DIMA Annual Report 1996-97

Sub-program 3.1: Offshore Refugee and Humanitarian

Objective

To alleviate the plight of refugees and others in humanitarian need outside Australia, through the Government's Humanitarian Program.

Description

The sub-program enhances the coordination of policy and planning for humanitarian issues as well as providing support for operational aspects of the overseas Refugee, Special Humanitarian and Special Assistance Category components of the Humanitarian Program.

The Refugee and Humanitarian Branch coordinates policy and planning for humanitarian issues as well as providing support for the offshore components of the program.

These components are delivered primarily by 14 overseas posts.

The Protection and Family Residence Branch coordinates the onshore components of the program.

Financial and staffing resources summary

	1996-97 Budget and AEs $'000s	1996-97 Actual $'000s	1995-96 Actual $'000s
Budgetary (cash) basis
Components of appropriations
Annual appropriations
Running costs	7 286	6 948	6 678
Other program costs	5 933	4 885	5 970
Total appropriations	13 219	11 833	12 648
Less adjustments	-	-	-
Total outlays	13 219	11 833	12 648
Total revenue	-	-	-
Staffing
Staff years (actual)	92	113	92

Performance information

Outcomes are measured by the extent to which:

1. the Humanitarian Program is delivered on target; and
2. contributions are made to international policy development and coordination.

Performance outcomes

The Humanitarian Program was set at 12 000 places in 1996-97, excluding 2 000 places 'borrowed' for use in 1995-96 by the previous Government in response to an appeal by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for additional resettlement places for people from the former Yugoslavia.

The program consisted of 10 000 offshore places and 2 000 onshore places for those determined to be refugees in Australia.

The Department has participated in international approaches to assist and resolve international humanitarian issues.

i) Humanitarian Program

The Minister and the Executive were provided with regular reports on the delivery of the offshore program. This enabled feedback to be provided on emerging issues and to adjust the allocation of places within the program as required. A total of 11 870 visas were granted.

Table 6: Humanitarian Program planning levels and outcomes, by category, 1996-97

Category/component	Planning levels	Program outcomes
Refugee	3 335	3 334
Special Humanitarian Program (SHP)	2 133	2 583
Special Assistance Category (SAC)	4 532	3 735
Onshore Refugee	2 000	2 251
Totals	* 12 000	11 903

* Excluding the 2 000 places brought forward.

The Minister announced three priority regions for special consideration — the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East and Africa. As a result:

• 4 024 visas were granted to people from the former Yugoslavia (bringing to more than 25 000 the number of people resettled in Australia since the conflict began). As directed by the Minister, processing policies for this caseload were adjusted to give priority to those in mixed marriages who were unable to return to their former place of residence;
• 2 444 visas were granted to people from the Middle East (including 371 from the Rafha camp in Saudi Arabia and their immediate families — identified by UNHCR as one of its priorities for resettlement); and
• 1 259 visas were granted to people from Africa.

Table 7: Refugee and Special Humanitarian Programs, regional outcomes, 1996-97

Region	Outcomes
Americas	82
Africa	925
Former Yugoslavia	2 165
Middle East	2 390
South, East and South East Asia	314
Other	41
Total *	5 917

* These figures include Preferential Family visa grants to immediate family members of Humanitarian Program entrants and Protection visa holders which were counted against the Humanitarian Program.

A total of 475 Woman at Risk visas were granted in the program for refugees or people who were in danger of victimisation, harassment or serious abuse because of their gender and registered as being of concern to the UNHCR.

Table 8: Special Assistance Category, regional outcomes, 1996-97

Region	Outcomes
East Timorese in Portugal, Macao and Mozambique	80
Citizens of the former Yugoslavia	1 859
Minorities of the former USSR	120
Burmese in Burma	46
Sudanese	334
Burmese in Thailand	208
Cambodian	144
Sri Lankan	290
Ahmadi	54
Vietnamese	600
Total *	3 735

* These figures include Preferential Family visa grants to immediate family members of Humanitarian Program entrants and protection visa holders which were counted against the Humanitarian Program.

