Accessible Government Services for All Annual Report
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Reporting analysis: Leadership – A whole of government approach to management of issues arising from Australia's diverse society.
Community feedback noted that service providers face a significant challenge in meeting the needs of young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, particularly refugee youth. Of particular concern are young refugees from African backgrounds who, because of their different cultural expectations and personal histories, are frequently characterised by traumatic childhood experiences.
Strategy (i) – Collaborating within and between agencies and with other partners to identify and address issues relating to cultural diversity through publicising good practices, sharing information, coordinating programmes or collaborating on projects.
In 2005-06, there was a significant collaboration within and between agencies to identify and address issues relating to the accessibility of government services. This collaboration included significant cooperation across levels of government – Commonwealth, state, territory and local government.
More agencies are learning to share information and strategies, to work cooperatively with their counterparts in other states or departments.
The Centrelink National Multicultural Reference Group (NMRG) is a key national forum that Centrelink uses to engage peak ethnic community groups. In operation now since 1999, the NMRG is a successful approach to fostering community participation and encouraging feedback and input from the multicultural community sector. NMRG meetings are attended by key policy agencies, including the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils, a state or territory Ethnic Communities' Council, Refugee Council of Australia, National Ethnic Disability Alliance Inc, Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues, National Association for Multicultural and Ethnic Children's Services, National Welfare Rights Network and National Council of Migrant Resource and Settlement Agencies. The NMRG met in June 2005 and March 2006.
Multicultural advisory committees (MACs) are integral to Centrelink's consultative arrangements and operate at state/territory and local levels. MACs meet quarterly, providing local communities with a forum to openly discuss and seek solutions in partnership with Centrelink on issues of policy, service and programme delivery that affect the multicultural community sector. MAC meetings are also attended by key policy departments. Centrelink has shared a number of its products with other Department of Human Services agencies including the Working with Interpreters video, A Guide to Ethnic Naming Practices, as well as data, information and training products.
The ABC engages on a regular basis with programming initiatives with the Australian Film Commission (AFC) that include cultural diversity content. The ABC has an internal cross-divisional Indigenous advisory group called the Bonner Committee. The Bonner Committee coordinated an inaugural forum at Ultimo in April 2006 that showcased Indigenous programmes and employees as a mechanism for raising awareness across the organisation. A first time award mechanism was introduced during 2006, with a Bonner Award to recognise the work of non-Indigenous staff members who promote and support Indigenous employment and content.
The ATO's Special Audiences Unit convened two cross business line forums in Victoria and NSW to share information and intelligence regarding non-English communities and develop cooperative strategies in the delivery of ATO services and key messages for these communities. The ATO collaborated with Centrelink and the Family Assistance Office to develop the most appropriate messages for a culturally diverse audience for the 30 per cent child care tax rebate and family tax benefit communications.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is currently assisting a state department to develop agricultural chemicals education programmes for users from non-English speaking backgrounds.
DOHA is engaged in whole-of-government initiatives such as the Ministerial Task Force on Indigenous Affairs to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health priorities. The department works with Indigenous Coordination Centres nationally and other Australian government departments, state and territory governments, private organisations and non-government organisations, to respond to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and individuals. During 2006, the department worked with state and territory governments to develop a new Home and Community Care (HACC) Agreement taking into account the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse and Indigenous groups. As part of the planning process, jurisdictions conducted targeted consultations with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
In March 2006, DOHA conducted a national roundtable meeting regarding HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmissible Infections (STIs) issues among culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The purpose of the meeting was to develop responses to HIV/AIDS and STIs at a national, state and local level, and to enable cross jurisdictional and cross agency collaboration. A key outcome from this meeting was the department funding a national project to support the building of cultural capacity in key national organisations and services.
Strategy (ii) – Working with state, territory or local governments, non-government and community organisations, and contractors, encouraging improvement in their responses to cultural diversity.
DAFF and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) are working together to educate the horticultural community on the requirements of the mandatory Horticulture Code of Conduct, by producing publications in a number of languages and through using a number of channels such as ethnic radio stations.
During 2005-06 the Family Court participated in a number of state-based partnerships with newly-arrived communities, Migrant Resource Centres, Centrelink, and state government agencies, including police forces, to help break down myths and generate trust with communities that previously had felt confused and disempowered by legal processes they did not understand.
