Articles

Australian Government releases statistics on 2009-10 humanitarian program

Written by Administrator Friday, 05 November 2010 10:07

The latest annual report from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) reveals that Australia issued 9236 offshore refugee and humanitarian visas and 4534 onshore protection and humanitarian visas in the 2009-10 financial year. The top countries of origin for offshore visas were Burma 1959, Iraq 1688, Bhutan 1144, Afghanistan 951, Congo (DRC) 584, Ethiopia 392, Somalia 317, Sudan 298, Liberia 258, Sierra Leone 237. For onshore protection visas, the main countries of citizenship were Afghanistan 1514, Sri Lanka 505, China 492, Iraq 321, Iran 282, Zimbabwe 255, Pakistan 218, Stateless 192, Egypt 79, Burma 78.  RCOA has produced a summary of the main statistics related to refugees and asylum seekers, including information about immigration detention, boat arrivals, ministerial intervention, support and assistance to asylum seekers and settlement support to refugees.  This summary is at www.refugeecouncil.org.au/current/index.html#novdiacstats The full DIAC annual report can be found at www.immi.gov.au/about/reports/annual/2009-10

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ABC foregrounds Goodness and Kindness - the Abrahamic trio

Written by Administrator Thursday, 28 October 2010 16:26

The "Together for Humanity" Foundation, recipients of major Federal government support for opening dialogues within and between schools on the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) have been featured on the ABC's 7.30 Report. The report shows the organisation's leaders discussing how a Jewish Rabbi, Brooklyn-bred Zalman Kastel and a Muslim surfboard riding Shaykh, Haisam Farache got together with each other and a Christian, to spread their message of understanding and tolerance.  Video. Transcript follows:

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Asia, Asians and Australian culture: national curriculum under fire and in defence

Written by administrator Tuesday, 26 October 2010 14:19

The Asia Education Foundation's Anne Fisher argues that "there is an important difference between meeting a curriculum priority and the general capability of Intercultural understanding. It is important to reflect on the difference between the Asia priority in the Australian Curriculum and the general capability of Intercultural understanding because it is possible to think that they are different aspects of the same thing. However, confusing the purpose of the Asia priority with intercultural understanding does not recognise the specific value to students of learning about the Asia region, and will not allay the concerns of teachers who are unclear of the difference between them in the Australian Curriculum. This lack of differentiation between intercultural understanding and the Asia priority has arisen in recent conversations with teachers from a range of teaching backgrounds and disciplines. Teachers and others are naturally passionate about students being able to identify ..."

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November Melbourne Multiculturalism Workshop Abstracts now available

Written by Administrator Monday, 18 October 2010 09:26

A NEW ERA IN AUSTRALIAN MULTICULTURALISM? Workshop Melbourne, 19-20 November 2010 ABSTRACTS   Authors: Clyne, Bertone/Leuner, Colic-Peisker,Dunn, Farquharson, Fozdar, Hawthorne, Jakubowicz, Jupp, Khoo, Singh/Cabraal, Skrbis

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Watch this space: the new National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples

Written by Administrator Saturday, 09 October 2010 10:40

A sparkly new organisation has emerged which vows to represent the interests of Indigenous Australians and offer new directions in policy. Responding, no doubt, to the endemic lack of consultation and a series of federal and state stalemates regarding the design and implementation of policies affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (NCAFP) has arisen.

Online Opinion

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