Australia’s Response to Uprooted People

While Australia’s commitment to resettlement is commendable, it is only one aspect of its broader response to refugees. Australia’s commitment to resettlement must be matched with an equivalent commitment to:

1. The Agenda for Protection 
2. Australia’s pledge in 2000 under the Millennium Development Goals (being the poorest of the poor, refugees are a key priority). 
3. Providing development assistance to first asylum countries and post-conflict countries entering the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase.
4. Strengthening the international protection regime and ensuring its support through responsibility sharing
   Ensuring Australia’s primary obligation under the Refugee Convention to protect refugees arriving onshore, stateless people and those fearing serious human rights abuses and/or torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment  
5. Promoting respect for human rights, the rule of law and democracy
   Addressing the root causes of refugee flows by supporting initiatives aimed at resolving conflicts and preventing human rights abuses

Currently, there are major imbalances; 

1. the focus on improving Australia’s RSHP is not matched by efforts to ensure Australia’s primary obligations under the Refugee Convention; 
2. spending on border protection is seriously disproportionate to our assistance for UNHCR and countries of first asylum, and 
3. emphasis on penalties, deterrence and interception/interdiction  rather than greater efforts to resolve the root causes of secondary movement, which largely stem from the breakdown of effective protection in first asylum countries. 

A balanced and consistent approach in these areas cannot be achieved without developing a more integrated whole of government approach with greater program and policy coordination across key government portfolios. NGOs must also come together and contribute to this process.

Australia’s Overseas Aid

Over the past decade, Australia’s aid has increasingly been tied to Australia’s national interest and has fallen to the alarmingly low level of 0.23% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is well below the internationally agreed target for official development assistance of 0.7% of GDP. This year, Australia set aside a record $2.1 billion for overseas development aid (0.26% of GDP) and then announced an additional $1 billion in aid and loans (500 million) to Indonesia to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. 

While the NCCA is pleased to see an overall increase in development aid and such a generous Tsunami-related aid package to Indonesia, it is concerned that there has been such an outpouring of public donations and government aid around the globe that government funding and public support for other vulnerable groups– such as Darfur’s displaced and Myanmarese encamped in Thailand - will be scarce.  This has occurred in a number of high-profile crises in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Rwanda and Somalia.   While tsunami appeals are fast becoming oversubscribed (with some agencies closing appeals and/or questioning how they will spend funds raised), appeals for other causes are falling short. In this context, it would be wise for the Australian government to encourage measured and informed public support.

The determination of Australia’s aid to refugees should take into account the commitment it made in 2001 under the Agenda for Protection and in 2000 under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). One of the MDG’s priority groups should be refugees and IDPs who are often the poorest of the poor.

Recommendations:

1. 1. To improve policy and program coordination, the NCCA recommends exploring opportunities for developing a more balanced and consistent response to uprooted people by developing a more integrated whole of government approach involving greater program and policy coordination across key government portfolios and dialogue with NGOs. 
2. The NCCA recommends an incremental increase in Australia’s overseas aid budget to reach the UN target of 0.7% of GDP and an increase its support for conflict resolution, post-conflict reconstruction and first asylum countries. It recommends that this response be consistent and proportional to the goals of the Agenda for Protection and that more support be given to the UNHCR in recognition of its role.
3. The NCCA recommends that the Government pro-actively work with UNHCR and other EXCOM member states to realise the vision contained within the Agenda for Protection. The NCCA recommends that the government provide regular progress reports with NGO input on the implementation of the Agenda to UNHCR’s Executive Committee and the Australian public.
   

Note: This position was put forward by the NCCA in its Submission to the Consultation on Australia’s 2005 – 2006 Humanitarian Program and to the Minister in the 2005-06 Ministerial Consultations: