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Examine whether humanitarian migrants attempting to integrate into the community get a fair go in contemporary Australian society. Debate within the political sphere, media and wider community has been intently focused recently on the issue of increased immigration, especially that of a humanitarian nature. Australia is a major refugee resettlement country according to the UNHCR, granting 13 770 humanitarian visas in 2009-10. (Fact sheet 60, 2010) Thus, considering Australias major role in refugee resettlement worldwide and the contentious debate raging within the country presently over humanitarian migration, it is imperative to examine whether refugees attempting to integrate into the Australian community are given a fair go. This essay will argue that refugees resettling into contemporary Australian society on permanent visas, are often not afforded equal opportunity due to such social forces including ethnicity, socioeconomic status, environment, negative social stereotypes and gender. Firstly, this essay will examine how these aforementioned social forces can hinder integration into society and perpetuate inequality. It will then proceed to discuss and dismantle the counter perspective that inequality is initially unavoidable in the refugee context, but can be remedied through government intervention. It is important to qualify that only off-shore processed refugees: persons who have fled their own country and sought asylum by applying to the government of Australia for protection through established governmental channels and organisations in their homeland, have been considered in this essay, not those who have sought asylum on-shore and been processed in detention centres. To exemplify the social factors which impede social equality for refugees, qualitative evidence will be drawn from a report published by the University of New South Wales which studied refugees from the Horn of Africa (comprising of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, the Sudan and Uganda) resettling in the Sydney community as a case study. Celia Banks view of social differences yielding states of inequality (Banks, 2007, 175) explains how the otherness of refugees can encourage discrimination. Racially pejorative sentiments towards refugees expressed by the public can hinder integration into the Australian community and hence perpetuate inequality. When a society does not accept refugees as full members, but as unwelcome others it may create a condition of social exclusion, which will likely result in dysfunctional integration for the refugee community (Danso, 2001 p.6). Refugees in Australia often feel stigmatised by the broader population due to their ethnic otherness. In October 2007, communities from the Horn of Africa were dealt a significant blow, when the then Minister for Immigration, Kevin Andrews, published a media release in which he announced that Australia was cutting its humanitarian intake from Africa because these communities were experiencing significant settlement problems and not integrating well into Australian society. (Pittaway, Muli, 2009, p.8). This branding of African communities as one homogenous black African group, neglecting their diverse cultures, beliefs, languages and homelands, whilst labelling them as peripheral, unproductive members of the community, enforces negative racial stereotypes and hinders social integration which is essential for a fair go within society. (McDonald B et al, 2008, p.30) As one Somali refugee stated:

The people who live here make me feel discriminated and the media here labels us, they make us feel like second class citizens. (Pittaway, Muli, 2009, p.30) These negative, racist stereotypes marginalize refugees and encourage social inequality by damaging accommodation and education prospects. As one Sudanese woman expressed, I always get rejected by the real estate. I am discriminated because I am black, detailing how racial discrimination damages housing opportunities. Furthermore, xenophobic sentiments in the school environment hinder learning and the formation of communal bonds. My little daughter related one Sudanese refugee, tried to scrub the brown colour from her skin in the bath she said the children at school were laughing at her.(Pittaway, Muli, 2009, p.44) Thus, racial prejudice negatively impacts upon refugees educational opportunities, housing and relationship with the wider community. Change in cultural setting, and the language and cultural barriers this often exposes, can also hinder refugee integration into the Australian community, adversely affecting their social opportunities. Lack of understanding of the alien Australian language and culture as well as the general Australian populaces limited knowledge of the intricacies of migrant cultures are obstacles to refugees finding secure employment and subsequently gaining financial security and social respect, both of which are indicators of social equity. Lack of proficiency in English is a significant barrier to employment opportunities. In 2006, almost three quarters (74%) of Humanitarian Program migrants who did not speak English well or did not speak English at all were not in the labour force' and only 16% of this group were employed. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). These figures denote the stark social divides in employment prospects faced by resettling refugees unable to immerse themselves in the local language. But it is not just employment prospects which are damaged by not speaking English. Educational opportunities and access to appropriate healthcare is also affected. As one Eritrean refugee remarked: He, [the interpreter], passed on the wrong information to my doctor and for a year and a half I didnt get the right treatment because of the communication problem, highlighting how language barriers can result in poorer health outcomes (Pittaway, Muli, 2009, p.38). Another Sudanese migrant commented how a lack of English fluency, in tandem with poor planning by education authorities, leads to higher rates of school drop out for refugees. You are put in with all the other children who have been learning in English from nursery school. How are they expected to stay in school? (Pittaway, Muli, 2009 p.55) Restricting educational opportunities by not catering to the needs of refugees feeds the cycle of refugees entering into lower paid jobs or being unemployed, unable to achieve financial security., Furthermore, local communities often possess limited knowledge of foreign cultures which can perpetuate social inequality and prevent refugees from attaining an education and employment. For example many Muslim women, as one Sudanese woman articulated, feel uncomfortable in these mixed English classes. They [the government] should have women-only classes. (Pittaway, Muli, 2009 p.45). This demonstrates how a lack of understanding about religious

