Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI) has excellent multicultural youth information and programs.
Department of Immigration and Citizenship resources include:
- The Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council (RRAC) advises the on matters relating to the settlement of Humanitarian Programme entrants and migrants. Contact the RRAC Secretariat, Settlement Branch at DIAC.
- New Beginnings: Life in Australia (1368KB PDF file) is a comprehensive statistical and descriptive account of the Australian Government's role in humanitarian resettlement and includes refugee youth entrant statistics.
- Other publications relevant to young refugees, such as Building Pathways: Resources to Support Transitions for Young People from Refugee Backgrounds (2007)
- The Settlement Database is an internal database developed by the department to provide statistical data for government and community agencies involved in the planning and provision of migrant settlement services.
Also see:
Centre for Citizenship and Human Rights at Deakin University
Centre for Immigration and Multicultural Studies at the Australian National University
Centre for Refugee Research at the University of New South Wales.
NSW Refugee Health Service
More links: The Refugee Health Research Centre at LaTrobe University's School of Social Sciences has an excellent list of useful websites.
Other organisations:
- The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (VFST), or 'Foundation House' as it is more commonly known, provides a range of services to refugees who have survived torture or war-related trauma.
- South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre, based in Dandenong, Victoria, aims to be the advocate and catalyst which empowers ethnic communities to participate fully in the Australian community and give full expression to their individuality and aspirations.
- The Catholic Migrant Centre in Perth, WA, facilitates the settlement of migrants and refugees through the provision of English classes, employment and training programs, emergency relief, aged care services and social casework.
- The Languages and Multicultural Education Resources Centre is a specialist support centre for schools in the following areas: Languages other than English (LOTE) | English as a Second Language (ESL) | Multicultural Education
Resources:
- Refugee youth and resettlement, by Elin Thorell, Centre for Refugee Research at the University of New South Wales
- Seeking asylum alone: A study of Australian law, policy and practice regarding unaccompanied and separated children, by Mary Crock (Assoc. Prof. and Assoc. Dean of Postgraduate Research at the Faculty of Law at the University of Sydney), published by Themis Press, is part of an international study being conducted in conjunction with Harvard University, and with researchers in the USA and the UK.
That study is called, Seeking asylum alone: Unaccompanied and separated children and refugee protection in the US, UK and Australia, online at the University Committee on Human Rights at Harvard (with links to the reports for Australia, the USA and the UK as PDF documents).
In a short article in the December 2006 edition of Australian Children's Rights News, Mary Crock gives an overview of her research on the experiences of 85 of the 290 unaccompanied children who arrived in Australia seeking asylum between 1999 and 2003. Crock identifies the need for 'an intensive intervention program targeting young people who came as asylum seekers -- together with the unaccompanied child refugees who continue to arrive under the offshore resettlement program'. Crock says that such a program ought to include appropriate literacy education, counselling and psychiatric care and mentoring into both skilled and unskilled occupations. She notes that securing a 'substitute family' is a key ingredient to all child refugee 'success stories' in Australia and New Zealand.
The report is online at: http://www.law.usyd.edu.au/scil/publications.html and navigate to the Reports section. (Source: 'Australian Children's Rights News' (newsletter of the Australian section of Defence for Children International) n.42, December 2006, pp.1, 3-12.)
Refugee youth
Topics
New beginnings: Life in Australia 2005–2006
Children in immigration detention 1999–2003
Young refugees, 2000–01
Young people in immigration detention centres, 2001
Children of asylum seekers held in Australian detention centres, 2003
Time in detention centres, April 2002
Young arrivals in Australia under Humanitarian Program 1991–2000
viewed 23 April 2008.)
New beginnings: Life in Australia 2005–2006
The Australian government provides a comprehensive range of settlement services for 13,000 humanitarian entrants and other eligible migrants each year.
A significant proportion of the current humanitarian intake is young.
In 2005–06 about 66% were under the age of 25 and about 42% were under the age of 15.
Source: Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, New Beginnings: Life in Australia: Supporting new arrivals on their settlement journey 2005–06 [viewed 20/9/2007].
Children in immigration detention 1999–2003
Between 1999 and 2003, 2,184 children were held in detention. More than 90% of them were eventually found to have a legitimate claim to refugeee status.
Children in immigration detention in 1999–2000: 976
… in 2000–01: 1,923
… in 2001–02: 1,696
… in 2002–03: 703
On 26 December 2003: 111
Most of these children arrived by boat.
From late January 2000, most unaccompanied asylum-seeker children were transferred from immigration detention centres to 'alternative places of detention' such as foster homes in the community.
