DIMA Annual Report 2000-01
Review by the Secretary - continued
Border control and compliance
The department continued its efforts to locate and, where appropriate, remove illegal workers, overstayers and others who breached their visa conditions. Removals from Australia were close to anticipated levels. The department began implementing Government initiatives to curb illegal workers and further improve employer awareness and support for employers to detect illegal workers.
Detention
Unprecedented unauthorised arrivals by boat continued to place pressure on the department's arrangements for immigration detention. The department began implementing the Government's plans to build a more flexible, long-term detention capacity. Planning of the new Brisbane and Darwin facilities and a new Villawood Stage 1 advanced.
The department supported the Inquiry Into Immigration Detention Procedures by Mr Philip Flood, AO and moved to implement the report's recommendations. Along with these, the department put in place structures to further improve its pro-active approach to detention contract management and monitoring, including audits of specific issues.
The Immigration Detention Advisory Group, which is serviced by the department, was established in February 2001 to advise the Minister on detention issues.
The department established the necessary administrative and operational arrangements to support a trial of alternative detention arrangements for women and children in Woomera.
Immigration detention is a complex, often misunderstood subject and the department worked to combat misinformation by ensuring that factual information was available.
Illegal migration and people smuggling
Unauthorised arrivals, principally by boat, were a major issue for the department. Total unauthorised arrivals for 2000-01 were 6,018 of which boat arrivals were 4,141 compared with a total of 5,871 unauthorised arrivals for 1999-2000 of which boat arrivals were 4,175. The department worked to implement all aspects of the Government's comprehensive and integrated approach of prevention, disruption, reception and return. Key aspects were actively pursued cooperatively at the bilateral and multilateral levels.
An active program of bilateral engagement was undertaken, designed to bring about the return of unauthorised arrivals to their country of origin or to a country where they previously enjoyed effective protection. Return to a country of nationality and readmission of Third Country nationals to a country of first asylum are strong deterrents to unauthorised movement as they deny those travelling illegally the migration outcome they sought.
There was a positive level of cooperation with Indonesia. Over 1,200 illegal migrants, many of them potential unauthorised arrivals in Australia, were intercepted and detained in Indonesia. The department supported Indonesia in engaging the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to manage the groups detained and return some members who volunteered to return home. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) undertook the role of assessing the claims of those who sought asylum and finding durable solutions for those found to need protection.
Participation by the department in forums such as the Intergovernmental Asia Pacific Consultations on Refugees, Displaced Persons and Migrants (APC) and the Intergovernmental Consultations on Asylum, Refugee and Migration Policies in Europe, North America and Australia (IGC) and engagement with international organisations such as the IOM and the UNHCR assisted in advancing the Government's objectives, particularly in supporting efforts to protect refugees while attacking the growing threat of organised people smuggling.
The department worked to implement the Government's policy to enhance merits review and limit judicial review in an attempt to counter the growing cost and incidence of migration litigation and associated delays in removing non-citizens with no right to remain in Australia.
Settlement services
The department achieved good progress on a number of initiatives to provide better quality and more responsive settlement services to its clients.
New, improved humanitarian services under the Commonwealth's Integrated
Humanitarian Settlement Strategy were implemented, with more competitive
contractual arrangements being progressively implemented in all States.
New early health assessment and intervention services started in all States
and Territories from the beginning of 2001.
Performance of the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS), especially
telephone service standards, was improved as part of implementing a new
business plan for TIS.
Multilingual on-line settlement information was made available on the department's Internet site to support migrants and organisations providing settlement services.
As part of our commitment to improve client services, a survey of Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) clients was undertaken during 2000. The results demonstrated high levels of satisfaction with most services. The commitment is being extended as the department develops a wider client survey of settlement clients to gain a better understanding of the extent to which eligible settlers use DIMA-funded settlement services and find these services helpful in equipping them to participate in Australian society.
The Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council (RRAC) continued to work closely with the department to help deliver effective settlement services.
Australian citizenship
The department began implementing initiatives flowing from the Government's response to the report of the Australian Citizenship Council, Australian Citizenship for a New Century. In addition, the Government issued a discussion paper to facilitate community consultations on the possible repeal of Section 17 of the Australian Citizenship Act which causes the loss of Australian citizenship on acquisition of another citizenship.
A high priority was implementation of a national campaign to promote acquisition of Australian citizenship in the Centenary of Federation year. The campaign, launched on 1 July 2001, culminated in the first annual Citizenship Day on 17 September 2001.
Multicultural affairs
The department worked closely with the new Council for Multicultural Australia as we implemented the New Agenda for Multicultural Australia.
Harmony Day 2001 was a resounding success as hundreds of communities across Australia celebrated the nation's cultural diversity. The department worked productively and collaboratively with governments at all levels, volunteer organisations and large corporations like AMP, Coca Cola, Drake International, Microsoft, Telstra and Woolworths. I thank each of these groups for their involvement and support of this national celebration.
The department worked with many communities to encourage consultation and build strong relationships and, where necessary, help in resolving issues which might affect community relationships. The Living in Harmony initiative also continued to promote effective and harmonious community partnerships.
In November 2000, the Productive Diversity Conference organised by the department gathered leaders from business, education and government to consider ways of delivering significant dividends to the Australian economy from our cultural diversity.
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