Output 1.2 - Refugee and humanitarian entry and stay
Highlights
International cooperation
We continued to develop productive working relationships internationally to facilitate faster and safer travel, to achieve operational cooperation (including against people-smuggling and human-trafficking), to strengthen the international system for protection, and to support effective responses to extremism.
Highlights during 2005-06 included:
- visits by the Minister to Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Indonesia. Outcomes include:
- progress on Australia-European Union (EU) visa reciprocity issues, agreement to conclude a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Vatican on visa arrangements for World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008, promotion of the Australia Needs Skills expos in London, Berlin, Amsterdam, KolKata, and Chennai, and opportunities taken to influence IOM, UNHCR, and GCIM on refugee and migration issues, including preparations for the UNHLD 1
- agreement to expand the Approved Destination Scheme (ADS) in the PRC, joint commitment to border systems cooperation with the PRC in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympics, a new work and holiday visa arrangement with Bangladesh, renewed emphasis on humanitarian resettlement from border camps in Thailand
- sustained good cooperation with Indonesia against people-smuggling, including agreement to proceed with joint implementation of a project to strengthen Indonesia's border movements alert system
- working group meetings or other senior level exchanges on migration, border security, and asylum matters with the EU, Cambodia, Canada, the PRC, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the United States of America
- opportunities taken to influence the global migration debate, in particular, to encourage effective protection and durable solutions for refugees through the annual UNHCR Executive Committee meeting to promote the important role of the IOM and development of regional positions for the UNHLD bilaterally and through a number of multilateral meetings, including the APC2, and the Pacific Immigration Directors Conference (PIDC) 3
- increased regional cooperation on border and migration management including through the inaugural Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia immigration consultations in Cambodia in November 2005 which supported the development of a forward programme of activities, annual and Management Board meetings of the PIDC which agreed new strategic directions for Pacific cooperation and harmonisation, and co-chairing a workshop on operationalising immigration intelligence in Singapore under the auspices of the Bali Process on People-Smuggling
- allocation of $5.7 million to international organisations to support displaced people requiring protection pending more durable solutions. Funding was provided to IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDG, and UNDP for projects in the Sudan, Nepal, Thailand, Iraq, and Afghanistan respectively4
- consolidation of a substantial programme of border security-related capacity building and other activities in more than 20 countries, including:
- three officers seconded under the Enhanced Cooperation Programme (ECP) with PNG to assist with immigration and border security programmes and projects including: a substantial new border management system to be completed in 2007, travel document processing, and promotion of policy initiatives such as the introduction of a PNG permanent residence classification and progressing the APEC Business Travel Card Scheme
- a computer upgrade and networking project for Lao PDR Department of Immigration to be completed in 2006
- implementation of a provision in the 2005-06 Budget counter-terrorism regional assistance package for a substantially enlarged programme of training and advice on forensic document examination and on immigration intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region
- conclusion of a series of MOU and record of understanding (ROU) arrangements:
- a tripartite MOU with Papua New Guinea and IOM to facilitate cooperation on the accommodation, care, and voluntary removal of irregular immigrants with no legal right to remain in PNG
- a revised ROU with Afghanistan to implement a US$4 million Afghan Housing Project for returning Afghan nationals
- an MOU with the Philippines on border and migration management cooperation.
Consultations were undertaken with officials from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM). The United Nations High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (UNHLD) is to be held in September 2006.
Regional preparation for the UNHLD was conducted through an Inter-governmental Asia-Pacific Consultations on Refugees, Displaced Persons and Migrants (APC) workshop in Bangkok in April 2006.
