee experience and help the broader community to understand what it is like to be a refugee.
Marking Refugee Week this year is important and timely as the war in Ukraine, and other conflicts across the globe have pushed the number of people fleeing war, violence and persecution to more than 100 million for the first time in history.
The UNHCR described the milestone as “staggering”, and we at AMES have seen the human cost of this crisis with the recent arrival of refugees from Afghanistan, Ukraine and other places.
As our borders open up after the pandemic, we at AMES Australia stand ready to support increasing numbers of people forced to flee their homes because of conflict or persecution.
We have ramped up our capacity to cope with the influx of Afghans and Ukrainians, and we will continue to build our capabilities over the coming years as Australia’s refugee intake rises to around 27,000 people.
Cath Scarth, AMES Australia CEO
9 June 2022