intricacies embodied in the governmental system can hinder education and language proficiency, thereby continuing the cycle of unemployment and detachment from society. Cultural and religious ignorance can also impact on job opportunities. As one Sudanese woman expressed: My boss doesnt understand I have special requirements, such as a place to pray facing Mecca. She asked me not to pray during work hours and to pray at home. She said if this was going to be a problem for me shed place me on casual rates. This example imbues the inequality faced by refugees, articulating how cultural and racial prejudices can negatively affect employment opportunities and career advancement The generally downgraded socioeconomic status of refugees within Australia can detrimentally affect their career prospects and ability to attain financial security, as well as their sense of wellbeing. Most refugees upon arrival in Australia experience a significant lowering of status despite possibly being better-off financially than previously. This occurs because their previous skills and qualifications are often fundamentally different and not easily transferable to an urbanized environment. (Pittaway, Muli, 2009, p.35). As one female refugee remarked: The biggest shock was to lose my professional status. I was a respected Engineer. The Australian government doesnt recognize my qualificationsSo now I am a housewife. I feel useless. (Pittaway, Muli, 2009, p.37) Clearly, degradation of status due to a devaluation of qualifications can shrink refugees employment and social opportunities. This is further reflected in job statistics. Almost a third (31%) of Humanitarian Program migrants were employed as labourers and 18% were employed as technicians and trades workers. Only 4% of refugees were employed in professional occupations such as managers and 6% as professionals. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010) This downward socioeconomic mobility and devaluation of credentials, skills and identity can create a condition of disempowerment and alienation both socially and financially, which in turn can affect their ability to achieve life goals in a foreign land. (Danso, 2001, p.3) Differences in gender roles and expectations, especially in relation to women, can create disparities in the rights afforded to Australian, and recently arrived refugee women. Women face particular problems in resettlement due to changed, more egalitarian gender roles, which can be confronting for those who have come from strict patriarchal societies. (Pittaway, Muli, 2009 p.34). Whilst female Australian citizens are lawfully afforded the same rights as men, many refugee women still feel oppressed by their husbands who are unwilling to adopt new gender expectations.(Pittaway, Muli, 2009 p.34) Women in this situation are powerless - sometimes unaware of their rights or lacking the support systems to change this repressive reality. As one Sudanese woman articulates: You see here women have rights compared to where they came from where they had no rights at all. The men dont want to take it so the women suffer for it and have nowhere to turn. (Pittaway, Muli, 2009 p.34)

Conveyed in this quote is the disparity in gender equality between women in the wider Australian community and female refugees. This obstinate attachment to patriarchal control shown by some husbands can have serious social consequences. It can damage career advancement and the forging of communal bonds as expressed by one young Ethiopian woman: Sometimes at work I am invited to go away on retreats with my fellow workers. I would like to go but I know my husband wouldnt allow it Evidently, this woman and other refugee women like her, is not afforded gender equality which detriments her ability to advance her career, participate in the community, and in the long term gain financial independence. A counter perspective invokes Jean- Jacques Rousseaus theory of natural inequality. (Rousseau, 1754) Refugees are immediately disadvantaged by unavoidable dramatic shifts in environment and culture. However, government funded settlement programs can address these inherent cultural and language barriers, allowing swift adjustment, ensuring a fair go for refugees. Government run Humanitarian Settlement Services (HSS), provides intensive support on arrival and throughout early settlement to refugees identified in need of aid. Services offered to humanitarian migrants include airport reception and transit assistance, finding accommodation, property induction and initial food provision, assistance in registering with Centrelink, Medicare, banks, schools and an Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) provider, and assisting clients to meet health needs and attend health assessments. This service also connects clients with other community, youth and sport programs. Once participants have fulfilled settlement criteria, including residing in long-term accommodation, being linked to, and understanding, the required services identified in their individual case, and having children enrolled and attending school they exit the program after 6-12 months. (Fact sheet 62, 2010) There is evidence to suggest that these governmental intervention initiatives are working to instil equality by overcoming initial language and cultural barriers. Taking education as an example, almost half of all Humanitarian Program migrants were full-time students (46%) at the time of the 2006 Census (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010), indicating adequate access to education. This is supported by qualitative evidence, some refugees espousing equal access to education and employment, one Sudanese man remarking: So many of our youth are going into nursing into aged care. They are working in shops, studying at TAFE and University, doing so much. (Pittaway, Muli, 2009 p.44) Moreover, some respondents felt they had successfully integrated into the community, identifying themselves equal to the majority of the population. I feel like Australia is home. I have family, job and safety. I have a new life. (Pittaway, Muli, 2009 p.24) Some women also felt they had achieved gender equality despite coming from a patriarchal background, a Somali woman declaring Australia gave me rights as a black, Muslim woman.(Pittaway, Muli, 2009

p.24). These statements support the argument that by overcoming initial cultural barriers, equality can be achieved for refugees. There is no doubt that governmental intervention does help to give refugees a fairer go, helping them to overcome those initial difficulties associated with rapid contextual and cultural change. Yet this is a concentrated once off support program, targeting superficial, yet relevant, causes of inequality such as not speaking the language or not having a house. It does provide long term language and cultural support, nor does it address deeper social perceptions which continue to perpetuate inequality including racism, cultural ignorance and devaluation, and gender divides. For this reason, even with government programs in place, most refugees are still not afforded a fair go. In conclusion, refugees resettling into contemporary Australian society on permanent visas, are not afforded a fair go. Social forces including negative social stereotypes, race, cultural environment, socioeconomic status and gender hinder societal integration and perpetuate inequality. Inequality is initially unavoidable in the refugee context due to dramatic shifts in environment, and government programs have partially helped to narrow this environmental inequality. However, political and social forces still incubate inequality for humanitarian migrants, having the capacity to damage employment, housing, education, health and social opportunities. Yet if wider society works to address the roots of these social issues, then inequality could be minimised and social harmony achieved.

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