About 90 per cent of those who arrive via illegal boat entries have been granted permanent residence, yet the overwhelming majority have entered Malaysia or Indonesia by legal means, then destroyed their identity papers with the intent of making it difficult for Australia to check their bona fides.
The amount of workplace participation among refugees and asylum-seekers remains low for some time. After four years, only about 25 per cent are engaged in full-time work. (The issue is examined in a Department of Immigration report, Settlement Outcomes for New Arrivals, published in April last year.)
Under intense political pressure, the federal government is emptying the detention centres by issuing bridging visas which allow detainees to enter the community, work, and receive welfare benefits before their final status has been determined. This has slashed the average time spent in detention from nine months to three months but the quicker turnover has compressed the scrutiny process.
Some of the high take-up of welfare payments among asylum seekers and refugees is being recycled into bringing relatives to Australia, including via people smugglers.
The Royal Australian Navy is being used as a pick-up service by people smugglers who call navy vessels to advise them of their need for assistance.
Little wonder that numbers are exploding. In the three years before the election of the Rudd government, 71 people arrived on 10 illegal boats. It took a year for the impact of Labor's dismantling of the previous border security regime to kick in. Over the past three years 341 illegal boats have brought 20,248 asylum-seekers. Another 363 have drowned. Uncounted others have perished or turned back.
All these problems are personified by ''Captain Emad'', who fled Australia in June even though he had been under investigation by police. The man, Abu Khalid, was a people smuggler who came to Australia by passing himself off as an asylum seeker. He brought his wife, three children and a grandchild. All received refugee status, settled in Canberra and were provided with public housing despite using different identities to those they used to enter Indonesia from Iraq. Yet even after Khalid's activities were exposed by the ABC'sFour Corners program, he was allowed to leave.
Systemic deceit has been rewarded by systemic support. Even some asylum seekers who have avoided immigration control, destroyed their identity documents and not yet had their claims decided are eligible for support under the Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme.
Among the benefits that can be made available to those granted protection visas, and those granted refugee status, is a one-off household formation package of up to $9850. Families can be eligible for education assistance of up to $9220. People granted refugee status become eligible for welfare payments immediately without having to wait the two-year period set for immigrants. Single applicants are eligible for a Newstart Allowance. Parents are eligible for Centrelink's parenting payment. Refugees, and some on bridging visas, also receive Medicare assistance for medical, hospital, dental, medicine and optical costs. Mobile phones are provided to those who arrive as unaccompanied minors.
In conjunction with the abovementioned there are currently these programs available;
A press article dated 15 November 2009, Christmas every day for detainees, by Glenn Milne in the Sunday Telegraph referred to a ‘purchase allowance points scheme’ whereby detainees at the Christmas Island facility can purchase snacks and cigarettes. The article stated that detainees on Christmas Island are given free food, health services and recreational activities, including yoga, fitness and art classes. [20]
Other services received by people in immigration detention centres include:
• Appropriate health care services;
• Publicly funded independent advice and assistance;
• Access to independent merits review of unfavourable refugee status assessments;
• External scrutiny by the Commonwealth and Immigration Ombudsman.
The Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS) assists newly arrived refugees and Special Humanitarian Program entrants in Australia.
Services provided under this program include:
• On-arrival reception and initial orientation;
• Information about and referral to other service providers and mainstream agencies;
• Assistance with accommodation and basic household goods;
• Short-term torture and trauma counselling. [22]
Services are generally provided for around six months but may be extended for particularly vulnerable clients.
The IHSS Accommodation Services helps entrants to find appropriate and affordable accommodation and provides them with basic household goods to start establishing their own household in Australia. In summary, Accommodation Services provide:
• Fully-subsidised rent and utilities for the first four weeks after arrival;
• Suitable and affordable accommodation;
• A package of basic household goods;
• Tenancy training.
The Department of Immigration lists a number of additional Settlement Programs to assist eligible migrants and humanitarian entrants, including:
• Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) – providing free English language tuition to eligible migrants and humanitarian entrants;
• Complex Case Support (CCS) Service – providing specialised and intensive case management services for eligible persons with exceptional needs;
• Settlement Grants Program (SGP) – providing grants for organisations that provide settlement services;
• Torture and Trauma Counselling (TTC) Grants Program – providing torture and trauma counselling for humanitarian entrants on a needs basis during the settlement period;
• Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) – providing migrants with limited English skills access to translating and interpreting services.
Money is often sent back home to support families so who takes up the responsibility of providing assistance?..our charities, red cross , salvos etc they are all under immense pressure to provide assistance to this particular community group. Is it because they cant afford to live on the payments? or is because sending money back home is more important because there is always a safety net here? I dunno about you but i do see alot of nice gold jewellery on these folk..especially when lining up for food parcels....