Australia: Discussion on refugees

[maye@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Discussion on Humanitarian Program Entrants
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For Humanitatian Program by Department of Immigration and Multicultural
Affairs (Australia), there are four components, three offshore and one
onshore. 

Offshore: 
Refugee - a notional allocation of places for people who are subject to
persecution and have been identified in conjunction with UNHCR as in need
of resettlement. These entrants arrive under visa subclasses 200, 201 or 204.

Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) - a notioan allocation of places for
people who have suffered discrimination amounting to gross violation of
human rights, and who have been proposed by an Australian citizen or
resident or a community group in AUstralia. These entrants arrive under
visa subclass 202.

Special Assistance Category (SAC) - a notional allocation of places for
people who, while not meeting the refugee or Special Humanitarian criteria,
are nonetheless in situations of discrimination, displacement or hardship.
Most SACs require proposers of applicants to be close family members
resident in Australia. These entrants arrive under visa subclasses 209 to
213 and 215 to 217.

Onshore: 

Refugee - a notional allocation of places for people found to need
protection in accordance with the United Nations Refugees Convention and
who are granted protection visas in Australia. These entrants are granted a
visa subclass 866.

*For these Humanitarian Program, a discussion will be held: 

Date: 	14th January 1999
Time: 	2:30pm - 4:30pm
Place:  	DIMA Conference Room
	(Casseldar Place)
	25th Floor, 2 Lonsdale Street
	Melbourne, Australia

Contact person: Igor Trucco on (03) 9235 3956 (If you want to attend).

For details, please read the following letter from DIMA.

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Department of Immigration and Multicultureal Affairs

Dear Service Provider,

Enclosed is a community discussion paper on the provision of material
assistance to refugees and humanitarian entrants. This letter outlines the
process for consultations.

Your written submissions in response to the discussion paper are welcomed
and should be fowarded, by 20 January 1999, by mail or facsimile to:

Director, Humanitarian Settlement Section
Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs

PO Box 25
Belconnen ACT 2616
Facsimile: (02) 62642008 or (02) 62642723

If you are not in a position to provide a written submission but would
still like to make your views known, you are invited to participate in a
discussion group. A private consultant has been engaged to conduct a
national public consultation process in conjunction with the Department.
Discussion groups will be held in each State and Territory from late
December through to mid January. If you would like to participate in a
discussion group or speak to the consultant outside of a discussion group,
you should contact the Departmental officer in your State or Territory as
listed below, and we will do our best to meet your needs.

Office				Contact person			Telephone Number

New South Wales		Hanny Kassab			(02) 9219 7979
Victoria			Jenny Norvick			(03) 9235 3350
				Joe Zaia			(03) 9235 3355
Queensland			Rebecca Ball			(07) 3360 5020
				Barbara Lachish		(07) 3360 5019
South Australia			Blanka Svehlak			(08) 8237 6612
Western Australia		Paula Kansky			(08) 9261 2250
Tasmania 			Robin Bowden			(03) 6220 5321
Northern Territory		Dianne Mitchell			(08) 8946 3104
Australian Capital Territory 	Elizabeth McAlister		(02) 6274 4548

Yours sincerely

(Signed by)

Philippa Godwin
Assistant Secretary
Humanitarian Branch
15 December 1998

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