27 August 2004
A day to celebrate refugees’ contribution to Australia
Human Rights Commissioner Dr Sev Ozdowski said that Refugee and Migrant Sunday (29 August) is an important occasion to celebrate the valuable contribution that migrants and refugees have made and continue to make to Australia.
The Commissioner said that migration has brought expertise, innovation and skills, which have made a significant economic and social contribution to the development of this country and its resources. For instance, five of the top ten names on Business Review Weekly’s ‘Rich 200’ list in Australia are people whose families originally came to this country as refugees’. [1]
“But the talent for business and professional success, is only one portion of the totality of the unique contribution that migrants and refugees have, and continue to make, to the rich tapestry of Australian life,” said Commissioner Ozdowski.
In recent times, with the report on the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention ‘A last resort?’ highlighting refugee and asylum seeker issues, public opinion has changed from one of strong support for the mandatory detention policy - to one that challenges it.
The report gave a human face to refugee issues. The information and images it revealed of the situation in immigration detention centres in Australia were compelling and quite revealing. It brought anonymous, faceless men, women and children to light and to life and helped sway public attitudes and opinions.
The Inquiry put the issue of children in immigration detention on the national agenda and helped the emergence of informed discussion. It assisted the development of a powerful civil rights movement around the issue. New organisations emerged and established organisations such as the Refugee Council of Australia took a leadership role in, for example, assisting local councils to establish Refugee Welcome Zones.
“There are scores of refugees who continue the tradition of making fine contributions to Australian society, such as Afghan refugees on TPVs who have taken jobs at Burrangong Meats in Young (NSW) - the business would be dead without them.
“This situation has also sparked intense lobbying and media reports, and in the process these refugees have became real people to us - we have learned their names, and seen their photographs and talked to them. They took on a personality when words about them, written by journalists and committed volunteers, became a powerful weapon - a weapon that has caused authorities to act.”
“It is only through promoting awareness of the valuable contribution that refugees have made and continue to make in Australian society that entrenched stereotypes and prejudices will be erased,” the Commissioner said.
Media contact: Paul Oliver (02) 9284 9677 or 0408 469 347
1. Mares, P, Borderline: Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. UNSW Press Ltd.
Last updated 27 August 2004.