Management Board meetings of the Pacific Immigration Directors Conference in 2006 agreed on PIDC input into the UNHLD.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Group (UNDG), United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
Enhanced border management system provides greater security |
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Ian Campbell (left), Chairman of CPS Systems, and Deputy Secretary, Bob Correll, signing the contract for the Enhanced CEKAL System Project. Australian and Indonesian immigration agencies are working together on a project to enhance border security in the region. The project involves the design, implementation, and support of an enhanced border alert system for Indonesia, also known as the Enhanced CEKAL System (ECS). The system will help to improve border management, airport security, and strengthen Indonesia's counter terrorism capacity. It will also expand Indonesia's ability to combat illegal migration and improve travel security in the region. The current CEKAL system is used in ports and offices in Indonesia and also in embassies and consulates around the world. The system allows officers to check against an alert list the names of persons applying for visas or entry permits. The key enhancements to the existing CEKAL system are that the same list of names will be used at all locations and that the computer software used for name search and name matching will be more reliable. The enhancements will lead to people of concern being identified more effectively. Implementation will be at five key ports and associated immigration offices in Jakarta, Denpasar, Surabaya, Medan, and Batam, with provision for sending updates of the alert list to embassies and consulates. Implementation is to start in July 2006 and includes detailed designs, installation of equipment, systems testing, procedures for operations, and training sessions. The project is expected to be completed by 2007 with support and maintenance provided by Australia until June 2010. A contract for the ECS project was signed by Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Deputy Secretary, Bob Correll and Ian Campbell of CPS Systems on June 29. The ECS project will be managed by the Asia Bilateral Section in our International Cooperation Branch.
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Building communities in Afghanistan |
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Afghan Minister for Urban Development, Mohammad Yousaf Pashtun and Senator Amanda Vanstone sign the Record of Understanding. Since 2002, more than 3.5 million Afghans have returned to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from neighbouring and other countries after fleeing unrest resulting from more than 25 years of conflict. About 600 000 Afghans are expected to return to Afghanistan in 2006. Building on our previous contribution of US$ 4 million allocated in 2005, the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon. Senator Amanda Vanstone announced in May 2006 a further A$ 3.5 million contribution to assist the Government of Afghanistan settle landless Afghan returnees and internally displaced people. Strengthening our commitment to building communities in Afghanistan and helping the Afghan returnees and internally displaced people, Senator Vanstone and Afghan Minister for Urban Development, Mohammad Yousaf Pashtun, signed a revised Record of Understanding outlining the development principles for a housing project. The housing project, which is to be named AliceGhan, recognises the role Afghans played in developing Central Australia and will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme. It includes housing for more than 6000 people, a water supply, a school, a community centre, and roads to be built in the Kabul Province. Beneficiaries selected for the project will be trained in construction techniques and will be paid to build their community. Women and those who are not able to participate in the construction of the community will have access to trade and vocational training to develop income-generating life skills. Funding for this project contributes to the Australian Government's current $55 million development assistance commitment to Afghanistan.
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Output 1.2 Refugee and humanitarian entry and stay
Overview
The Humanitarian Programme is an important element of Australia's contribution to the system of international protection of refugees. The programme has two components:
- the offshore component provides resettlement in Australia to people overseas who are in the greatest relative need of this durable solution
- the onshore component provides protection in Australia to people who engage Australia's protection obligations under the Refugees Convention.
In 2005-06, a total of 14 144 visas were granted under the Humanitarian Programme. This number included 12 758 visas granted offshore and 1386 onshore.
The total number of Humanitarian Programme visas granted was higher than the 12 339 available places by three refugee grants and 1802 Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) grants. These additional places were brought forward from the 2006-07 programme.
DIMA - NGO DialogueThe DIMA-Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Dialogue was held twice during 2005-06, in July 2005 and February 2006. NGOs include national peak bodies such as the Refugee Council of Australia, Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists, and the National Council of Churches. The aim of the dialogue is to develop and further strengthen relationships between us and peak NGOs who are stakeholders in the management of the Humanitarian Programme. It also provides an opportunity to receive feedback on services delivered and to discuss any issues of concern to NGOs. In 2005-06 we also held a forum on world refugee issues with those peak NGOs with an interest in attending the UNHCR's annual Executive Committee meeting to assist in reaching an Australian Government position for the meeting. As in past years, two representatives of Australian NGOs and one expert joined the department-led Australian Government delegation to the UNHCR Executive Committee at the invitation of the Minister.
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1.2.1 Offshore Humanitarian Programme
Objectives
The objectives of this programme are to:
Table 31: Performance information: Offshore Humanitarian Programme
| Measures | Results | |||
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
| Quantity | ||||
| Measure - applications (persons) finalised | 56 000 | 56 000 | 125 000 | 100 000 |
| Results | 65 750 | 67 081 | 114 060 | 90 678 |
| Quality | ||||
| Measure - per cent of applications (persons) finalised within 12 months | n/a | 75 per cent | 75 per cent | 75 per cent |
| Results | n/a | 87 per cent | 79 per cent | 88 per cent |
Note: These figures include applications that were processed and deemed to be invalid.
