It feels like a good time for an update in the aftermath of last week’s confusing reports about Australia’s future refugee intake, ongoing debates about immigration levels, and the final hearings of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.
CRSA team was greatly relieved to hear the Prime Minister put an end to speculation that the refugee intake would be reduced next year. His comments on Thursday confirmed that the intake will not drop below the current quota of 20,000 places per year under this government. While we wish the political winds were different, avoiding a significant reduction is a ‘win’ in the current context. Nevertheless, we remain committed to seeing Australia’s intake grow in the future and our work contribute to more people finding the opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety each year through a combination of government-led and community-led efforts.
In the context of the broader conversation about migration, I ran a few numbers (with the help of AI I must confess!) to compare our humanitarian intake with ‘net overseas migration’ (the ‘NOM’ – the number of people arriving in the country for a year or more, minus numbers of people leaving). The results did not surprise me and confirmed that humanitarian migrants have historically made up a very small proportion of Australia’s NOM. Over the last decade, humanitarian migrants have made up no more than 6-7% of Australia’s NOM. Over the last 40 years, the proportion of humanitarian migrants has averaged only 8.4%.
But we have to remember, when setting our refugee quotas, that while Australia is an island, we are still a part of a complex and interconnected world. Whether you look at the matter as purely a humanitarian issue or through the lens of foreign policy, as a wealthy nation in a world with eye-watering numbers of people displaced by conflict and persecution, we cannot allow domestic politics alone to determine our refugee policy. Australia needs to play its role in the global context. But at the same time, we need to acknowledge the reality that our politicians are influenced by public sentiment. And that’s where the way in which people are received and supported can make a difference.
Community sponsorship programs can play a very special role in impacting not only resettlement capacity, but also public sentiment.
Some of you will have seen the very special Australian Story episode, Sky’s the Limit, featuring a group of Jewish Australians who have forged an enduring friendship with a Somali Muslim mother and son, through their involvement in the recently relaunched Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Program or CRISP (no longer a pilot!). This special story is just one of the hundreds of examples of the ways in which the CRISP is helping to build bridges between established members of the Australian community and refugee newcomers, overcoming the divides of language, culture, religion and other differences.
The more we connect, the more we understand. The more we understand, the more likely we are to put ourselves in the shoes of those seeking safety. And the more likely we are to share those understandings with the people around us – the powerful ripple effect of human connection.
“It gives you hope that you can meet people from a different culture, that you can build bridges. It allows you to express that sense of humanity.”
– Nicole Schlesinger, member of CRISP group Hope for Eden
“I see you as you, as a person. I don’t care about your religion. I don’t care about your background. Are you a good person and can we get along?”
– Feisal Abdi Sugal, Somali newcomer as featured in ABC’s Australian Story
I had the privilege of speaking to this theme in the final hearing week of the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion – see link to video here – highlighting how the CRISP and other community sponsorship models should be seen not just as a way to support refugee settlement, but also as a tool for building social cohesion and ensuring strong public support for Australia’s ongoing contribution to refugee protection.
One of the unintended consequences of a system that previously did not include a meaningful role for the Australian community to play, is that many in the broader Australian community are not familiar with the personal stories of refugee newcomers, the contributions refugees make to our country and all that we have in common as human beings simply trying to get by in this world.
Community sponsorship programs like the CRISP are slowly changing this, and we are working on a number of collaborative initiatives that can further develop and scale this approach including education, employment and ‘named’ sponsorship pathways for refugees.
Thank you all for your ongoing support and interest in this work. If you would like to deepen your involvement, please get in touch by emailing info@refugeesponsorship.org.au or visiting our website www.refugeesponsorship.org.au.
Warm regards,
Lisa Button
CEO, Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia