MIGRANT WATCH

Fil-Aussies Still Troubled by Racism, Discrimination

Filipino immigrants in Australia pledge to push for legislations that would put a stop to racist and discriminatory policies not only against them but expatriates from other countries.

By Caesar Ben Basan A. Barona 
Bulatlat

AUSTRALIA - Migrants displaced in their own country by circumstances and the poor policies of their home country have to deal with the situation in their adopted country. Even in a First World country such as Australia, Filipinos and their children are now actively voicing out their concerns.

Early this October, migrant Filipinos and Filipino-Australians held a forum to question Australian politicians on their stands on the issues and concerns of migrants and foreign policy. Migrante Philippines-Australia and the Immigrant Women’s Speakout Association of New South Wales (NSW), a peak organization of immigrant and refugee women based in New South Wales, initiated the forum as a venue to demand better treatment of immigrants in Australia, along with airing out other issues and concerns.

Mario Royeca, president of Migrante Philippines-Australia, expounded how it was an important occasion for the migrant community, which reportedly suffers from the “racist and discriminatory immigration policies” of the current (John) Howard government. Among the issues raised were practices and policies on immigration, Medicare, education, violence in the community and home, women and young people.

Rio Leal, a social work student at the University of New South Wales and a young second generation Filipina urged the politicians to legislate free tertiary education.

Christina Ho, originally from Hong Kong and a lecturer at the University of Technology-Sydney presented key issues from her research on the effectiveness of the government’s Skilled Migration Program. Her research findings show that the Skilled Migration Program of the Australian government is flawed and leads to loss of skills and disability for newly arrived migrants. Skilled migrants are “de-skilled” because even though they were assessed in the required competencies, they find out upon arriving that they will need “local experience,” she said.

Rose Recto, a member of Migrante Philippines Australia and the Immigrant Women’s Speakout of NSW, narrated the domestic violence experienced by women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) and the need to have more refugee and culturally sensitive services.

Family reunion

Chandrika Subramaniam, of Indian/Sri Lankan origin and a Caseworker of the Multicultural Family Support Service at the Immigrant Women’s Speakout Association of NSW, emphasized the difficulties of migrants in applying for family reunion. It was pointed out that migrant policy makes it hard for immigrants to get petition for their family, and once allowed into Australia, would face difficulties in settling in, resulting from decreased government support, even though they’re permanent residents.

Peter Murphy from the Now We the People gave the larger picture of the mainstream issues that Australians have to consider during the election. At the core of these, he said, is Medicare, which is under threat.

Murphy called on politicians and the participants to make sure that Medicare is protected and “not to be tricked by the government’s sweet coating of ‘enhanced medical services.’” (Medicare is a socially-guaranteed access to universal health care.)

The forum was joined by politicians including Roger Price, from the opposition Australian Labour Party (ALP) and member of the Federal Parliament, who informed the participants that he is working hard to have a flexible and more compassionate policy and strategy for family reunion. He said that it is very painful for immigrants not to have one member of their family to migrate to Australia. On the call for free tertiary education, he said that ALP would abolish the tuition by 25 percent.

A representative from the Greens Party, Astrid O’Neill, a former teacher, said that her party would be working in getting accessible and equitable community services for immigrants, refugees and the mainstream population.

No to Iraq war

Responding to a question from a teen-ager participant, Michael Brock, a student from Marist College in Pagewood, Botany who asked about the political parties’ foreign policy especially on Iraq, O’Neill said that the Greens did not support the involvement of the Australian government in the U.S. invasion of Iraq and its stand is for the government to pull out troops immediately.

In her closing remarks, Jane Corpuz-Brock, executive officer of the Immigrant Women’s Speakout Association of NSW, encouraged all participants to work for a sustained campaign and lobby for a just and equitable immigration policy. There is, she said, a growing section of the Australian society living in poverty and across all communities the reduction in community services is evident.

Australian elections were to held on Oct. 9 (Saturday), with the position of Australian Prime Minister, now held by John Howard (Liberal), contested by Mark Latham of the opposition Australian Labour Party (ALP). Howard won for a fourth term. Bulatlat

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