Description
The government provides resettlement for refugees and others who are in the greatest need of this durable solution through the Humanitarian Programme. This output provides for the delivery of the Offshore Humanitarian Programme in a way that enhances settlement outcomes and supports Australia's role in sharing responsibility for alleviating humanitarian situations.
Profile | |
A story of strength, courage, and spiritWhen she was just seven years old, Acee and her family fled their native war-torn country of Liberia in search of a safer place to live. | 
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| Acee and her daughter Daybeh. | |
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Her new life in Ivory Coast was disrupted in 2002 when soldiers came into 19-year-old Acee's school and began shooting. Fearing for her life, she ran from the school and fled to Guinea, carrying her six-month-old daughter Daybeh with her and leaving behind her parents and five sisters. 'It was very hard to separate from each other but I just had to run for my life. I was very afraid. They killed many people,' Acee said. She hasn't seen her family since. For three days Acee walked the long and dangerous route to Guinea, asking anyone she met for food and water. 'We walked through the night and the day. We couldn't get any food because if you don't have money, how do you buy food? 'It was very difficult. All of my journeys have been hard.' It wasn't until she arrived in Australia that Acee was able to sleep soundly with four walls around her. She was resettled here in October 2005 as a refugee under the Humanitarian Programme. 'I was not expecting to be accepted (for resettlement), but I really wanted to come to Australia because of the opportunities here,' she said. Acee is still adjusting to life in Australia and finds the Australian way of speaking particularly difficult to understand. She is learning English though, and wants to study beauty care and eventually become a beautician. She is happy to be in Australia and grateful for the opportunities that she and her daughter will have in the future. |
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Analysis of performance
Humanitarian Programme visas
The Humanitarian Programme is made up of the following group of visas:
Table 32: Humanitarian Programme visa subclass
| Visa subclass> | Visa name |
| Refugee component | |
| 200 | Refugee |
| 201 | In-country Special Humanitarian |
| 203 | Emergency Rescue |
| 204 | Woman at Risk |
| 447 | Secondary Movement Offshore Entry (Temporary) |
| 451 | Secondary Movement Relocation (Temporary) |
| The Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) component | |
| 202 | Global Special Humanitarian Program |
| Onshore Protection component | |
| 785 | Onshore Temporary Protection |
| 866 | Onshore Permanent Protection |
| Temporary Humanitarian Concern component | |
| 786 | Temporary Humanitarian Concern |
Available Places
The government made 13 000 new Humanitarian Programme places available for 2005-06. Government policy enables us to manage the programme flexibly, allowing places to be carried over or brought forward for use between consecutive programme years.
We also re-credit places to available programme numbers if offshore visas, once granted, are not taken up or if a temporary protection visa (TPV) holder departs Australia. For the 2005-06 programme, 789 of the 13 000 new places for the year had been taken forward in 2004-05 and 128 places were re-credited to the available programme numbers as a result of TPV holders departing Australia and offshore visas not being taken up by the visa recipients.
Following adjustment, a total of 12 339 places were available for use in the 2005-06 programme year. This is broken down into:
- 6019 refugee places
- 6320 Special Humanitarian Program and initial5 onshore protection places.
A humanitarian visa granted to an applicant who previously held another type of humanitarian visa is not counted the second time against the available programme number. For example, a permanent protection visa granted to an applicant is not counted against the programme number if that applicant previously held a temporary protection visa.
Figure 15: Humanitarian Programme - available places
Figure 16: Humanitarian Programme - visa grants
Table 33: Humanitarian visas granted 2005-06
| Number | Type |
| 4996 | Refugee visas subclass 200 |
| 6 | In-country Special Humanitarian visas subclass 201 |
| 995 | Woman at Risk visas subclass 204 |
| 11 | Secondary Movement Offshore Entry (Temporary) visas subclass 447 |
| 14 | Secondary Movement Relocation (Temporary) visas subclass 451 |
| 6836 | Global Special Humanitarian Program visas6 subclass 202 |
| 277 | Onshore Temporary Protection visas subclass 785 |
| 995 | Onshore Permanent Protection visas subclass 866 |
| 14 | Temporary Humanitarian Concern visas subclass 786 |
Visa Grants
14 144 visas were granted during 2005-06, as detailed in Table 33.
