Accessible Government Services for All Annual Report
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Reporting analysis: Responsiveness – Extent to which programmes and services are accessible, fair and responsive to the individual needs of clientele.
Community feedback has suggested that while government agencies are generally seen as being fair, accessible and provide good quality services to many people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, barriers remain for some. Community contacts around the country have identified the following issues as needing attention:
- Greater efforts need to be made by agencies to provide more access to meaningful employment for people who currently face barriers of race, gender and disability.
- Processes for recognition of overseas qualifications need to be streamlined.
- There is a need for more information about the culturally appropriate aged care services that are available.
- There is an ongoing need for more accessible translators and interpreters, especially for people from new and emerging communities.
- New arrivals need access to English classes which meet workplace and employment needs.
- New arrivals need affordable and culturally-appropriate childcare services, and assistance needs to be provided for women to overcome isolation and be able to access appropriate health, education and employment services.
Strategy (i) – Developing and delivering fair programmes and services that are based on a sound knowledge of the needs, circumstances and cultural and other characteristics of clients and assess the direct impact on the lives of people.
The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) conducted three roundtable discussions in 2005-06, focusing on criminal justice responses to sexual assault in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. A community survey, conducted by the AIC on behalf of VicHealth, selected 800 people from Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian and Greek backgrounds to participate. In addition to speaking with survivors of crime, the AIC consulted with service agencies and criminal justice agencies to establish culturally appropriate training and other initiatives.
In areas with high Indigenous populations, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) provided six specialist Job Network officers at 28 sites offering services exclusively to Indigenous job seekers. During 2005-06, more than 44 500 job placements and more than 12 800 long-term (13-week) jobs were recorded for Indigenous job seekers. These results represented increases of 14 per cent and 22 per cent respectively on 2004-05 and were new annual records. In 2005-06, 47.5 per cent of all Indigenous job seekers were off benefits three months after placement in a job and therefore could be considered to be economically independent.
The Australian Childhood Foundation published the Every Child is Important parenting booklet in hard copy and as a talking book on CD-ROM in 16 languages (Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Khmer, Macedonian, Somali, Spanish, Dari, Dinka, English, Farsi, Swahili, Tigrinya, Turkish and Vietnamese). The booklet, which is available online at www.kidscount.com.au, provides parenting education and easily accessible resources to strengthen parent-child relationships and enhance the ability of parents to raise happy and confident children.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's FarmBis Programme provides financial assistance to primary producers and rural land managers to undertake business and natural resource management training and education activities. A Western Australian FarmBis Networker focuses solely on Indigenous participants in FarmBis-supported training activities and training providers deliver culturally sensitive training activities using interpreters where required.
The Australian Taxation office (ATO) provides information tailored to the needs of multicultural communities where ethnicity or culture is identified as a relevant feature of the clientele. It advertised information about its 30 per cent child care rebate campaign through multicultural media outlets, including SBS, which distributed radio and printed information products in hard copy and electronically via www.ato.gov.au.
A portion of the ATO's superannuation co-contribution campaign budget was directed towards people from a non-English background and all superannuation core communication products are translated into other languages as required. A tax time flyer called It's Tax Time, was user-tested with Migrant Resource Centre staff. The ATO also published a Working Holiday Makers brochure developed with the needs of non-English speaking audiences and with a strong graphic approach designed to complement the text and meet the needs of the intended audience.
Strategy (ii) – Drawing on cultural diversity to improve effectiveness of agency programmes by:
auditing and raising the profile of staff cultural skills
providing appropriate staff training
taking steps to recruit culturally-diverse employees, volunteers, grantees and contractors
and-
supporting Australia's competitive business advantage arising from the diverse backgrounds, skills and networks of its workforce and population.
The Australian Industrial Registry (AIR) is one of many agencies which maintain a voluntary register of bilingual staff to provide informal interpreting assistance to clients at the counter or over the telephone. Staff members are encouraged to gain accreditation as interpreters, if they wish, and become eligible for an interpreter allowance if used by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. An AIR staff intranet provides a quick reference point for information on interpreter services including bilingual staff, the Translating and Interpreting Services (TIS) and the national relay service.
