Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
Australian citizenship — promotion
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
The Government will provide an additional $4.0 million over four years to promote Australian citizenship through an information campaign. The funding will build on the $1.0 million per annum provided in the 2002-03 Budget to encourage eligible permanent residents to take out citizenship.
Border protection safeguards system — continuation
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | - | - | - | - |
The Government will provide $3.9 million over four years to continue the operation of the border protection safeguards system. The system identifies persons of concern and enhances the integrity of visa profiles, thereby reducing the risk of unlawful entry to Australia.
The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
Bridging visa review — implementation
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 0.8 | 0.1 | .. | .. |
Following a review of the current bridging visa regime, the Government will provide $1.0 million over four years to streamline the bridging visa process for non-citizens who do not hold a substantive visa. The changes will provide greater clarity and consistency, but sufficient flexibility to respond to individual circumstances, including alternative detention arrangements. The changes will also enable more effective monitoring of non-citizens who are granted bridging visas to remain in the community pending final consideration of their visa applications or while arranging to depart Australia.
Detention services — implementation of review
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 5.8 | 5.1 | - | - |
Following an independent review of the contract between the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and its detention services provider, the Government will provide $10.9 million over two years to enable the Department to better manage the performance of the existing provider. This includes funding to establish a specialist monitoring unit within the Department to undertake regular and systemic monitoring of the contractor's performance and a new contractor based detainee case management system.
Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia — additional funding
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
The Government will provide an additional $0.2 million over four years to the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia. The additional funding will assist the Federation to continue to play an effective role in the promotion of multiculturalism.
Immigration compliance activities — enhancement
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 9.6 | 10.9 | 11.0 | 11.1 |
The Government will provide $42.5 million over four years to enhance the compliance activities of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. The funding will provide for an increase in the number of compliance officers to meet quality standards, an extension in the range of compliance activities and an increase in case management resources.
The increase in case management resources will enable implementation of the National Case Management Framework, which will assist in providing a holistic approach to managing the health and welfare needs of all clients across the compliance, detention and removals areas of the department.
Living in Harmony initiative — enhancement
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | - | - | - | - |
The Government will provide $6.5 million over four years (in addition to current funding of $3.5 million per annum) to enhance the Living in Harmony initiative, which seeks to build social cohesion and address racism and intolerance. The funding will support a public information strategy, activities relating to Harmony Day, grants to the community and the extension of the partnerships programme with businesses, community organisations and government agencies.
The cost of this measure will be offset from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
Long-term detention health services delivery strategy — implementation
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 2.7 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
The Government will provide $7.9 million over four years to implement a new health services delivery strategy for people in long-term detention. The strategy includes the renegotiation of the existing detention services contract to allow the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to directly manage the existing health contracts for people in detention centres. In addition, the Department will develop a new approach to the delivery of health care, which better reflects the full range of detention situations and which better targets care to health risk and need.
The funding will also enable the establishment of a Detention Health Advisory Group, which will assist in developing standards of service and monitoring existing and future health contracts for people in detention.
Migration legislation — amendments
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 6.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
The Government will provide $20.2 million over four years to support the ongoing delivery, management and administration of the new detention arrangements arising from amendments to the Migration Act 1958 through the Migration Amendment (Detention Arrangements) Act 2005. This continues the funding of $9.3 million provided in 2005-06 to enable the detention of families with children to take place in the community and introduce processing time limits on the determination of primary protection visas.
Migration Programme — 3,000 additional family stream places for 2005-06
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Ageing | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.0 |
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 3.2 | 2.3 | 0.3 | - |
| Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs | 1.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Department of Education, Science and Training | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | 0.1 | .. | 9.6 | 8.3 |
| Total | 9.4 | 10.6 | 18.5 | 17.1 |
The Government will provide $55.8 million over five years to increase the number of family stream places by 3,000 in the Migration Programme for 2005-06 only.