Ninety per cent (12 758) of the total visas were granted to offshore applicants, of which 6022 (42 per cent) were refugee visas and 6736 (48 per cent) were SHP visas. The other 1386 (10 per cent) were protection and other humanitarian visas granted to onshore applicants.
The number of visas granted to offshore applicants and the total number of visas granted under the programme were the highest in 10 years.
Figure 17: Humanitarian Programme - Offshore V Total Grants
6 This figure includes 100 visas granted to applicants onshore.
Arrival of 100 000 refugees celebrated | |
Evelyn and her granddaughter. |
Evelyn and her extended family. |
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Despite 12 long years in a refugee camp and continuing uncertainty in her homeland of Liberia, Evelyn and her family have showed great courage and perseverance to begin a new life in Australia. Evelyn and her family were welcomed to Australia by Senator Vanstone at an event held in Melbourne on 23 February 2006 to celebrate the arrival of 100 000 refugees in the past decade under the offshore component of the Humanitarian Programme. During seemingly endless years in Laine Camp, a refugee camp in the N'Zérékoré region of Guinea, Evelyn supported her five children, niece, and two grandchildren by working as a seamstress and tailor for the Jesuit Refugee Service. Although Evelyn had never heard of Australia until our officers interviewed her in Guinea, the family was granted a refugee visa as part of Australia's Humanitarian Programme. Today, Evelyn and her family have settled in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and are building a new life for themselves away from the chaos and uncertainty of their homeland. All four of Evelyn's daughters are now studying at school or taking English classes. Evelyn's son Allen has plans to pursue tertiary education, building on a one-year course in business management that he completed in the Ivory Coast. In Australia the family has found peace and security. They are grateful to the Australian Government for the chance to pursue their life goals. 'For me Australia is a place to rest my mind. I can settle down here, like I never could in Africa and know that I'm free now, there is no fighting, no rebels coming for me,' Evelyn's daughter Lovetta said. 'I appreciate the government for all the effort, all the mechanisms put in place to bring me here. Here I experience total freedom. I thank the government for that. I hope some day to repay what the government gave me,' Allen said.
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This was the third consecutive year where all programme places available for use in the programme year were fully taken up and excess
visas were granted using places brought forward from the subsequent programme year.
Figure 18: Humanitarian Programme - Visa grants V available places
Of the total 6022 visas granted under the refugee component, 995 (or 16.5 per cent) were granted to Woman at Risk applicants, exceeding the nominal annual target of 10.5 per cent. The level of Woman at Risk visa grants for 2005-06 was the highest since this visa category was established in 1989. A total of 7011 Woman at Risk visas have been granted since 1989.
Figure 19: Humanitarian Programme - Woman at Risk visa grants
Profile | |
The taste of freedomMunira was just 13 when she fled her home country of Eritrea in 1976 to escape civil war. She arrived in Australia in November 1994 under the Special Humanitarian Program. | 
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| Munira and the Sorghum Sisters prepare
some of their delicious fare (L-R Rahma, Munira, Siti, and Nuira). |
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On her way to Australia Munira spent 18 years in Sudan where she married and had two children. Her husband disappeared during a working trip, leaving the family to cope in difficult circumstances. After learning of her husband's whereabouts, she proposed his entry under the Special Humanitarian Program. The family are now together and living in Melbourne. Munira works with the Adult Multicultural Education Service, developing vocational projects for women who have arrived in Australia as refugees or migrants. One of these initiatives is the Sorghum SistersŃa catering company made up of three women from the Horn of Africa who arrived in Australia as refugees. The women prepare traditional African dishes for a growing clientele in Melbourne. They provided catering for the event held by us in February 2006 to celebrate the arrival of 100 000 refugees in Australia in the last decade.
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The highest number of offshore visas in 2005-06 was granted to applicants from Africa (55.6 per cent), followed by the Middle East, and South West Asia.
Figure 20: Humanitarian Programme - visa grants by region
This year marked a shift in offshore visa grants away from Africa towards the Middle East and Asia regions in line with regional priorities recommended by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and reflecting greater access to resettlement caseloads in our region.
