Future Challenges For Australia

Australia In Its Regional And Global ContextsStage 5 Geography Syllabus 5A4

Syllabus Agenda Human rights and reconciliation

future challenges for Australia in relation to: human rights reconciliation

how other nations have responded to these challenges

strategies to address the challenges

MigrationAustralia’s Migration Program was initially set up to increase the labour force and improve

national security.

Types of Migrants Migrants can become permanent or

temporary residents of Australia and enter under one of the following categories: Employer sponsored Business people Family members Skilled workers Humanitarian entrants or refugees

(a) Activity In your books: Create a diagram to illustrate the five types

of programs that allow migrants to enter Australia.

Refugees and Human Rights

What are Human Rights?

Human rights are those rights that all people have because they are human beings.

The recognition that all people should be treated in a decent, equal and just manner led to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948.

Who is a Refugee? The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status

of Refugees (Article 1) defines a refugee as: A person who is outside his/her country of

nationality or habitual residence; has a well founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution.

Asylum-Seeker or Refugee?

An asylum-seeker is a person who has arrived in another country seeking safety and is waiting for recognition as a refugee.

For this reason there is no such thing as an illegal asylum-seeker.

Often these people arrive without documents because they have fled from regimes that would not provide them or they have not had the time nor means to acquire them.

Processing of asylum-seekers

Handled by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship

If they arrive in an authorised manner eg visa, they are generally allowed to remain in the community while their applications are processed

If they arrive in an unauthorised manner they are confined in detention centres until they are granted a visa to remain in Australia, or they leave the country, voluntarily or otherwise.

A Childs Story

Temporary v Permanent Visas

Asylum-seekers entering the country without authority receive a 3 year temporary protection visa if their application for refugee status is successful

Humanitarian grounds – permanent protection visas can be granted to people on humanitarian grounds and enables family to be reunited.

(a) Activity Go to one of the following websites:

http://www.refugeeaction.org/stories/refugee_stories.htm http://www.hreoc.gov.au/human_rights/children_detention_r

eport/report/chap06.htm

http://www.refugeestories.org/

Choose one of the stories of a refugee to analyse & prepare a 3 minute oral account of your analysis

or

Create a podcast /imovie on the experiences of refugees

The Pacific Solution The Tampa incident occurred in 2001 Afghan asylum-seekers were rescued from a

sinking Indonesian boat in international waters.

The Australian government refused to allow the ship to proceed to Christmas Island for processing

After negotiations the people were transferred to the Pacific island of Nauru

The Pacific Solution Diverting asylum-seekers to Pacific islands is

known as the ‘Pacific Solution’. The Australian government provided Nauru

with an aid package worth $20 million in return for agreeing to accept these people

New law – asylum-seekers can only apply for refugee status if they reach the mainland otherwise they reside in a detention facility on Christmas Island

Detention Centres Immigration Transit Accommodation Centres

have been set up in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide for those spending a short time in detention and regarded as a low-security risk

(a) Detention Centres INTERNET ACTIVITY

Research the treatment of refugees in one developed country and compare the treatment there with the treatment provided by Australia.

Develop an annotated map of Australia to illustrate the location of Australian detention centres. Describe the distribution of Australian detention centres.

Compose a letter to the editor of a national newspaper expressing your opinion on the detention of asylum-seekers.

Reconciliation

Definition The process of understanding and restoring a

relationship, especially between Australian Indigenous peoples and the wider community

Reconciliation is a community-based movement involving Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians

Handout – Indigenous Land Rights (GF2 Teacher Resource p19-20)

Reconciliation in Australia

Is based on three main ideas:

RECOGNITION that Indigenous people are the traditional owners of the land and have a unique relationship with the physical environment

JUSTICE – Past government policies have been detrimental to Aboriginal populations eg Stolen generation leading to social problems

HEALING – improving living conditions and quality of life for all Australians, but especially the disadvantaged

Reconciliation today The Current Situation

Individuals promoting reconciliation include:

Peter Garrett (politician) John Williamson (singer/songwriter) Cathy Freeman (athlete) Pat Dodson (priest)

Reconciliation today The Current Situation

Groups and organisations involved in reconciliation include:

Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) Reconciliation Australia NSW State Government ensure fair representation of Aboriginal

people on decision-making bodies and ensure policies and services are relevant and accessible to all people including Indigenous groups

Federal government (Rudd) formally apologised for the wrongs committed by white Australians towards the Indigenous people

Responses to Reconciliation

Other Nations experiencing Indigenous and reconciliation issues include: New Zealand Bolivia

(a) Activity Research how New Zealand and/or Bolivia

have dealt with the issues of reconciliation and Indigenous people

Design a reconciliation flag for Australia. Explain the relevance of all components in

your flag.

Identify an individual or group involved in reconciliation. Conduct research to express their perspective

on the issue.

Strategies for the Future

Reconciliation will not be a reality until Indigenous disadvantage is improved.

More progress and decision-making needs to be made in the areas of Indigenous health, education, housing, employment and land ownership.

Self-determination is the right to administer one’s own community which the Aboriginal community requested in the 1980’s. This proposal has been declined up to this point in time.