The costs of related services over four years for this one-off increase in the migration programme are estimated at $5.8 million for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, $15.0 million for the Department of Health and Ageing, $4.0 million for the Department of Education, Science and Training, $18.0 million for the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, and $12.8 million for the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. This is in addition to the $0.2 million provided to the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in 2005-06.
Migration Programme — 4,000 place increase in the family stream for 2006-07
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Ageing | 4.7 | 9.9 | 15.3 | 21.1 |
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 4.1 | 7.4 | 8.1 | 8.2 |
| Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs | 2.5 | 7.4 | 12.4 | 17.7 |
| Department of Education, Science and Training | 1.9 | 3.4 | 5.1 | 6.1 |
| Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | 0.1 | 0.2 | 6.7 | 17.9 |
| Total | 13.4 | 28.1 | 47.7 | 71.1 |
The Government will provide $160.3 million over four years to increase the number of family stream places by 4,000 in the 2006-07 Migration Programme to accommodate demand for partner visas. The 2006-07 programme planning level will therefore be set in the range of 134,000 to 144,000 places.
The costs of related services over four years are estimated at $27.8 million for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, $51.0 million for the Department of Health and Ageing, $16.5 million for the Department of Education, Science and Training, $24.9 million for the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, and $40.1 million for the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
Multicultural policy and programmes — continuation of funding
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
The Government will provide $10.2 million over four years to fund multicultural policy and programmes. The funding will support the ongoing activities of the Council for Multicultural Australia, the introduction of a Cultural Diversity Communication Strategy to promote Australian values and an appreciation of the benefits of cultural diversity, and initiatives to increase prospective citizens' understanding of their rights and responsibilities. It will also enable the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to engage ten additional community liaison officers to more effectively understand and respond to issues within Australia's ethnic communities.
Offshore processing strategy — Nauru
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | -4.3 | -9.6 | -9.8 | -10.1 |
The Government will close one of the two Nauru offshore processing facilities for asylum seekers by 30 June 2006. The remaining facility will be maintained in a state of readiness for any future arrivals. These changes reflect the success of the Government's actions to address unauthorised boat arrivals and illegal people movements.
Prospective illegal immigrants — arrangements in transit countries
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | -3.3 | -3.3 | -3.4 | -3.4 |
The Government will provide $14.2 million over four years to maintain the capacity of authorities and international organisations in transit countries to provide humanitarian support to people who might otherwise seek to travel to Australia illegally.
A provision of $27.6 million over four years ($6.8 million in 2006-07, $6.8 million in 2007-08, $6.9 million in 2008-09 and $7.0 million in 2009-10) is already included in the forward estimates. The estimates for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs will therefore be reduced by approximately $13.4 million over four years.
Surf lifesaving — encouraging the participation of young people from diverse cultural backgrounds
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 0.4 | 0.1 | - | - |
The Government will provide $0.9 million over three years (including $0.4 million in 2005-06) to work with the Sutherland Shire Council, Surf Life Saving New South Wales, and Surf Life Saving Australia, to engage young people from diverse cultural backgrounds in activities that help them to gain surf life saving qualifications.
The cost of this measure in 2005-06 will be met from within the existing resources of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
Systems for people — ensuring well trained and supported staff
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 75.9 | 67.1 | 50.6 | 45.2 |
| Related capital ($m) | ||||
| Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 70.0 | 23.6 | 23.1 | 19.6 |
The Government will provide $494.6 million over four years to develop and implement the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs' Systems for People IT programme in order to address the significant shortfalls in the department's existing information systems identified in the Palmer and Comrie Reports. The Systems for People programme includes the further development of the department's information systems to enable a comprehensive view of clients and improvements to records management.
This amount includes $153.3 million in capital funding as part of the IT systems upgrade.
The cost of this measure will be partially offset by $119.4 million provided from the existing resources of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, mostly from funding previously provided for IT purposes.