Figure 21: Humanitarian Programme - regional trend
Profile | |
Finally, life outside a refugee campShin Thu, Eh Tar, and their five youngest children had never known life outside of a refugee camp until they arrived in Australia in June 2006. | 
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| Shin Thu, Eh Tar, and their daughter Ta Ler Pwe. | |
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Home for them had been a crowded refugee camp in Northern Thailand where they fled in 1984 to escape persecution in their home country of Burma. The camp was surrounded by a fence which blocked access to the outside world and life in the camp was harsh and violent. In 1995, the family moved to the Mae La refugee camp, which was slightly safer on account of strict security, but life was still difficult. Food and water in the camp was provided by the Burma Border Consortium but was often in short supply and sometimes the family had to live on less than 18 litres of water per week. 'It was a very hard life. The things we needed we couldn't buy. We were given only eight kilos of rice for each person every 15 days. Sometimes we got sick but we had no money to buy medicine or food and we couldn't go outside the camp,' Shin Thu said. In 2005, the family applied for resettlement in Australia under the Humanitarian Programme. They sought safety and a place where their children could continue their education. 'If we stayed in the camp we had no education, we had no future. I wanted my children to continue learning but they couldn't if they stayed in the camp,' Shin Thu said. 'I wanted them to have a better life in Australia,' she said. The family arrived in Australia on 20 June 2006, a day which is designated by the United Nations as World Refugee Day. The arrival of the family served as a poignant reminder of the importance of Australia's Humanitarian Programme, which gives families like this a new chance at a life in a country of safety. 'We were so happy when we arrived,' she said. 'Here there is no war and we are safe and secure, we don't have to worry about anything.' Already the children are studying English and hope to begin studying at university and secondary school soon. Shin Thu is trained as a mathematics teacher and plans to begin teaching again once her English has improved. Both Shin Thu and her husband are also taking English classes. 'The Australian Government has helped us in so many ways. We want to say a big thank you to the government and also the people that have helped us to come to Australia,' she said. 'Here we can start a new life and we are very thankful.'
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Processing time
We continued improving our processing times this year, as we have in recent years. We exceeded the target of 75 per cent of applications (people) finalised within 12 months, with 75 per cent being finalised within seven and a half months and 88 per cent of cases finalised within 12 months.
Figure 22: Humanitarian Programme - finalisation times offshore
Applications
In 2005-06, a total of 81 682 applications (people) were made offshore, which was 8857 (or 10 per cent) less than in 2004-05.
Figure 23: Humanitarian Programme - applications lodged
Onshore processing
Onshore processing of Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) applications is now firmly established in our Sydney Office for cases from Africa, and Melbourne for cases from the Middle East. Onshore processing of selected parts of the caseload has allowed us to deliver the increased programme in the major source regions of Africa and the Middle East and to maintain improvements in processing times and client service.
In 2006, we comissioned the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) to conduct an evaluation of onshore processing of SHP applications. The RCOA gathered information from proposers and stakeholders onshore to assess the level of client satisfaction. The report was completed in May 2006 and concluded that onshore processing has significantly reduced initial processing times and is perceived to be fairer and more transparent. Communication with clients has also improved, with proposers onshore feeling more informed about the progress of their applications. The report made a number of recommendations to improve the effectiveness of onshore processing and these are now being addressed.
Mobile team visits
We send mobile teams to refugee locations offshore for periods of up to four weeks to interview humanitarian visa applicants.
In the 2005-06 year, mobile teams were deployed to the African, Middle Eastern, and South East Asian regions. Teams include two experienced departmental staff and interpreters, as required, and their role is to supplement the work of overseas posts in processing refugee and humanitarian visa applications.
Mobile team members work in conjunction with locally engaged staff and our Australia-based staff in the relevant country. Since 2003-04, 35 teams have been deployed to various locations around the world. In 2005-06, 14 teams were deployed to Nairobi, Cairo, Beirut, Bangkok, Amman, and Guinea.
Cultural Orientation
The Australian Cultural Orientation (AUSCO) offshore pre-embarkation programme is delivered in the participants' local languages in six locations: Egypt, East Africa, West Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and South East Asia. AUSCO is made available to all entrants between the ages of 12 and 60, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or visa subclass. Additional courses are also organised for entrants from other regions as required.
AUSCO aims to provide humanitarian entrants with realistic expectations about life in Australia as well as essential information about travelling to - and settling in - Australia. A wide range of topics are covered in the curriculum, including:
- journey to Australia
- assistance and services provided to refugee and humanitarian entrants
- Australian society and culture
- Australia'slegal system (including the role of police)
- physical and mental health care
- employment and education
- transport and housing
- state and territory information.
