This week the Migration Policy Group and Settlement Council of Australia held an online seminar crossing continents and all reasonable time zones to hear the Australian perspective on migrant settlement policy.
The MIPEX team at the Migration Policy Group delivered the MIPEX Australia results, comparing them with the other 32 countries now included in the MIPEX data-set. The Executive Officer of the Settlement Council of Australia, Sky de Jersey, then put the MIPEX findings into the Australian context on the ground and the audience contributed their perspectives via live polls.
To find out the Australian perspective on migrant integration, watch the webinar recording below:
MIPEX Australia Webinar recording
To navigate through the 60 minute video, use these timings:
00:00:52 – Jan Niessen, Director of the Migration Policy Group, introduces the MIPEX
00:08:52 – Thomas Huddleston, MIPEX author and Central Research Coordinator, presents the MIPEX Australia findings in comparison with the rest of the world
00:31:36 – Sky de Jersey, Executive Officer of the Settlement Council of Australia drills into the Australian findings and puts them into context
00:49:33 – Q&A session.
During the webinar we took polls to gather feedback from the Australian audience.
Here were the results to the following questions:
Do you think that migrant workers who choose Australia have equal access, general support, and rights?
Yes: 14%
No: 86%
Which category of migrant are you seeing in your services with the most difficulties in relation to family reunion?
Migrant: 32%
Family reunion: 16%
Humanitarian entrant: 53%
Do you support the idea of compulsory school orientation programs for migrant parents?
Yes: 82%
No: 9%
Not sure: 9%
At present voting rights are unfavourably restricted – who should be eligible to vote at federal and state elections?
All permanent residents: 30%
Australian citizens only: 60%
All permanent residents who are property owners: 10%
Do you think migrants have equal access to Centrelink (social security) benefits?
Yes: 95%
No: 0%
Not sure: 5%
Do your clients face barriers in accessing and completing the citizenship test?
Yes: 65%
No: 10%
Not sure: 25%
Should Australia have a national Human Rights Act?
Yes: 95%
No: 0%
Not sure: 5%