The Department of Health and Ageing (DOHA) draws on cultural diversity to assist to improve the responsiveness of its programs. For example, Aboriginal Health Care workforce development continues to be a priority for the department in responding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health needs. The Improving the Capacity of Workers in Indigenous Communities initiative provides for the training of 840 Aboriginal Health Workers, counsellors and clinic staff to recognise and treat mental illness, including drug and alcohol problems. In addition, it provides training in mental health first aid for 350 transport and administration staff located in Aboriginal Health Services who manage clients on presentation to services.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) employed people with a range of linguistic and cultural skills as census collectors and supervisors. In the Newcastle/Hunter region, for example, members of the Sudanese community were employed to visit the residences of new arrivals and provide assistance for the 2006 Census.
Centrelink set up an African Liaison Unit in March 2006 consisting of four staff from African countries, to consult African community groups and community workers in order to ascertain the particular needs of the groups, and to identify particular barriers to their full participation in Australian society. Research into strategies to recruit staff from African countries was conducted and documents were produced and circulated widely within Centrelink to provide guidelines and assistance. A pilot traineeship programme targeting recruits from the Horn of Africa was implemented in Victoria.
The Australian Customs Service (Customs) deployed bilingual staff members to help shore side processing of detained illegal fishers. Customs provides Indonesian language courses for staff involved in illegal foreign fishing initiatives in northern waters and implement recruitment strategies specifically targeting diversity. Applicants with English language barriers were assisted with the recruitment process to ensure they fully understand all requirements and additional points are allocated for applicants with an ability to speak more than one language.
Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL) provides a home-like environment for young Indigenous participants of the Indigenous Youth Mobility Program (IYMP). There are 25 houses nationwide that provide accommodation services to young Indigenous people for training and apprenticeship purposes. As part of the programme, IYMP house managers teach participants life skills such as budgeting, cleaning and cooking to prepare them for living independently. Cross-cultural awareness training is provided to employees by supervisors and other Indigenous staff on an ongoing basis. In 2005-06, people with a disability represented 4.1 per cent of AHL employees, and as at 30 June 2006, 82.1 per cent of staff were identified as Indigenous.
DEWR has four specialist culturally- and linguistically-diverse Job Network providers located at each of 24 sites that have particularly diverse communities. In Employment Service Areas where five per cent or more of the client base are Indigenous Australians, Job Network members were required to develop a strategy to deliver services in an appropriate and culturally sensitive manner.
Members of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Indigenous Task Force worked closely with the department's Indigenous Employees' Network on the implementation of the DFAT Indigenous Recruitment and Career Development Strategy, including the identification of specific Indigenous positions in the department.
At the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), there are at least 13 language groups represented among staff, including Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Italian and Greek. In HREOC's Complaint Handling Section, staff members with other languages communicate with clients of the same cultural and linguistic background where necessary.
In 2005-06, the ATO had 115 staff members able to provide their skills as interpreters and translators in 18 languages. Employees who receive the Community Language Allowance liaise with taxpayers over the telephone, translate correspondence and help taxpayers with the audio and review process. All community relations staff at the ATO are (National Accreditation Authority for Translaters and Interpreters) accredited at the language aide level and undertake intensive training covering media skills and tax technical training, which is updated on a monthly basis. Fifteen Goods and Services Tax (GST) staff provide services to the Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese communities - increased from seven staff in the previous year. Staff members attend monthly community tax advice seminars, appear on monthly SBS Radio talkback programmes to answer questions on all aspects of tax, attend annual Chinese and Vietnamese festivals, act as interpreters and conduct field visits to help non-English speaking clients. The ATO also expanded its priority language groups to include Dinka, Dari and Thai.
