Economic and Financial Committee
27 October 2005
International Migration and Development
Statement by Ms Rebekah Grindlay, Second Secretary,
Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations
(Check against delivery)
Australia welcomes this opportunity to contribute to the debate on international migration and development.
From Australia’s perspective, the key to maximising the benefits from migration, including its development potential for both receiving and sending countries, is to maximise national capacities to manage migration effectively.
We agree with the comment in the recently launched report of the Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM), Migration in an interconnected world: New directions for action, which recommends that the international community support the efforts of states to formulate and implement national migration policies through the contribution of resources, appropriate expertise and training (recommendation 29, p.82).
Mr Chairman
First, some Australian background. It is not widely known that Australia benefits from the activities of our own migrant diaspora. According to current estimates, at least three-quarters of a million Australians are living overseas permanently or long-term.
It is better known that Australia has had a managed migration program for over 50 years. It is the product of considerable investment of resources and commitment from successive governments over the years. We do not discuss it here today as a model to be followed – but as an example of the complex and comprehensive nature of migration policy.
The Australian program meets economic, social, demographic and humanitarian objectives. Community support for it is based in the belief that it serves the national interest.
It is a global, non-discriminatory immigration policy – so anyone from any country can apply to migrate, regardless of their ethnic origin, gender, race or religion, and will be accepted if they meet the migration criteria set down in law.
Australia operates parallel Humanitarian and Migration Programs. The Humanitarian program helps protect refugees and those in situations of serious humanitarian need – Australia remains in the top three countries in the world offering resettlement opportunities for refugees and others in humanitarian need.
The Migration Program has two broad categories:
A skill stream to help support the skills needs of Australian business and industry and to ensure that skilled migrants have the characteristics to integrate quickly into the labour market. This benefits migrants as well as the economy.
Secondly, a family stream for the re-union of close family members – the largest category within this stream consists of the non-citizen spouses and children of Australian citizens and residents.
In addition to these planned permanent entry arrangements, Australia has a range of temporary entry mechanisms to support interests including tourism, education and entry for skilled employees and business people.
Mr Chairman
Migrants entering Australia lawfully under all of these programs are protected by the same labour rights and human rights as Australian citizens.
At the same time as facilitating legal entry to Australia, we also seek to combat exploitation of workers and illegal activities of people smugglers and traffickers.
Mr Chairman
The development impacts of migration policies are clearly only one facet of this complex policy area and, as the GCIM report points out, rely in large part on the actions and capacities of countries of origin. Countries of origin need to create jobs and sustainable livelihoods to retain key personnel and to implement macro-economic policies that support economic growth and competitiveness so that the benefits of remittances can be maximised. In some cases, development assistance can help build this environment.
And as the GCIM notes, many states, especially but not exclusively those in less prosperous regions of the world, lack the capacity to formulate and implement effective migration policies to, amongst other outcomes, maximise development benefits.
Australia continues to work to help other states meet these challenges. Bilaterally, we have supported a number of states to undertake assessments of their border management, and have worked with them to address the results of these surveys.
We are also strong supporters of regional processes such as the Asia Pacific Consultations on Refugees, Displaced Persons and Migrants (APC) and the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (the Bali Process), which give states opportunities for supporting cooperation in the region and collective capacity building. The Bali Process in particular has been strongly endorsed for its emphasis on practical workshops.
And yesterday at the Pacific Island Forum the Prime Minister announced a proposal to establish an Australian Technical, Vocational and Trades College for the Pacific to deliver Australian-standard qualifications and enable much greater labour mobility of skilled and semi-skilled workers from the Pacific.
Better coordination between UN agencies with a migration interest, as proposed by the GCIM, will support and assist States with the range of actions available to improve migration capacity.
It would be useful if the High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in 2006 included a focus on capacity building in migration management as a fundamental cornerstone upon which much other benefit can be supported.
In summary, Australia considers that through collective and cooperative action the operation of States’ migration systems can be improved to the benefit of all, including in terms of their development impact.
I thank you.