DIMA Annual Report 1998-99
Overview: Secretary's review
Introduction
Migration Program
Humanitarian Program
Border Control and Compliance
Multicultural Affairs
Settlement Services and Programs
Australian Citizenship
Review and Litigation
Client Services and the Workplace
Information Technology
Objectives for 1999-2000
Conclusion
Introduction
The arrival of 3911 Kosovars, evacuated to safe haven in Australia during May and June on a series of special charter flights, marked an extraordinary development for Australia and for the Department. Operation Safe Haven was an unprecedented humanitarian operation and involved many DIMA officers throughout Australia and overseas. A special article on the operation appears elsewhere in the Report.
Another major issue for the Department was the illegal arrival of people by air and sea, many as the result of organised "people trafficking".
The Government's concerns about illegal arrivals led to the establishment of a Coastal Surveillance Task Force to review illegal immigration issues. Following the Task Force's recommendations, the Department received substantial additional resources to handle illegal immigration issues.
Legislation aimed at deterring the organisers of people trafficking was also prepared by the Department. It carries a 20-year jail penalty and a fine of up to $220 000 for people who profit from people trafficking.
Among other significant developments, on 1 June the Migration Internal Review Office and the Immigration Review Tribunal merged to form the Migration Review Tribunal.
The Department supported the Minister in a number of high-profile public initiatives during the year.
The Living in Harmony initiative, aimed at promoting community harmony among individuals and groups from different cultural backgrounds, was launched in August. Through a community grants program, 100 grants totalling $5 million were awarded to a diverse range of community groups throughout Australia to advance community harmony.
Another campaign, Australian Immigration: the Facts, which aimed to dispel some of the myths surrounding immigration issues, was launched in every state and territory during July and August.
The year saw celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Australian Citizenship and the Adult Migrant English Program.
The Department also organised the first Population and Immigration seminar in February, which served as an introduction to an extensive round of community consultations by the Minister on the migration program for 1999-2000.
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Migration Program
Once again the Department brought in the Migration Program on target – 67 900 migrant places against a target of 68 000, reflecting the emphasis on skilled migration while maintaining a commitment to family reunion.
For the first time, the Minister's annual community consultations on the future size and structure of the migration program included public meetings in every state and territory. A greater number of submissions was received on the migration program than for the previous year.
A number of changes were introduced, including carer provisions, and additional specific migration mechanisms for states and territories. Plans were completed for the new skill matching visa and concessional English language arrangements in the Skilled Regional Sponsored visa to take effect from 1 July 1999.
Reforms arising from the Review of the Independent and Skilled Australian-Linked Categories led to significant streamlining, including introduction of core selection criteria with minimum threshold requirements, and an occupations in demand list, to be introduced on 1 July 1999.
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Humanitarian Program
By the end of the reporting year the Humanitarian Program was 11 360, just under the Program target of 12 000. Of these, 9526 people were granted Humanitarian Program visas outside Australia and 1834 received Protection Visas in Australia.
During the year resettlement priorities were the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East and southwest Asia, and Africa.
In April, arrangements were announced to allow unused places in the Humanitarian Program to be rolled over or brought forward from one year to another, improving the flexibility of the program and ensuring all places are used.
Funding initiatives for humanitarian settlement services were extended and a review conducted of the material assistance provided to humanitarian entrants. Results of the review contributed to the design of a new service delivery model for future contracting of humanitarian settlement services.
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Border control and compliance
As a result of the increased numbers of unauthorised boat and air arrivals, detainee numbers at Port Hedland and other facilities rose, particularly during the second half of the year.
In June the Government announced a number of initiatives to curb illegal immigration which will assist the Department in its border control and compliance operations.
Among other things, additional compliance officers will be posted overseas at airports and Australian diplomatic offices to work on document and organised fraud issues and to train locally engaged and airport staff.
In addition, the Department began working on an overseas information strategy to discourage the departures of people intending to enter Australia illegally.
The Department located 13 472 illegal workers and unlawful non-citizens during the year (a rise of 6 per cent on 1997-98). The Minister commissioned a Review of Illegal Workers in Australia to consider how to reduce employment opportunities for people who have no right to work in Australia, and in May launched a new information package, aimed at educating employers, Employing Overseas Workers – Doing the Right Thing.
Well over 80 per cent of visitors to Australia now travel using the Electronic Travel Authority rather than traditional visa labels. The system was extended to passport holders from France, Spain and the Vatican on 1 July 1998, and to residents of Hong Kong and Taiwan from 1 July 1999.
Preparations are well advanced to ensure the smooth entry of athletes and their families for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as for the thousands of travellers expected to visit Australia for the occasion.
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Multicultural Affairs
On 5 May, major progress was made on the framework of multicultural policy with the launch of the National Multicultural Advisory Council's report Australian multiculturalism for a new century: Towards inclusiveness.
This year the Commonwealth's Productive Diversity strategy was further developed, with a focus on collaboration with educational and business institutions to produce practical educational and management tools which respond to management issues associated with diversity.
Implementing the Charter of Public Service in a Culturally Diverse Society was enhanced through 39 information workshops in all capital cities and five regional centres. They were attended by public servants, representatives of state governments and community organisations.
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Settlement services and programs
The National Integrated Settlement Strategy was reinforced as the framework for settling migrants and refugees. Its direction was clarified following a review of the terms of reference of Settlement Planning Committees.
Managing and reporting on delivering settlement services was improved by developing a Settlement Client Service Information System, designed to facilitate the collection and transmission to the Department of service provision statistics by funded agencies.
Upgrading settlement pages on the Department's web site, with the inclusion of settlement data tables, will improve the dissemination of settlement information and contribute to settlement planning.