During 2005-06, DEWR undertook a major tender process for organisations to deliver a range of employment and related services for the 2006-09 employment services contract period. Successful organisations were required to demonstrate their ability to deliver the services tendered for and agree to comply with the Employment Services Code of Practice. Tenderers for the provision of employment services in regions where people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds comprise 10 per cent or more of the unemployment register, were required to include strategies on how employment outcomes would be achieved by the tendering organisation for this group of job seekers. Successful organisations are monitored to ensure the delivery of the strategies contained in their tenders. Three organisations were established to provide specific Job Network services to people from non-English speaking backgrounds in 25 sites across Australia.
Following the bombings in London in July 2005, the establishment of the Muslim Community Reference Group (MCRG) and its seven sub-groups was another whole-of government example of identifying a community group vulnerable to marginalisation and providing a means for engaging with them and responding to emerging issues. Representatives of a number of government agencies worked with the MCRG's sub-groups to examine issues relating to youth, education and training of Imams and other religious teachers and leaders, women, schooling, employment, crisis management and family and community.
The Conference of Australian Imams with contributions from Muslim leaders, women and youth in 2006 sought to examine the role of Imams in encouraging social cohesion. The MCRG, youth summits and the Imams conference all provided valuable mechanisms for receiving feedback from Muslim communities concerning programmes and policies, which have been addressed largely through the development and implementation of the National Action Plan to build on social cohesion, harmony and security (NAP).
The Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Section of DIAC in NSW (NSW MAS ) fostered co-operation within the various African communities and their umbrella group, the Federation of African Communities Council (FACC), through a Leadership forum jointly presented by DIAC and DEWR. NSW MAS mentored various African communities in partnership with local government and the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation to improve African youth access to sport. NSW MAS also worked closely with the NSW Community Relations Commission on the issues of regional humanitarian settlement in NSW, which included extensive community consultations in the Tamworth and Armidale local government areas.
HREOC consults with a range of state and Australian Government departments and agencies and various community organisations, including the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission, the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commission, the South Australian Equal Opportunity Commission, the Northern Territory Anti- Discrimination Commission, the Western Australian Equal Opportunity Commission, the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commission and the Australian Capital Territory Human Rights Office.
As part of the Women's Leadership and Development Programme, the Sport Leadership Grants for Women programme is a joint initiative of the Office for Women within FaCSIA and the Australian Sports Commission. It provides sports leadership grants for women in sport targeting under-represented groups, including women with a disability, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Indigenous women and women in rural and remote communities.
A good example of inter-agency cooperation in 2005-06 was the development of the NAP.
The NAP, which is a whole-of-government response to assist Muslim Australians to access government services and to address community tensions and discrimination, was the result of considerable consultation with state and territories and Australian Government departments including the Attorney General's Department, DIAC, DEWR, DEST and FaCSIA. Different agencies have taken different approaches to implementing the NAP, launching innovative and constructive projects while avoiding duplication with other agencies.
The Living Spirit - Muslim Women's Project 2006 - A dialogue on human rights and responsibilities was a NAP project undertaken by HREOC in September 2006. This Muslim women's forum focused on human rights and responsibilities. A second project, 'Engaging Muslim Communities and Police', aimed to facilitate dialogue between Muslim communities and police to assist police in responding to incidents of racial or religious hatred and abuse. The HREOC project was conducted in New South Wales and Victoria and involved extensive consultations with community representatives, police and Muslim communities. HREOC will also develop resources to assist police and the Muslim community in dealing with discrimination.
Strategy (iii) – Contributing to the broader goals of cultural diversity policy, for example by:
strengthening the settlement prospects of migrants
enhancing the ability of all to achieve self-reliance
encouraging social, economic and educational participation for people from diverse backgrounds
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including issues relating to social cohesion and participation in research and data development.
DIAC's Regional Settlement strategies include close liaison with the three levels of government prior to a new settlement region being established. Progress in relation to establishing new regions is dependent upon securing full endorsement from state and local governments. Under this approach, direct settlement has begun in Shepparton, Victoria with a recent evaluation describing the initiative as a positive experience for both the Congolese entrants and the community at large. Direct humanitarian settlement is also planned for Ballarat, Mount Gambier and Murray Bridge.