In 2005 a children's course was piloted in Thailand and an adult pre-literate course in Iran. In 2005-06, six children's classes were conducted for a total of 89 clients along with four pre-literate classes for a total of 79 clients. These courses are in addition to the regular programme activities in these regions and are necessary to address the special needs of particular clients.
In total, 6163 people attended cultural orientation classes in 2005-06.
We commissioned internal auditors Ernst and Young to conduct an internal evaluation of the AUSCO programme. Recommendations were largely administrative in nature and have now been implemented.
The current contract for the delivery of AUSCO ends in 2006. A global tender process is under way which will result in new contracts for the provision of AUSCO in six regions for 2006-09. New contracts are expected to be finalised in September 2006 and will include full expansion of the children's and pre-literate courses.
Profile | |
Soccer stars of the futureFormer Sudanese refugee and rising Australian soccer star Adut may not be able to 'bend it like Beckham' just yet but she's certainly learning from the best. | 
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| Adut participated in the soccer event at the MCG Socceroos final training session before the 2006 World Cup. | |
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Adut was one of 19 high school students who had the opportunity to watch the Socceroos' final training session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground before their match against Greece in May and their World Cup challenge in Germany. The students participated in a soccer skills workshop led by Melbourne Victory midfielder Michael Ferrante and then watched the Socceroos training session to pick up some tips and tricks. The event was jointly organised by us and Football Federation Australia. The aim of the event was to encourage children to become involved in sport and reach for their goals, whether in sport or in life. All of the children involved and their families arrived in Australia under the Humanitarian Programme and have overcome incredible difficulties to begin rebuilding their lives in Australia. Since her arrival in October last year, Adut has been studying at Maribyrnong Secondary College as well as building on her sporting talent. She is a keen soccer player and her favourite subject at school is physical education. Adut has four brothers and four sisters. She was 11 years old when her family fled Sudan for Egypt to escape escalating conflict and says she loves being in Australia because 'it's a free place, and my family can be all together again'. |
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Pre-departure medical screening
Pre-departure medical screening has been successfully operating in East and West Africa since August 2005.
Pre-departure medical screening is provided for refugee and humanitarian visa holders to undergo a medical examination approximately three days before travel to Australia. This examination is in addition to the stringent health screening applicants undertake to determine whether health requirements for a visa to be granted are met. The screening provides tests for communicable diseases, general health status, and fitness to travel. This is in recognition that, due to the length of time that may have passed between visa medical and departure to Australia - combined with living conditions (such as living in refugee camps) - a client's health status may have changed since their initial health screening.
Pre-departure medical screening is being implemented in key refugee and humanitarian regions globally. It has been fully implemented in Cairo, Sudan, and Thailand and is expected to start in South Asia and the Middle East in the second half of 2006.
No-interest loan scheme
During 2005-06 we continued to monitor the progress of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in using the $2.5 million provided by the government in 2005 to enhance IOM's no-interest loan scheme to help proposers to meet the travel costs of SHP visa holders. Take-up of loans has been lower than expected and IOM has accepted the advice of its community advisory group and the government to modify lending conditions as a means to address this issue.
Funding for UNHCR projects
Australia provided assistance to the UNHCR to improve their capacity to deliver resettlement referrals for the Australian programme by funding projects in Africa, the Middle East, South West and South East Asia totalling more than $735 000. These included:
- a refugee women's protection clinic in New Delhi, India
- a project in Sudan which aims to identify and assist refugees in need of resettlement
- a project in Malaysia to strengthen the identification of refugees with special needs for resettlement purposes.
