Parliamentary Inquiry Into Migrant Settlement Outcomes

Thursday 1 December 2016 @ 11.40 a.m. | Immigration

The Commonwealth Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Migration is holding an inquiry into migrant settlement outcomes, with a particular focus on the involvement of youth migrants in gang activity and other forms of anti-social behaviour.  The inquiry was announced on 17 November 2016 by the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton and the Minister for Social Services, Christian Porter.  The Committee is inviting the public to make submissions on the terms of reference of the inquiry before 31 January 2017.

Committee Chair Jason Wood, the Member for La Trobe, said in a media release:

“Recent events in Victoria show that youth migrants experiencing social marginalisation are getting involved in gang activity…

It is timely that we examine the adequacy the settlement services, and consider whether mechanisms such the Migration Act 1958 character test are useful for addressing issues arising from social marginalisation and disengagement.”

The Committee includes four members of the Liberal Party and four members from Labor, as well as one member of The Nationals and one member of the Greens.  Four of the eight members come from Victoria, including Deputy Chair Maria Vamvakinou of Labor.

Terms of Reference

The Committee has been asked to report on migrant settlement outcomes with reference to:

  • the mix, coordination and extent of settlement services available and the effectiveness of these services in promoting better settlement outcomes for migrants;
  • national and international best practice strategies for improving migrant settlement outcomes and prospects;
  • the importance of English language ability on a migrant’s, or prospective migrant’s, settlement outcome;
  • whether current migration processes adequately assess a prospective migrant’s settlement prospects; and
  • any other related matter. 

The Committee will also be asked to examine whether the character test provisions in the Migration Act 1958 adequately address issues relating to the prospects of social engagement within Australia.

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