Senator PAYNE (2:14 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator Vanstone. Will the minister advise the Senate of the progress of efforts by her department to meet the targeted intake of refugees in Australia in 2005-06?

Senator VANSTONE (Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) —I thank Senator Payne for her question. She has a longstanding interest in Australia’s refugee and humanitarian program. In fact, I have good news for all senators, who undoubtedly will share with senators on this side in being very proud of Australia’s refugee and humanitarian settlement. Even, I think, the Greens could be proud of what the government does in this respect and go out and say to Australians, ‘You should be proud of what the government you have elected is doing.’

This year will be a bumper year for the intake of refugees into Australia. I remind senators that it was this government that increased the refugee intake from offshore by 50 per cent from 4,000 to 6,000, along with 7,000 places for special humanitarian entrants, who are often people from refugee camps coming to join friends and family who are already here.

Resettling this many people—it is about 7,000 a year—is an enormous job, and I want to acknowledge the work my department does, the settlement services providers do and the International Organisation for Migration does in assisting us in locating refugees all around the world, getting them to Australia with their health and medicals done and the resettlement that happens here.

This month we will have almost 700 arrivals into Australia from offshore. Given that we have 6,000 refugees a year, you would expect some months to have about 700. They will come from places like Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Serbia, Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Uzbekistan. I mention those places because there are some people on that side of the chamber among the minor parties who would have Australia believe that we do not welcome refugees and that somehow we want only people who look and speak like us to get asylum in Australia, whereas Australia has always opened its heart to people most in need. It is important to note that people coming from these countries are most in need, and the only reason we can afford to bring them and give them the tremendous resettlement services we do is that we do not have an open-door immigration policy. We work with the United States—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Senator VANSTONE —United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. I note that senators opposite think it is funny. We might do a question one day on what they did to the refugee program, turning it to special needs, which some people thought was an ungracious way of buying seats, but if we want to make this political we will come back that.

We work very closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and we take their advice on who is most in need. We do not take the people smugglers’ advice on who they can dump on our shores; we go to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and ask, ‘Where are the people most in need?’ These are people who have had to endure hardship that most Australians never even think about. They include children who know no life other than outside a refugee camp, in many cases without power or running water. When they arrive, they will be connected with our world-class integrated humanitarian settlement scheme. I might not have time in this part of my answer—I feel sure Senator Payne will have a supplementary question—to outline some of the benefits that are provided. It is important to highlight those benefits, because we are not a country that says, ‘You’re most in need. Come here and we’ll just dump you.’ In fact, we have a very well integrated and sophisticated resettlement scheme. (Time expired)

Senator PAYNE —I ask a supplementary question, Mr President. The minister has advised the Senate about the nature of the humanitarian intake and the challenges of resettlement that are experienced. Can the minister further outline to the Senate the benefits to which she was alluding in relation to those resettlement processes?

Senator VANSTONE (Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) —I thank Senator Payne. I am sure the Greens would like to go out and tell Australians how proud they can be of the resettlement program that the government they elected has put in place. It is a program that provides accommodation on arrival, basic household items like furniture, fridges and washing machines—a first for most of these people—and a link to financial services and banks and helps with shopping for food and household items and how to use an ATM card. It links arrivals to Centrelink, Medicare, health and education, and we have recently very significantly strengthened those services.

Senator Carr interjecting—

Senator VANSTONE —I will come back to the interjections from Senator Carr. I hope he does not regret having raised that matter.

Senator Carr —I never would regret having a go at you.

Senator VANSTONE —I will remember that. In any event, 150 refugees will go to Perth, nearly 200 to Melbourne, nearly 100 to Sydney, about 70 to Brisbane, over 80 to Adelaide, 31 to Darwin and Hobart, 15 to Launceston and 10 here to Canberra. Senator Lundy might do something to increase the intake by the ACT government. (Time expired)