Woman at Risk - protection clinic in India provides a haven for refugee women at risk | |
Senator Vanstone at the UNHCR clinic. |
Staff at the UNHCR clinic. |
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The UNHCR Refugee Women's Protection Clinic in Delhi was facing closure last year due to a funding shortfall until the Australian Government stepped in to provide financial support. The clinic was established in July last year to provide a specialised venue for refugee women to receive counselling and talk to UNHCR protection staff. By engaging with the women in this environment, the UNHCR can quickly identify women who are in special need of assistance and, if necessary, refer them to countries such as Australia for resettlement. The Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone acknowledged the provision of funding of about $36 000 during her visit to New Delhi in March 2006. 'By funding this clinic, the Australian Government will be providing refugee women with a safe and secure place where they can talk about issues such as domestic violence or sexual and gender-based violence in their homes,' Senator Vanstone said. 'Australia can then step in and help the women and their children who are in most need of our assistance to resettle in Australia,' she said. Refugee women and children who are identified as receiving or being at risk of abuse, are without the protection of a male relative, and are outside their home country can be resettled in Australia under the Woman at Risk category (visa subclass 204). Since the introduction of the Woman at Risk category in 1989 as part of the broader humanitarian programme, more than 7000 visas have been granted. Almost half of the refugees registered with UNHCR New Delhi at the start of 2006 were females aged 12 years and above. Recent surveys and workshops have highlighted the particular vulnerabilities of this group of women and the need for strong protection interventions such as the establishment of support clinics and networks. According to Carol Batchelor, Chief of Mission New Delhi UNHCR, the clinic has also served to raise the profile of the women within their own community. 'Women are saying now that the clinic is giving them a voice in the community. It's been an equaliser, not only for identifying risk factors but also for empowering women,' she said. |
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1.2.2 Protection visas (onshore)
Objective
The objective of this programme is to ensure that Australia efficiently and effectively fulfils its international obligation not to return, directly or indirectly, refugees to their place of persecution.
Table 34: Performance information - Protection visas (onshore)
| 2005-06 Measures | Results | |||
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
| Quantity | ||||
| 9000 onshore protection (persons) finalised | 8247 | 6299 | 8278 | 8226 |
| 5250 intervention assessments, 2250 of which number post review assessment | 12 361 | 10 858 | 5213 | 3788 |
| 30 matters relating to complaints to and assessments for UN treaty bodies | 11 | 86 | 15 | 9 |
| 250 (Persons) in detention assisted under the Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme | 256 | 288 | 430 | 624 |
| Quality | ||||
| 100 per cent of applications (applicants not in detention) finalised within 90 days of lodgement | 82 per cent(1) | 78.8 per cent(1) | 79.2 per cent(1) | 70.2 per cent(3) |
Applications (applicants in detention)
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81 per cent(2) | 88.4 per cent(2) | 83.6 per cent(2) | 51.3 per cent(3) 87.94 per cent(3) |
(1) In these years the published quality standard was '80 per cent of applications (applicants not in detention) finalised within 90 days of lodgement where there are not factors outside our control which prevent finalisation.' This was measured against initial primary application outcomes only.
(2) In these years the published quality standard was '60 per cent of applications (applicants in detention) finalised within 42 days of lodgement, where there are not factors outside our control which prevent finalisation.' This was measured against initial primary application outcomes only.
(3) Legislative changes on 12 December 2005 required 100 per cent of all applications to be decided within 90 days of lodgement. This does not exclude periods where factors beyond our control prevented finalisation. This was measured against initial primary application outcomes. The performance figures for 2005-06 also reflect the decision taken in early 2005 to delay hand downs of decisions to nationals of countries affected by the Tsunami where that was to their benefit. This meant that there was a significant number of Protection Visa applications not finalised within 90 days.
Description
Protection visas allow for the stay in Australia of people to whom Australia has protection obligations under the Refugees Convention 1951 and as amended by the Refugees Protocol 1967.
Analysis of Performance
Performance outcomes
There were 8226 protection visa finalisation decisions in 2005-06. Finalisation decisions include primary decisions, visa grants resulting from review tribunal decisions, and certain visa cancellation decisions. A total of 5215 protection visas were granted in the year following primary, review, or ministerial intervention decisions.
These figures represent similar activity to 2004-05. In that year there were 8278 protection visa finalisations and a total of 4601 protection visa grants. The number of finalisations and grants in 2005-06 reflects the finalisation of the bulk of further protection visa applications from temporary protection visa (TPV) and offshore temporary humanitarian visa (THV) holders.
In 2005-06 there were 3300 initial protection visa applications lodged, which is comparable to the level of 3105 reported in 2004-05. Almost all applicants were living in the community and at least two thirds are estimated to have work rights and Medicare coverage. As indicated at page 188 of this report, during the year over 1500 people received assistance under the Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme at a cost of $3.6 million.
In 2005-06, 1255 of the protection visas granted resulted from initial applications, while 3936 resulted from applications for further protection and 24 resulted from ministerial intervention. Of the total of 5215 protection visas granted during the year, 1272 were counted as part of the Humanitarian Programme. The remainder were grants of further protection to TPV holders and THV holders who have already been counted as part of the Humanitarian Programme, and grants to Australian-born children of protection visa holders.
