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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-07-21 Daily Xml
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NEW MIGRANTS

The Hon. J.S. LEE (20:04): I move:

That the Social Development Committee inquire into and report on 'New Migrants' with particular reference to—

1. the number of new migrants settled in South Australia in the last ten years;

2. their countries of origin, cultural background, religion and language;

3. the types of visas granted to them at the point of entry (e.g. refugees, skills migrants, business migrants, international students, etc.) and circumstances they choose to migrate to South Australia;

4. their age groups, family structures, education/qualifications, skills levels, English language proficiency;

5. the types of support currently available to help the new and emerging communities understand their rights and obligations—whether new educational curriculum, training and employment pathways should be considered to help them acquire suitable skills for employment;

6. their level of integration and adjustment to life in South Australia—identify which groups of new migrants are most vulnerable and at risk and how they overcome their personal and social barriers so that they can achieve greater social, education and economic participation in the mainstream community;

7. the suburbs or townships they reside in and duration of their stay in South Australia and if they move, which state do they go to;

8. the overall social and economic impact of new migrants in South Australia;

9. any other relevant matters.

I am pleased and honoured to be serving on the Social Development Committee for the 52nd parliament. The committee is chaired by the Hon. Ian Hunter. The other members include the Hon. Dennis Hood and the Hon. Kelly Vincent from this place as well as members from the other place. In the first meeting, the esteemed chair, the Hon. Ian Hunter, asked all members of the committee to table areas of interest with a view to conducting future inquiries. I shared my thoughts about a possible inquiry into new migrants. At the time, members from the Social Development Committee showed considerable interest.

Since then, I have had various discussions with leaders of various ethnic communities, as well as Mr Hieu Van Le, the Lieutenant-Governor of South Australia and Chairman of the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission. Mr Le is truly an inspiration to many South Australian migrants. As we know, he has been a strong advocate for promoting multiculturalism, and I take this opportunity to acknowledge Mr Le's tireless efforts and contributions to make South Australia an inclusive society.

The discussions and research work I did led me to move this motion in this house. In speaking to the motion, I refer to a publication entitled 'People of South Australia: statistics from the 2006 census'. The report provides detailed statistical information on the diversity of the South Australian community. Honourable members in this house are most welcome to have a read of the 477 pages of this long report. The statistics are useful, but the figures were produced approximately four years ago, so the data is a bit out of date. Nevertheless, the report is a good starting point.

I would like to provide the council with an overview of South Australia's multicultural diversity. South Australia's population is becoming more and more diverse. Migrants settling in South Australia in the past 3½ years have come from more than 200 different birthplaces. Approximately one in five South Australians was born overseas, with about half of this group born in English-speaking countries and the other half born in countries where English is not a dominant language.

According to the ABS census data, the arrival of skilled and business migrants from India, Malaysia, China, Korea and the Philippines has risen sharply, and there are a number of growing African communities due to refugee entries. There has also been a steady flow of skilled and business migrants from South Africa. The potentially big communities of the future in South Australia are predicted to be Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Malaysian and South African.

It has also been recorded in this 477-page report that there is a steep rise in the number of households where certain languages are spoken. Hindi (India) has risen 105 per cent; Mandarin Chinese, by 127 per cent; and Korean, by 210 per cent. In contrast some of the established migrant communities from the traditional source countries, such as Greece, Italy and the former Yugoslavia, are getting smaller and are ageing. The proportion of people over the age of 65 in these established communities is growing rapidly.

European settlement brought initial diversity of immigrants to Australia, and this trend has continued to the present time, although there have been variations in attitude to migration, ranging from the White Australia Policy to populate or perish, refugees and asylum seekers. As we all know, the debate continues. There is little likelihood that immigration will cease, although the mix of immigrants and immigrant groups has changed considerably and is likely to continue to do so.

We need to recognise that the cultural and linguistic background of these new migrants is significantly different from the traditional migrants. I believe that, as members of parliament, we need to better understand the needs and aspirations of new migrants so that we are in a better informed position to develop sound and inclusive policies and legislation.

I am not here today to debate future population strategy or policy in relation to immigration, because it will be covered by the motion moved by the Hon. Michelle Lensink, through the Environment, Resources and Development Committee. As a matter of clarification, my motion deals more specifically with the social development issues faced by new migrants or new Australians who are currently in our community.

Over the years, we have seen the gradual abandonment of the assimilation policy in favour of integration and then of multiculturalism. Integration reflected an awareness that the first generation of immigrants was unlikely to assimilate completely and that their adaptation to the new society would be more effective if their cultural needs were recognised rather than denied. While emphasis was still placed on English language acquisition, it came to be recognised that bilingualism or multilingualism was an advantage and more support was given to foreign language media as a way of communicating with new Australians.

I am very pleased to report that there is an increased recognition that immigration was a two-way opportunity, where the older or more established Australians could learn from new migrants as well as teach them. Migrants are increasingly recognised for their cultural enrichment to many aspects of our lives and significant contributions to the development of the South Australian economy.

With the continuous growth of new migrants in South Australia, this motion aims to examine the social and economic impact of the new and emerging communities. Currently, there are a number of outdated quantitative statistical publications such as the census data, but what we need is a consolidated report that will pull together a broad range of social development issues important to all South Australians.

For example, do we know whether the current educational system is providing the right environment and learning outcomes for new migrants' children? Do we know whether our current training and employment pathways are adequate to help them acquire suitable skills for employment? Have employers and industry groups been adequately consulted so that they can provide equal opportunity for new migrants? Do we know which groups of new migrants are most vulnerable and at risk? Do we know what personal and social barriers they currently face?

There have been some antisocial behaviours or violent incidents reported in the media from time to time, either towards a new migrant or caused by a new migrant. These incidents, if not managed well, can create unnecessary anxiety, misunderstanding and fear, which can accumulate into serious social problems in the South Australian community.

Based on my contribution today, I believe members of the council will recognise that it is a priority for politicians, government departments and community groups to understand the level of integration and adjustment to life for new migrants in South Australia. To conclude, for the healthy and robust development of a multicultural society and for new migrants to achieve greater social, educational and economic participation in mainstream Australian community, I urge members to support the motion.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

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