Consistent with the Government's election commitment, a review of the Special Assistance Category (SAC) was completed and taken into account in determining the 1996-97 program.

Following the review, the Government decided to reduce the net allocation to the Special Assistance Category by 1000 places, reflecting an easing of conflicts and tension in areas of the world addressed by this category.

Three SACs — those for the East Timorese in Portugal, Macao and Mozambique, minorities of the former USSR, and Cambodians — were terminated because they had met their original purpose.

The Government sought to remove an anomaly in the Migration Regulations whereby immediate family members of Humanitarian Program entrants and Protection Visa holders were required to apply under the Preferential Family category of the Migration Program to be reunited in Australia.

Following disallowance of the regulations by the Senate, the Minister decided to count such people against the Humanitarian Program, although their applications were processed under the provisions of the Migration Program.

Such people are exempt from the two-year wait for income support, and eligible for referral, on a needs basis, to specialised humanitarian settlement services.

The disallowed regulations were reintroduced in June and took effect from 1 July 1997.

Regular reporting on visa processing assisted program managers and overseas posts to effectively deliver the program and manage a smooth flow of visa grants. As a result, monthly visa grants were maintained close to pro rata levels.

Before determining the 1997-98 Humanitarian Program of 12 000 places, which was announced on 21 May 1997, the Minister engaged in broad community consultations throughout Australia during February-March 1997.

(ii) International policy

The Department continued to have close contact with the UNHCR. The High Commissioner, Mrs Sadako Ogata, visited Australia as a guest of Government and expressed appreciation for the support Australia had given to the UNHCR, particularly in the resettlement of refugees.

Australia's links with the UNHCR were further strengthened by an Australian delegation, led by the Minister, to the 47th session of the Executive Committee of UNHCR in Geneva in October.

The Minister reiterated Australia's commitment to assisting genuine refugees and the importance of ensuring the integrity of the refugee processing system.

The Department continued to participate in UNHCR Standing Committee meetings in Geneva as well as liaison meetings with UNHCR in Australia.

The Director of International Protection of UNHCR, Mr Dennis McNamara, met with officers of the Department in Australia in December.

The Department participated in a number of international meetings which identified and analysed refugee and people movement issues.

These included meetings convened by the UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Intergovernmental Consultations on Asylum, Refugee and Migration Policies in Europe, North America and Australia (IGC), the Working Group on Resettlement in Geneva and the Regional Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement in Canberra, as well as the Commonwealth Intergovernmental Group on Refugees and Displaced Persons.

The Department encouraged cooperative regional approaches to managing irregular migration and refugee issues, resulting in:

• Australia co-sponsoring with the UNHCR a Conference on Regional Approaches to Refugees and Displaced Persons in Canberra in November 1996. Governments from 23 countries in the Asia-Pacific region were represented;
• financial support and attendance at the Regional Conference on Irregular Migration and Migrant Trafficking hosted by the Philippines Government in Manila and organised by IOM;
• a study tour for Vietnamese Government officials, organised by the Department in conjunction with IOM, to strengthen Vietnam's capacity to develop migration policies, administrative and technical systems;
• a visit by the Deputy Director-General of IOM, Mrs Narcisa Leon de Escalar, for discussions on IOM's involvement in the region; and
• a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) inquiry into Australia's relationship with ASEAN on the importance of the efficient management of people movement to enhance Australia's economic integration into the region.

The Department continued to monitor other international developments relating to refugee/humanitarian issues, such as the transition of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty, and providing submissions to the JSCFADT to assist its inquiries into the transition and on the Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA).

The CPA concluded on 30 June 1996, with Australia having accepted some 19 500 asylum seekers from CPA camps for resettlement.

[Previous] [Next] [Table of Contents ]