SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.P. Wortley:

That the final report of the committee's inquiry into new migrants be noted.

(Continued from 24 July 2013.)

The Hon. J.S. LEE (23:33): As the mover of this inquiry into new migrants, it gives me great pleasure to make some remarks on this motion. First of all, I would like to acknowledge the contribution made by the Social Development Committee and all their work on the new migrants inquiry. In terms of the presiding member, we seem to have played musical chairs. The Hon. John Gazzola was the presiding member until 16 October, probably before he became the President, so I would like to acknowledge him. The Hon. Carmel Zollo was a presiding member of this committee, and the newest one is the Hon. Russell Wortley.

On this committee, I would also like to thank the Hon. Denis Hood, the Hon. Kelly Vincent, Mr David Pisoni MP, Ms Frances Bedford MP, Mr Alan Sibbons MP, and the Hon. Dr Bob Such MP. Special thanks go to Robyn Schutte, the committee secretary, and Carmel O'Connell, the research officer, for a fantastic job in preparing the report and, of course, to Hansard for all of their good work in recording and transcribing the words of all the witnesses. I place on the record my sincere appreciation to individuals and organisations who made submissions and appeared as witnesses during the inquiry period.

Australia has had a long history of migration. It has been an integral part of economic and cultural policy at the federal, state and territory levels and has played a crucial role in the history and development of Australia. More than 7 million people have migrated to Australia since 1945. Today, approximately one in four of Australia's population of more than 23 million people was born overseas, originating from 240 different source countries. Almost half of the population is a migrant or the child of a migrant.

As a strong advocate for multicultural affairs, this particular inquiry is very important to me. The overall objective of the inquiry was to provide a snapshot of the number of new migrants who have settled in South Australia since 2000; to investigate and report on the social, cultural and economic impact; to acquire an understanding of how they adjust and overcome personal and social barriers in a new culture; and the services available to assist them and how beneficial they are. In doing so the committee was in agreement on the importance of understanding the complexities of contemporary migration.

Altogether, 40 recommendations were made under 11 broad categories. I would like to make some remarks on those recommendations. In the policy area, four recommendations were made to the government or minister and I would like to highlight one of those:

6. The Committee recommends that the Minister for Multicultural Affairs negotiate with key government departments to ensure key performance indicators...that address culturally specific outcomes are written into all funding and service contracts for the delivery of migrant services, to ensure consistency and measurable outcomes for new migrants.

In the visa applications and approvals category, three recommendations were made. I would like to highlight one of those:

7. The Committee recommends that the Minister for Multicultural Affairs negotiate with the Australian government to ensure the level of skilled migration is maintained, to address potential skill shortages in the labour market that arise from time to time and to counteract labour supply issues, for example, labour shortages as a result of the ageing of South Australia's population.

In the category of programs and services to new migrants, five recommendations were made. I would like to highlight one of those:

12. The Committee recommends that the Minister for Multicultural Affairs conduct consultations with new migrants to gain a greater understanding of their views about which forms of settlement assistance should be offered in the first year of settlement; the first five years of settlement and if there should be on-going settlement services beyond this time frame.

In the category of employment and training, six recommendations were made. One of those was:

15. The Committee recommends that the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, the Minister for Small Business, the Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade, and the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills develop strategies to improve employment outcomes for new migrants, including specific pathways for humanitarian entrants, that address the key employment exclusion points and include:

Building pathways and industry partnerships to improve employment participation and outcomes;

Matching employment skills and aspirations to available employment opportunities;

Individual support, mentoring and work experience opportunities;

Employer awareness programs;

Identifying and addressing discriminatory practices, where they exist, or are likely to arise.

Most of the witnesses that came in demonstrated that employment is a big issue for new migrants. In the category of English language proficiency, five recommendations were made and I would like to highlight one of those:

24. The Committee recommends that the Minister for Education and Child Development review the operation of the Intensive English Language Program, Transport Assistance Program, for school aged migrant children and assess whether recent changes have created an impediment to attendance levels.

In the category of migrant health there were a number of health issues, and four recommendations were made. I would like to highlight one of those. There have been some big issues accessing health services.

28. …the Committee recommends that the Minister for Multicultural Affairs consult with the Humanitarian Settlement Services program providers in South Australia and identify the GPs and medical practices with knowledge and experience in managing migrant health needs, have a willingness to bulk bill where appropriate, and use the Doctors Priority Line for interpreting services.

In the area of housing, two recommendations were made. I would like to highlight one of those:

30. The Committee recommends that the Minister for Housing and Urban Development expand the Private Rental Liaison Program to provide a specific focus for new migrants. This would ensure coordination and collaboration with key agencies to improve accommodation outcomes for new migrants.

Young migrants are facing lots of issues. Five recommendations were made in this area. One of those is:

32. The Committee recommends the Minister for Multicultural Affairs and the Minister for Education and Child Development ensure strategies are developed to coordinate programs that deliver timely and appropriate interventions for children and youth at risk in newly arrived migrant families.

In the category of new migrant families and those at risk there were two recommendations. One of those is:

38. The Committee recommends that the Minister for Multicultural Affairs ensures there are adequate support programs available and accessible for new migrants who enter South Australia under the 204 visa category for Women at Risk.

In the category of the participation of new migrants in social, educational and economic life, two recommendations were made. One of those is:

40. The Committee recommends that the Minister for Multicultural Affairs negotiate with key government departments to develop strategic plans that engage key stakeholders from all levels of government, non-government agencies and new migrants to ensure collaborative service provision and to reduce the level of overlapping service delivery.

The last category is about research into overseas migration to South Australia:

1. The Committee recommends that the South Australian government support the need for high quality research to ensure informed, evidence based decision making in migration policy and program development.

The research is of the utmost importance because the committee notes the timing of the inquiry and particularly the timing of the Australian census collections. The recent census collection was conducted on 9 August 2011. The Australian Bureau of Statistics takes approximately one year to process the first release of raw data and an additional six months for the second release of raw data.

More complex data analysis about the characteristics of recent migrants is a continuous process between census collections for the Australian Bureau of Statistics, researchers and academics once the release of the initial data has occurred. Much of the analysis provided in the written and oral evidence heard by the committee throughout their deliberations concerning new migrants in South Australia is based on the information analysis of data from the 2006 census collection.

Where appropriate and available, the committee has accessed additional data from the most recent census collection. Therefore, I feel that this inquiry is just the beginning. I really strongly believe that we need to have continuous high quality research to ensure that new migrants' issues have been addressed by the government.

In terms of my closing remarks, I certainly hope that for the healthy and robust development of a strong multicultural society the 40 recommendations of this report will be acted upon. With those few remarks, I support the motion and commend the report to this council.

Motion carried.