Where children were held between July 1999 and July 2003:
| Detention Centre | 1.7.99 | 1.1.00 | 1.7.00 | 1.1.01 | 1.7.01 | 1.1.02 | 1.7.02 | 1.1.03 | 1.7.03 |
| Curtin | - | 147 | 133 | 167 | 153 | 63 | 33 | - | - |
| Port Hedland | 27 | 91 | 142 | 64 | 128 | 85 | 11 | 20 | 14 |
| Woomera | - | 118 | 215 | 16 | 304 | 281 | 45 | 11 | - |
| Woomera Housing Project |
- | - | - | - | - | 7 | 0 | 6 | 10 |
| Villawood | 19 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 37 | 16 | 14 | 32 | 29 |
| Maribyrnong | 11 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 5 |
| Perth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Christmas Island | - | - | - | - | - | 79 | 10 | 5 | - |
| Cocos K. Islands | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - |
| Baxter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 38 | 41 |
| Other (hospitals, etc.) |
1 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 17 | 11 |
| Total number of children in detention |
58 | 399 | 542 | 287 | 631 | 543 | 138 | 132 | 111 |
At the beginning of 2003, the average detention period for a child was 15 months and 17 days.
At 26 December 2003 it was 20 months and 11 days.
Between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2003, 37% of asylum seeker children in detention were girls. The majority of children in detention were under 12.
Children in immigration detention centres by age:
| Age of children as at 30 June each year |
0–4 years | 5–11 years | 12–17 years |
| 1999 | 23 | 15 | 23 |
| 2000 | 164 | 208 | 162 |
| 2001 | 144 | 210 | 278 |
| 2002 | 33 | 54 | 53 |
| 2003 | 32 | 29 | 52 |
Most of the children in detention 1999–2003 were from Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, the Palestinian territories and Sri Lanka.
Number of asylum-seeking children arriving in Australia without a valid visa between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2003: 2,184
Percentage found to be refugees and granted temporary protection visas: over 92%
(including 98% of Iraqi children and 95% of Afghan children)
These figures do not include children transferred to and detained on Nauru and Manus Island (Papua New Guinea).
Number of asylum-seeking children arriving in Australia with a valid visa between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2003: 3,125
Percentage found to be refugees: 25%
Source: Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission 2004: A Last Resort – Summary Guide – A summary of the important issues, findings and recommendations of the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention, HREOC, Sydney [viewed 25/01/2007].
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Young refugees, 2000–01
Number of refugees aged 12 to 25 years who came to Australia in 2000–01: 3,853
58.8% came through the offshore component and 41.2% through the onshore component of the Humanitarian Program.
Number on temporary protection visas: 1,462
(The largest group of all refugee young people, representing 43% of all temporary protection visas granted for that year.)
In the Offshore Program, half (51.4%) came as refugees and 39.1% through the Special Humanitarian Program. The remainder (9.5%) came through the Special Assistance Category.
Number of young people who were unauthorised arrivals in Australia in 2000–01: 1,266
Percentage of unauthorised arrivals: 31%
Percentage of all detained young asylum seekers recognised as refugees: 83%
There were 218 young people under 18 years in the Humanitarian Unaccompanied Minors Scheme in May 2001. 48% were unauthorised arrivals who had been granted temporary protection visas.
Estimated number of young people with refugee experience in Australia in 2003: 16,000– 20,000
Source: Susan Pitman, et al. 2004, Profile of young Australians: Facts, figures and issues [viewed 25/01/2007], Foundation for Young Australians, Melbourne, pp.43–4.
Young people in immigration detention centres, 2001
Percentage of people in immigration detention centres in April 2002 aged under 18: 11.2%
… number aged between 18 and 25 years: not known
… of the 184 minors in immigration detention, 81 were aged 12–17 (44%)
Young asylum seekers from Iran made up the largest group in detention (38%) followed by those from Afghanistan (28%) and Iraq (16%).
Just on two-thirds of all minors had been in detention nine months or more in April 2000 (64.7%). Young detainees under 18 years made up 11.9% of all those who had been in detention for more than 18 months.
Source: Susan Pitman, et al. 2004, Profile of young Australians: Facts, figures and issues, Foundation for Young Australians, Melbourne, pp.44–5. Available online [viewed 25/01/2007] in pdf format.