Of the 5215 protection visas granted in 2005-06, some 93 per cent were permanent protection visas. This reflects both the small number of unauthorised boat arrivals during 2005-06 and that almost all further protection visas granted to temporary protection visa holders were permanent protection visas.
Centralised management of the detention intervention caseload in National Office has strengthened liaison with both the detention management areas and the Minister's Office.
We continued to give attention to streamlining onshore protection processing, strengthening arrangements for decision-maker training, country information research, and character checking to ensure speedy and robust decision-making. Work was maintained with other agencies to reduce waiting times for character and other checks beyond our control.
Table 35: Protection visa grants 2005-06
| Visa type | Temporary protection visa (subclass 785) | Permanent protection visa (subclass 866) | Total |
| Initial | 263 | 992 | 1255 |
| Further protection visa | 82 | 3854 | 3936 |
| Ministerial intervention process | 19 | 5 | 24 |
| Total | 364 | 4851 | 5215 |
Legislative changes - processing times
On 17 June 2005, the Prime Minister announced that we would complete all primary assessments of applications for permanent protection visas from the existing case load of TPV holders by 31 October 2005 and that in future all protection visa decisions would be made within three months of application.
On 12 December 2005, the Migration and Ombudsman Legislation Amendment Act 2005 amended the Migration Act 1958 requiring that all protection visa decisions are made by us within 90 days of application.
This made the 2005-06 year a transitional one in relation to standards for protection visa processing time. In previous years, periods where factors outside our control prevented finalisation were excluded when determining achievement against the timeliness standard, which was measured against outcomes for initial primary applications. Following the Prime Minister's announcement and subsequent legislative amendment, periods where factors were outside our control were no longer excluded from the 90-day calculation.
Details of applications not decided within the required 90 days must be included in reports to the Minister covering periods of four months from 1 July 2005 for tabling in both Houses of Parliament. The reports must include the reasons for applications not being decided within the required 90 day timeframe. This change in timeliness standards also applied to applications on-hand being processed under the previous standard, many of which were already more than 90 days old when the change was announced. These included applications from some people from countries affected by the December 2004 Tsunami where deferral of decision hand downs was to their benefit.
Nevertheless, in 2005-06 we met the new decision standard for initial protection visa applications in over 70 per cent of cases where applicants were not in immigration detention, and in 88 per cent of the cases where applicants were in immigration detention. For new applications lodged in 2005-06 by applicants in the community, we finalised 88 per cent within 90 days of lodgement, and for applications from people in immigration detention 95 per cent were finalised in this timeframe.
During 2005-06, two reports on applications not finalised within the 90 day decision timeframe were tabled in Parliament under the new legislation - one covering the period 1 July 2005 to 31 October 2005, the other from 1 November 2005 to 28 February 2006. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the reason for not meeting the standard was attributable to either the transitional nature of the caseload (including the fact that many applications were already over 90 days when the new standard was introduced) or the need to await outcomes of security assessments.
Under the Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme (IAAAS), we fund selected migration agents to provide application assistance to asylum seekers in immigration detention and to disadvantaged members of the community. Funding is also provided for information sessions, face-to-face advice, and telephone advice.
In 2005-06, we assisted 624 asylum seekers in immigration detention at a cost of $1.2m. In addition, 442 people were provided with application assistance in the community at a cost of $0.61m and 5321 people were provided with advice by IAAAS providers at a cost of $0.35m.
In anticipation of existing contracts expiring in June 2006, a tender process to refresh the panel of IAAAS service providers for the triennium 2006-09 started early in 2006. Of 27 tenders received, 23 were successful. All but one of the 22 current contractors submitted tenders and 19 of those were reappointed. Four new service providers were also selected. As a result, the distribution and number of IAAAS service providers under the contracts starting in July 2006 will remain substantially unchanged.
We have a formal mechanism for regular discussions with the UNHCR on matters of operational policy relating to onshore protection visa processing and at Offshore Processing Centres. We also conduct regular consultations with representatives from the Australian Red Cross, IAAAS service providers, and non-government organisation groups on a national and regional level.
Processing activity relating to people in the Offshore Processing Centre on Nauru is dealt with under output 1.5.
We continued work on country research and analysis to support protection visa decision-making (see insert on our Country Information Service for details of country information holdings and additions to this service).
