Joint Standing Committee on Migration - Inquiry into Migrant Settlement Outcomes
The submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Migration in relation to its Inquiry into Migrant Settlement Outcomes was prepared by the Law Council.
The Law Council is grateful for the assistance of the Migration Law Committee of the Law Council’s Federal Litigation and Dispute Resolution Section and the Law Institute of Victoria in the preparation of this submission.
The Law Council makes the following key comments:
(a) settlement services would benefit from further integration and better resourcing;
(b) sufficient focus can be placed on enhancing migrants’ English language skills after arrival such that it is not necessary to alter current entry requirements to assess English-language ability pre-arrival;
(c) Australia is well-protected by the current laws and policies imposed both prior to, and following, a migrant’s arrival in Australia and it is therefore never appropriate to include criteria allowing refusal or cancellation of a visa for ‘settlement outcome’ related reasons; and
(d) the Law Council supports effective policies and training for law enforcement in relation to migrants and multiculturalism to ensure that best practice standards are being applied across all jurisdictions and supports the use of diversionary options such as warnings, cautions or youth justice conferences where appropriate.