Austrade is represented in more than 140 overseas locations in over 60 countries. More than 50 per cent of its workforce is locally-engaged employees and therefore a large number of staff is bilingual or multilingual. Many Australia-based positions in overseas offices are designated as requiring language skills. The international nature of Austrade's operations promotes a culture that is open and accepting to cultural diversity. Austrade staff regularly attend in-house seminars on understanding and doing business in different overseas markets. These Stay in Touch sessions provide an opportunity for staff visiting from overseas to update staff in Australia on developments and issues in overseas markets, including local customs and cultural considerations associated with doing business overseas.
Austrade administers the Export Market Development Grants scheme and provides training to its staff in cross-cultural skills.
Strategy (iii) – Identifying and responding quickly to emerging issues affecting particular population groups or arising from Australia's cultural diversity.
The Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) developed the Newly Arrived Youth Support Service Initiative to provide an employment and training service to newly-arrived young people, aged 12 to 21 years, from culturally-diverse backgrounds who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Under FaCSIA's Family Relationship Services for Humanitarian Entrants (FRSHE) programme, six providers were operating in 2006 in four locations with high humanitarian entrant populations. These services provided information, referral and counselling assistance to migrant families, couples and individuals, as well as delivered relationship education, parenting groups, community development and mediation for migrant families in a culturally appropriate manner.
Centrelink undertook a project on employment barriers for women of Muslim faith. A number of women were interviewed and their situations discussed, and a project report was finalised and circulated to Centrelink's multicultural network. Many of the findings were included in the Welfare to Work training modules and general cultural awareness packages. A targeted strategy was developed to work with Centrelink areas with high concentrations of Muslim women.
DIAC Contact Centres helped clients affected by the evacuation of Australians from Lebanon, and by civil unrest in the Solomon Islands, East Timor and Fiji in 2006. DIAC staff linked clients to interpreters when required, and helped with queries about visas and services. Staff members were commended on their sensitive and professional responses to these events.
The disturbances at Sydney's southern beaches in December 2005 caused a number of agencies to refine their service delivery strategies and increase efforts to understand their client bases. For instance, a two-hour information session on Islam was provided for SBS Radio broadcasters following the incidents in Cronulla to provide them with a clearer understanding of the religion's history and its place in contemporary Australia.
SBS Radio's Arabic language programme took steps to build a new and younger audience in response to racial discord arising from the disturbances. The programme launched Youth Power, a national competition for young Australians to showcase their creative talents by submitting audio pieces which addressed issues of interest to the Arabic community.
The Australia Council delivered several arts projects in partnership with Arts NSW and DIAC following the Cronulla disturbances which focused on cultural development within the Sutherland Shire, inter-cultural dialogue and building cultural infrastructure to provide ongoing activity in southern Sydney.
DOHA has developed a range of culturally responsive mental health services, including:
- a Programme of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma, which aims to promote the physical health and psycho-social recovery of people who have experienced torture and trauma in their countries of origin or while fleeing those countries
- the Multicultural Mental Health Australia Programme, which focuses on multicultural mental health and suicide prevention issues under the National Mental Health Strategy.
DOHA also focused on increasing awareness in multicultural communities of mental health issues, and developing resources, information and training for mental health professionals.
Medicare Australia provides an incentive payment to general practitioners who provide health assessments to refugees and people who come to Australia under the Humanitarian Programme, many of whom have been exposed to war, famine, repression, torture or extreme poverty. In 2006, the programme provided counselling and referrals to mainstream health and related services. DOHA also funds two programmes aimed at improving access for older people from culturally and linguistically-diverse backgrounds, the Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care (PICAC) Programme and the Community Partners Programme (CPP).
The Rural Women's GP Service, delivered by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, aims to improve access to primary health services for women in rural and remote locations across Australia who currently have little or no access to a female general practitioner (GP), by facilitating the travel of female GPs to these communities. In 2005-06, the programme provided nearly 16 000 consultations in 138 locations in all states and the Northern Territory.