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Future Challenges For
Australia
Australia In Its Regional And Global Contexts
Stage 5 Geography Syllabus 5A4
Syllabus Agenda
 Human rights and reconciliation
 future challenges for Australia in relation to:
 human rights
 reconciliation
 how other nations have responded to these challenges
 strategies to address the challenges
Migration
Australia’s Migration Program was initially set up to increase the labour force and
improve national security.
Types of Migrants
 Migrants can become permanent or temporary
residents of Australia and enter under one of the
following categories:
 Employer sponsored
 Business people
 Family members
 Skilled workers
 Humanitarian entrants or refugees
(a) Activity
 In your books:
 Create a diagram to illustrate the five types of
programs that allow migrants to enter Australia.
Refugees and Human Rights
What are Human Rights?
 Human rights are those rights that all people have
because they are human beings.
 The recognition that all people should be treated in a
decent, equal and just manner led to the United
Nations Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December
1948.
Who is a Refugee?
 The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of
Refugees (Article 1) defines a refugee as:
 A person who is outside his/her country of nationality or
habitual residence; has a well founded fear of persecution
because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in
a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable
or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that
country, or to return there, for fear of persecution.
Asylum-Seeker or Refugee?
 An asylum-seeker is a person who has
arrived in another country seeking
safety and is waiting for recognition
as a refugee.
 For this reason there is no such thing
as an illegal asylum-seeker.

Often these people arrive without
documents because they have fled
from regimes that would not provide
them or they have not had the time
nor means to acquire them.
Processing of asylumseekers
 Handled by the Department of Immigration and
Citizenship
 If they arrive in an authorised manner eg visa, they
are generally allowed to remain in the community
while their applications are processed
 If they arrive in an unauthorised manner they are
confined in detention centres until they are granted a
visa to remain in Australia, or they leave the country,
voluntarily or otherwise.
A Childs Story
Temporary v Permanent
Visas
 Asylum-seekers entering the country without
authority receive a 3 year temporary protection visa if
their application for refugee status is successful
 Humanitarian grounds – permanent protection visas
can be granted to people on humanitarian grounds
and enables family to be reunited.
(a) Activity
 Go to one of the following websites:

http://www.refugeeaction.org/stories/refugee_stories.htm

http://www.hreoc.gov.au/human_rights/children_detention
_report/report/chap06.htm

http://www.refugeestories.org/
 Choose one of the stories of a refugee to analyse & prepare
a 3 minute oral account of your analysis

or
 Create a podcast /imovie on the experiences of refugees
The Pacific Solution
 The Tampa incident occurred in 2001
 Afghan asylum-seekers were rescued from a sinking
Indonesian boat in international waters.
 The Australian government refused to allow the ship
to proceed to Christmas Island for processing
 After negotiations the people were transferred to the
Pacific island of Nauru
The Pacific Solution
 Diverting asylum-seekers to Pacific islands is known
as the ‘Pacific Solution’.
 The Australian government provided Nauru with an
aid package worth $20 million in return for agreeing
to accept these people
 New law – asylum-seekers can only apply for refugee
status if they reach the mainland otherwise they reside
in a detention facility on Christmas Island
Detention Centres
 Immigration Transit Accommodation Centres have
been set up in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide for
those spending a short time in detention and regarded
as a low-security risk
(a) Detention Centres
 INTERNET ACTIVITY
 Research the treatment of refugees in one developed
country and compare the treatment there with the
treatment provided by Australia.
 Develop an annotated map of Australia to illustrate the
location of Australian detention centres. Describe the
distribution of Australian detention centres.
 Compose a letter to the editor of a national newspaper
expressing your opinion on the detention of asylumseekers.
Reconciliation
Definition
 The process of understanding and restoring a
relationship, especially between Australian Indigenous
peoples and the wider community
 Reconciliation is a community-based movement
involving Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians

Reconciliation in
Australia
Is based on three main ideas:

RECOGNITION that Indigenous people are the traditional
owners of the land and have a unique relationship with the
physical environment

JUSTICE – Past government policies have been detrimental
to Aboriginal populations eg Stolen generation leading to
social problems

HEALING – improving living conditions and quality of life
for all Australians, but especially the disadvantaged
Reconciliation today
 The Current Situation
 Individuals promoting reconciliation include:
 Peter Garrett (politician)
 John Williamson (singer/songwriter)
 Cathy Freeman (athlete)
 Pat Dodson (priest)
Reconciliation today
 The Current Situation

Groups and organisations involved in reconciliation include:
 Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR)
 Reconciliation Australia
 NSW State Government ensure fair representation of
Aboriginal people on decision-making bodies and ensure
policies and services are relevant and accessible to all people
including Indigenous groups
 Federal government (Rudd) formally apologised for the wrongs
committed by white Australians towards the Indigenous people
Responses to
Reconciliation
 Other Nations experiencing Indigenous and
reconciliation issues include:
 New Zealand
 Bolivia
(a) Activity 1
Create an information sheet (fact sheet) on
Reconciliation for Primary school students
Your fact sheet must have:
 A definition of Reconciliation
 Easy to read information about Aboriginal sorry day
 Information about Kevin Rudd’s speech to Parliament
 1 Activity that students can do, that will enhance their
understanding of Reconciliation and Sorry Day.
(a) Activity 2
Create A ‘Sorry Hand’
 Trace your Hand on blank piece of paper
 Step 1 – decorate one side of the hand – create a
design that represents your understanding of
reconciliation
 Step 2 – cut out hand
 Step 3 – on the other side of the hand write
information that you feel is important about
reconciliation.
(a) Activity 3
Research how New Zealand and/or Bolivia have dealt
with the issues of reconciliation and Indigenous
people
Design a reconciliation flag for Australia.
 Explain the relevance of all components in your flag.
Research what is meant by self determination.
 Create a poem /rap /creative piece of prose that
describes the elements of self determination from the
Australian indigenous persons perspective
Strategies for the Future
 Reconciliation will not be a reality until Indigenous
disadvantage is improved.
 More progress and decision-making needs to be made
in the areas of Indigenous health, education,
housing, employment and land ownership.
Self-determination

involves a substantive transfer of decision-making power from
government to Indigenous peoples. It requires programs and
resources that can assist them in rebuilding their own decisionmaking capabilities


The Aboriginal community requested this in the 1980’s. This
proposal has been declined up to this point in time.
To be successful in self-determination Indigenous people need

support,

the freedom to be ambitious and creative, and to be themselves,

knowledge of what has and hasn't worked elsewhere,

permission to make mistakes, and

a stable policy environment that encourages and supports
Indigenous solutions.

Principles for Selfdetermination
Waltja Tjutangku is a successful Aboriginal community-based
family service assisting communities to develop self-management
and self-determination.

They defined the following principles for Aboriginal selfdetermination [16].

Family. The family is the foundation of the Aboriginal
community and identity. Service delivery is most effective when it
occurs in the context of the broad family as understood by
Aboriginal people.

Community. Partnerships with Aboriginal communities are the
most effective way of providing services to respond to identified
needs.

Proximity. The most effective services are provided by local
community people who have access to training and support.