DIAC shares data gathered through the Settlement Database, with all levels of government to assist with service planning.
DIAC chaired an inter-departmental committee on Humanitarian Settlement which was a significant example of interagency cooperation, in consultation with stakeholders, to identify service needs for newly arrived humanitarian entrants and develop more effective services in response to those needs. It resulted in a significantly greater awareness of client needs and ongoing impetus for whole of government cooperation in providing for the settlement needs of refugees.
The AFC hosted highly regarded Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi (Turtles Can Fly) at the Long Black Writers Lab. Mr Ghobadi acted as a creative advisor to filmmakers writing their first features. He had limited English and an Iranian translator was retained to work with him. The calibre of Mr Ghobadi's films, coupled with the similar nature of his work to those of Indigenous filmmakers, provided an inspiring opportunity for participants. In another example of the AFC's commitment to working collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds, it employed an interpreter to work with a deaf filmmaker while shooting her AFC-funded short film.
The English learning needs of newly arrived migrant students are met through the English as a Second Language – New Arrivals (ESL-NA) Programme. This DEST programme provides funding to state and territory government and nongovernment education authorities to assist with the cost of delivery of intensive English language training. The ESL-NA programme aims to improve the educational opportunities and outcomes of newly arrived students from non-English speaking backgrounds by developing their English language competence and facilitating their participation in mainstream education activities.
Ongoing English language learning assistance is also provided to students who are educationally disadvantaged, including those whose first language is not English, through the Australian Government's Literacy, Numeracy and Special Learning Needs (LNSLN) Programme. The LNSLN Programme will provide an estimated .1 billion in assistance from 2005-08.
FaCSIA's Newly Arrived Youth Support Service Initiative (NAYSS) provides a combined Reconnect and Job Placement Employment and Training (JPET) service to newly arrived young people aged 12 to 21 years from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The NAYSS initiative arose from the Report of the Review of Settlement Services for Migrants and Humanitarian Entrants, which showed that newly arrived young people do not take up the opportunity for assistance through mainstream services at the same rate as other young Australians.
NAYSS providers help these newly arrived young people to improve their level of engagement with family, work, education, training and the community by using a variety of strategies such as counselling, group work, family mediation and practical support in ways that are culturally and contextually appropriate. There are currently 14 NAYSS providers operating nationwide.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources (DITR) is collaborating with DEWR, which delivers Job Network for retrenched textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) workers, to ensure that programme information kits are provided in the language relevant to the cultural groups (for example, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Cantonese). Regular advertisements are placed in Victorian metropolitan and regional newspapers advising TCF workers of the package. The advertisements are run in English, Chinese and Vietnamese newspapers and translated into the appropriate languages.
FaCSIA promotes the Indigenous Leadership Development Group (ILDG) to strengthen Indigenous leadership, reconciliation and repatriation. There is a process of review and evaluation of the leadership programmes which takes into account the issues and concerns of participants and their communities. The participants in leadership programmes self-evaluate using specially developed evaluation tools. The ILDG provides input into departmental discussions and reviews where the interests of Indigenous people are involved. This input takes into account community concerns learned from the leadership programmes.
In developing its 2006-08 research plan, the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) conducted extensive consultation, especially with the Indigenous community. Fifteen consultations were held nationally, including in Cairns and Darwin, in order to gain representation from a diverse range of stakeholder groups.
DEWR has introduced five community employment coordinators to work in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and West Australia. They are engaging with Muslim communities to make connections between job seekers and employment service providers and to lift cultural awareness among employer groups. DEWR has also established a number of Muslim-focused ‘Better Connections’ workshops to assist Muslim Australians in finding employment.
The Australia Council Multicultural Advisory Committee (ACMAC) develops and monitors the Arts in a Multicultural Australia (AMA) Policy. ACMAC makes recommendations to the Council on any issue that may affect the full expression of cultural diversity in the arts. Of the 48 peers appointed by the Minister for Arts and Sport on the assessment committees, six are from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds and eight are from Indigenous backgrounds. Of the 13 Council members, three are from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds and one is Indigenous.