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 CLD Youth Policy
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Overview of issues
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Resources relating to CLD Youth Policy
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Overview of issues
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There are a number of overarching issues that impact on the capacity of CLD young people to reach their full potential and enjoy equal opportunities in Australia. These include:
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Availability of settlement services
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Changes in social policy in Australia around immigration and settlement services continue to have direct impact on the settlement experiences of CLD young people and their families. Limiting access and reducing the availability of settlement supports, particularly to refugees on temporary protection visas, can increase the anxieties of newly arrived young people and impact negatively on settlement outcomes.
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Accessing services
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Lack of culturally appropriate service options prevents many CLD young people from participating in the service system. For example, services often do not take account of dress codes, dietary needs, prayer times, restrictions around gender mixing, and other cultural or religious practices.
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Racism
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Despite the diversity of the Australian community, racism and discrimination continue to be an ever-present reality for CLD young people.
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Representations of CLD young people in the media
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The general perception of CLD young people in our society is a crucial factor in how they are treated in the public domain. The community is often exposed to negative media representations of CLD young people, including allegations of ‘gang’ involvement, which misrepresent their strengths and achievements. CLD young people in turn are affected by the prejudices and speculations reported in the media around ethnic gang violence and drug related issues.
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Perceptions of community safety and the use of public space
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By virtue of their high profile and visibility in public places, young people are more likely to come into contact and subsequent conflict with police. Young people congregating in groups are often considered anti-social or ‘gangs’, a perception that is fuelled by negative media representations. This often leads to increased contact with police and a perception by young people that they are unfairly targeted because of their appearance. Often these issues are compounded by the lack of ‘youth friendly’ spaces available for young people to congregate.
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Poverty and unemployment
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Newly arrived migrants often face inequalities in housing, social support, income and physical health, leading to cycles of poverty. For some young people, these stressors may be more significant than the experience of migration itself. For example, the unemployment rate is generally higher for immigrants than for people born in Australia. Migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds also tend to stay unemployed for a longer period of time than people who are born in Australia.
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Housing
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There is a lack of appropriate housing options for migrant and refugee young people. For example, there is little or no flexibility in the system regarding gender-specific accommodation.
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Health services
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CLD young people often experience barriers to accessing appropriate health services (e.g. language difficulties, cultural insensitivity of services, or lack of awareness by young people of what services are available). Young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds may be more isolated, impacting on their emotional and physical wellbeing. Without intensive, on-arrival support, many young people’s serious physical and mental health issues go unchecked.
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Transport
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While young people are some of the highest users of public transport, they also perceive that the system is not safe, particularly outside peak hours and on weekends. In terms of accessibility, many newly arrived CLD young people lack sufficient information about how the system works, and in outer metropolitan and regional areas, services are limited and the cost prohibitive. Where fines are incurred, newly arrived young people may have limited capacity to pay and fines can easily escalate into contact with the court system.
The accessibility, affordability and safety of public transport are some of the compounding issues that lead young people to private transport. Purchasing a car can be a complex process, resulting in many young people purchasing unsafe, unroadworthy vehicles and accumulating huge amounts debt. When obtaining a drivers licence, young people come across significant barriers (i.e. language issues, prohibitive costs, limited parental capacity for support and access to a suitable vehicle). For some young people, the process is too costly and complex, leading them to drive without a license.
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Resources relating to CLD Youth Policy
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 Culture Clash - Transcript from SBS Insight, 7 March 2006 (154Kb)
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 | When a global fear of terrorism is fuelled by representations of Muslims in the media, should we, as Tony Abbott suggests, warn against "shouting down" hardline Muslims and instead praise multiculturalism as a potential long term antidote to eruptions like the Cronulla riots? SBS Insight explores: how do we walk the line between respecting the cultural sensitivities of our new migrants and retaining Australia's way of life and core values?
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Human Rights and Responsibilities in the Age of Terror
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| Transcript of speech by Malcolm Fraser AC CH, given at the University of Melbourne Chancellor's Human Rights Lecture on 29 November 2005. Fraser argues that if we want to avoid a “clash of civilisations”, as Samuel Huntington put it, we will work to bring reason and common sense to the debate and switch off the paranoia. Remember, we are still more likely to die from a road accident than a terrorist attack.
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Space Invaders? Young People and Public Space Report
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| Report documenting the proceedings of the Space Invaders? Young people and public space forum hosted in June 2005 by the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria in partnership with members of the Public Space Action Group, a network of organisations advocating for young people’s equitable access to public space. The forum brought together young people, youth service providers, academics, representatives from local and State Government, and other members of the community sector to explore the issue of young people and public space and to inform the Public Space Action Group of how to direct it’s advocacy efforts.
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| Beat Racism! - Anti-racism work by Western Young People's Independent Network (WYPIN)
| Despite being a country of migrants, racism, prejudice and discrimination continues to be an ever-present reality for refugee young people in Australia. WYPIN was established in 1989 by a group of refugee and migrant young people in the Western suburbs of Melbourne who were interested in challenging racism in the community and to empower young people to develop programs and activities in line with their needs and aspirations.
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