New service agreements for Migrant Resource Centres further strengthened effectiveness and accountability measures by improving reporting mechanisms. Four migrant service agencies were established, in Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne and Sydney.
During the year, the Adult Migration English Program completed its first year under new service delivery contracts nationwide, with English tuition delivered by a diverse range of experienced, high-quality providers. In the latter half of the year, a competitive tendering process was implemented for the research support arm of the Program.
The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) continued to focus on four goals: maintaining strategic directions and priorities in accordance with Government policy; improving client-service delivery; reducing costs; and increasing revenue.
In December, the Australian National Audit Office completed a performance audit of the provision of certain migrant settlement services by the Department. The recommendations, which focus on planning accountability and improved management of settlement services, are being implemented.
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Australian citizenship
In August, the Government established the Australian Citizenship Council as an independent body to advise the Minister on contemporary issues relating to Australian citizenship, policy and law. In February the Council, chaired by Sir Ninian Stephen, distributed an issues paper, Contemporary Australian Citizenship, and called for submissions from the Australian community.
As at June, the Council was considering the issues raised in the submissions and was drafting its report. It is anticipated the report will be presented to the Minister by the end of 1999.
A range of activities began for the 50th Anniversary of Australian Citizenship, aimed at encouraging all Australians to take pride in their citizenship and all eligible permanent residents to take out Australian citizenship.
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Review and Litigation
The Migration Review Tribunal (MRT) began operating on 1 June, integrating the Migration Internal Review Office (MIRO) and the Immigration Review Tribunal (IRT) into a single independent merits review body.
In two matters during the year – Eshetu and Abebe – the High Court upheld aspects of the Migration Act's judicial review scheme, which provides truncated grounds of judicial review in the Federal Court.
These decisions validate the Parliament's clear intention in restricting the grounds of judicial review in migration matters.
The Department also prepared amendments to the Judicial Review Bill, currently before the Senate.
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Client services and the workplace
In July and August the Department's Client Service Charter was launched in each state and territory. The Charter includes a statement of the Department's commitment to high-quality service, an explanation of what clients may expect of the Department and methods for making a suggestion or complaint.
As part of a major review of client forms and information material on migration, the first in a set of eight booklets was developed for introduction on 1 July 1999. Following the introduction of the first Skilled Migration booklet, other booklets covering all categories of migration will be introduced in November 1999.
In September, the Department launched the Workplace Diversity Program for 1998-2001. The plan brings together three of the Department's key planning documents, the Equal Employment Opportunity Plan, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan, and the Cultural Diversity Plan.
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Information technology
The rate of technological change means clients and staff have high expectations of technology and service levels. The appointment of a Chief Information Officer in November recognised that technology plays an integral role in every aspect of the Department's business. It signalled a new focus on the contribution Information Technology (IT) would make to support the strategic business directions of the Department over the next five years.
One of the main IT achievements was the roll- out of the Integrated Client Services Environment (ICSE), an automated processing system that fully integrates a number of client services, such as citizenship applications and visa processing, into a single history record for each client.
ICSE replaced eight non-Year 2000 compliant systems with a single Year 2000 compliant system, while retaining links with other departmental systems and external agencies. Combining and refining 39 million records from the disparate systems into about 5.8 million in ICSE proved a challenging task.
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Objectives for 1999-2000
DIMA will continue to face challenges in 1999-2000. Strategic priorities are to efficiently manage systems that allow permanent or temporary entry of people in ways beneficial to Australia, while improving the integrity of the border; promote the value of cultural diversity and Australian citizenship; improve the effectiveness of settlement programs; and implement whole-of-government priorities to enhance the Portfolio's performance.
The Department's focus will include:
- ensuring the Migration Program delivers positive economic and budgetary outcomes through skilled and business migration while maintaining a commitment to family reunion;
- managing the challenges posed by the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games, increasing tourism and student entry from emerging markets such as China, the Indian sub-continent and South America, and the increasing level of skilled temporary entrance required by Australian business;
- ensuring the humanitarian program continues to provide protection to refugees and others who have experienced significant human rights abuses;
- ensuring the effectiveness of safe haven arrangements;
- increasing cooperation with other agencies and Governments to combat people smuggling and trafficking;
- continuing to promote recognition of the value of cultural diversity, taking into account advice from the National Multicultural Advisory Council;
- working with other government agencies to make government services more responsive to Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse poulation;
- implementing a full round of Community Settlement Services Scheme grants and managing humanitarian settlement service funds through a new tender process;
- continuing to move to a more business-like national Translating and Interpreting Service; and
- further encouraging the community to value citizenship through the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of citizenship in 1999 and the review of citizenship by the Australian Citizenship Council.
Conclusion
Over the range of our activities the Department depends greatly on the cooperation and goodwill of a large number of people – our staff, our clients and individuals and organisations in Australia and overseas.
This year in particular, that dependence has been evident, as we have confronted hugely challenging issues, particularly Operation Safe Haven.
I thank the many Commonwealth and State Government organisations, non-government organisations and community and volunteer agencies and individuals who are still heavily involved in Operation Safe Haven. I also extend our appreciation to the many organisations and individuals who assist in humanitarian, entry, settlement and other activities – much of it behind the scenes.
Officers of the Department have given willingly of their time and expertise, including much out of hours work, with resultant pressures on their normal workloads, home and family life. I commend my colleagues for their professionalism and dedication.
Finally, I pay tribute to my former Deputy Secretary Mark Sullivan, who left DIMA in May to become Chief Executive Officer of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. Mark left with our regrets, but our best wishes for the future.