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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-06-23 Daily Xml
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REFUGEE WEEK

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:49): I rise to speak about Refugee Week. This special week commenced with World Refugee Day, which was celebrated, as it always has been since 2001, last Saturday, 20 June. The date is significant because, in resolving to draw the public's attention to the plight of million of refugees and asylum seekers on this date, the General Assembly of the United Nations noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees.

Australia is one of 146 signatory countries to the United Nations 1951 convention and/or the 1967 protocol relating to the status of refugees. The convention defines a refugee as any person who:

…owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for either race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of that country.

The Refugee Council of Australia, which coordinates Refugee Week around Australia, has decided to retain the 2009 theme 'Freedom from Fear' in anticipation of next year's 60th anniversary of that convention. You may ask: why 'Freedom from Fear'? As Aung San Suu Kyi has said so eloquently:

Among the basic freedoms to which men aspire that their lives might be full and uncramped, freedom from fear stands out as both a means and an end.

I believe that it must be the desire to live free of fear, fear of religious, racial or other persecution, fear of war, fear for the safety and future well-being of children, that compels refugees to take the ultimate risk and to seek the protection of another country often far from their original homelands.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights also affirms the importance of freedom from fear. Its preamble asserts that the advent of a world in which humans beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief, and freedom from fear and want, as the highest aspiration of the common people. The Refugee Council of Australia has outlined the ramifications of flight from oppression in the following terms:

When refugees flee they are forced to abandon everything they know and love. They are separated from their family members, lose belongings, are left with little or no money. Some are traumatised by what they have experienced. Many spend years in camps, lost in no-man's land, whilst their fate is decided. Most have no idea what kind of future awaits them.

In seeking refuge in another country refugees are hoping to find freedom from that fear. They are looking for the opportunity to lead a normal life as part of a community where they can live in safety and security, find work and send their children to school.

In retaining the theme 'Freedom from Fear' the council hopes to draw the attention to not just the fear that compels refugees to run but the belief they feel when they are welcome into another country and given the opportunity to rebuild their lives. This is a theme that resonates for all of us.

Here in South Australia we have a proud history of accepting those who seek refuge with us. Our German forebears were escaping religious oppression. They settled north of Adelaide where they could practise old Lutheranism freely. The next great wave of immigration, which was prompted by the gold rushes, brought people from China and the United States, amongst other countries, but did not have a major population impact on South Australia.

After World War II, English, Irish and European people were settled in all states, as were political refugees fleeing from European dictatorships or communist states. Indo-Chinese refugees arrived in the 1970s. The Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 prompted then Prime Minister Hawke's government to grant permanent residents to many Chinese students. The Yugoslav wars in the 1990s prompted many to settle here. People fleeing oppression in Iraq and Afghanistan have come to South Australia. Recently, refugees from Sri Lanka, the Sudan and Darfur have joined us.

Ours is a rich and fertile amalgam of people from all corners of the globe. Yes, there are issues related to unfamiliarity, to a different way of life, to language and custom, and there are issues related to post-traumatic stress, to isolation and to the loss of family and community bonds. On the plus side, the majority of people arriving are now less than 30 years of age. They comprise an increasing proportion of arrivals to our country under the Refugee and Humanitarian Program. This represents an extraordinary opportunity for us.

Let us remember that at least 7 per cent of Australians have been refugees as defined, or have a parent or grandparent who was a refugee. We can all name people who have come here as refugees and have made vital contributions to the wellbeing, prosperity and harmony of our community. Their contributions are felt in architecture, sport, medicine, engineering, government, teaching and the legal profession, in philanthropy and community service.

Time expired.

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