Children of asylum seekers held in Australian detention centres, 2003
Number of accompanied minors held in Immigration Reception and Processing Centres, Offshore Processing Centres, and Urban Immigration Detention Centres as at 13/11/03:
Baxter: 22
Port Headland: 15
Christmas Island: 15
Woomera: 7
Nauru: 89
Maribyrnong: 1
Perth: 0
Villawood: 32
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Time in detention centres, April 2002
The following table shows the amount of time that minors (aged 18 or less) had spent in immigration detention centres as at April 2002:
| Time in detention centre |
Percentage of minors |
| 0–3 months | 7% |
| 3–6 months | 6% |
| 6–9 months | 23% |
| 9–12 months | 20% |
| 12–18 months | 29% |
| 18 months or more | 15% |
Source: Adapted from a chart reproduced in Susan Pitman, et al. 2004, Profile of young Australians: Facts, figures and issues, Foundation for Young Australians, Melbourne, p.45. Available online [viewed 25/01/2007] in pdf format.
Young arrivals in Australia under Humanitarian Program 1991–2000
Number of young people (12-24) who arrived in Australia under the Humanitarian Program as permanent residents between 1991 and 2000: 25,000
Table 1: Young people aged 12–24 years, entering Australia under the Humanitarian Program, by age group, 1991–2000
| 12-15 years | 16-17 years | 18-24 years | Total | |
| 1991 | 499 | 248 | 1149 | 1896 |
| 1992 | 581 | 306 | 1613 | 2500 |
| 1993 | 659 | 319 | 1490 | 2468 |
| 1994 | 810 | 386 | 1769 | 2965 |
| 1995 | 1040 | 445 | 1779 | 3264 |
| 1996 | 838 | 380 | 1359 | 2577 |
| 1997 | 671 | 306 | 881 | 1858 |
| 1998 | 1210 | 486 | 1259 | 2955 |
| 1999 | 831 | 373 | 878 | 2082 |
| 2000 | 756 | 372 | 939 | 2067 |
Table 2: Young people aged 12–24 years, entering Australia under the Humanitarian Program, by region/ country of birth, 1991–2000
| Europe & Baltic |
Middle East | Africa | Asia | South & Central America |
Total | |
| 1991 | 29 | 384 | 67 | 941 | 248 | 1896 |
| 1992 | 511 | 846 | 173 | 818 | 152 | 2500 |
| 1993 | 956 | 249 | 279 | 915 | 65 | 2468 |
| 1994 | 1074 | 496 | 276 | 1062 | 42 | 2965 |
| 1995 | 1379 | 834 | 251 | 741 | 59 | 3264 |
| 1996 | 1304 | 390 | 289 | 551 | 35 | 2577 |
| 1997 | 803 | 406 | 282 | 349 | 18 | 1858 |
| 1998 | 1408 | 675 | 444 | 419 | 9 | 2955 |
| 1999 | 844 | 616 | 342 | 274 | 6 | 2082 |
| 2000 | 933 | 494 | 394 | 235 | 11 | 2067 |
Small discrepancies between the total of the regional figures and the total intake of young humanitarian entrants are due to a small number of cases where information was missing at the time the settlement database was compiled.
Statistics from the National Settlement Database, produced by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, are presented in a report which includes a statistical profile of young refugees in Australia. These statistics, the report notes, do not account for young people who arrive under the Family Stream of the Migration Program, or those on temporary protection visas.
Source: Coventry, L., Guerra, C, Mackenzie, D & Pinkney, S. 2002, Wealth of All Nations: Identification of strategies to assist refugee young people in transition to independence, National Youth Affairs Research Scheme, Hobart, pp. 29-34. NYARS reports are available for download from the FaHCSIA website.Back to top
Playing for the future: The role of sport and recreation in supporting refugee young people to 'settle well' in Australia, by Louise Olliff
Youth Studies Australia, v.27, n.1, pp.52-60. Summary | Full text | PDF
Mind the gap: Considering the participation of refugee young people, by Jen Couch
v.26, n.4, pp.37-44. Summary | Full text | PDF
Youth work: A deconstructive approach for those who work with young refugees, by Peter Westoby and Ann Ingamells
v.26, n.3, 2007, pp.52-59.
Minimum standards for quality education for refugee youth (Programs and Practice paper), by Jackie Kirk and Elizabeth Cassity
v.26, n.1, 2007, pp.50-56.
Students at risk: Can connections make a difference?
Nahid Kabir & Tony Rickards
v.25, n.4, 2006, pp.17-24.
Pathways and pitfalls: Refugee young people in and around the education system, by Louise Olliff and Jen Couch.
v.24 n.3, 2005, pp.42-46.
An agenda for change: Developing good practice principles in working with young refugees, by Jen Couch.
v.24 n.3, 2005, pp.47-50.
Making up for lost time: Southern Sudanese young refugees in high schools, by Elizabeth Cassity and Greg Gow.
v.24 n.3, 2005, pp.51-55.