Emergent Communities at CBAA Conference 2007

Why Emergent Communities Need Community Radio

Are you part of an ‘emerging Community’? What’s it like to create a new voice for your community on radio or television?

Warren Crosbie will lead a discussion about involving your community in your media. He will facilitate storytelling about what is it like to be new to radio or TV and to develop new audiences around your language or community interest. Your emerging community might be newly arrived in Australia. You might be the first brave person to propose a new program for your gender, sexual preference special interest or needs groups.

At this session we will share our experiences and consider questions like: When your community is new, what can you do to reach your audience and get members of your community to know your station and your program?

Warren Crosbie is a trainer at Radio 3ZZZ 92.3 FM in Melbourne. He works with people from Sudan and other parts of Africa.

This is a draft note for a workshop Warren Crosbie is hoping to lead at this year’s CBAA Conference.

Links
http://www.cbaa.org.au/content.php/524.html (program)
http://www.cbaa.org.au/content.php/491.html (registration)

More responses to Kevin Andrews

How much trouble can an immigration minister stir up?

Crikey.com.au Sudanese community member Gatwech Puoch writes on Crikey.com.au

Immigration Minister Kevin Andrew’s remarks last week — about Sudanese people facing difficulties to integrate and adjust into Australian mainstream community, and the reduction of Sudanese refugee and special humanitarian intake to 30% — were received with great disappointment by many Africans, particularly the “Sudanese” all over Australia.

Mr Andrews’ timing was utterly inappropriate. It came down like a storm as the Sudanese community was grieving the tragic murder of young Sudanese Liep Gony at Noble Park train station on 26 September by people likely to be from “white community”. This has had a huge effect on Sudanese community members across Victoria.
See the full article at
http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20071011-An-appeal-to-Minister-Andrews-.html

Thanks to Christine Donayre on facebook.com

Refugee and immigration legal centre (RILC) in Fitzroy

David Manne was on Radio 3RRR 102.3 FM today, October 9, 2007.

David Manne is co-ordinator, caseworker, solicitor and migration agent at the Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre (RILC) in Fitzroy. The RILC is the largest provider of free legal assistance to disadvantaged migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Australia (see David’s biography on eurekastreet.com.au).

When David is in Melbourne, he’s a semi-regular guest on Radio 3RRR 102.3 FM, on a show called The Word with Tracee Hutchison (Tuesday 9am – 12pm).

Handy links include

• www.rilc.org.au/aboutus
• rilc.org.au/staff
• rilc.org.au/links
• www.hreoc.gov.au/human_rights/asylum_seekers/index.html

Today, David Manne spoke with Tracee Hutchison about his recent work in Naru.

Other relevant interviews and articles

• David Manne with Kathy Bowlen on ABC Statline Victoria, 17/06/2005.
• Refugee Legislation proves Government’s reform desire a sham. David Manne sets new refugee legislation in its historical context, and exposes its radical and brutal character.
• Foundering justice. David Manne argues stowaways’ rights to seek asylum are being denied.

Kevin Andrews, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship

Kevin Andrews MP is Australia’s Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.

The minister issues media releases from his ministry.

Back in August 2007, the minister announced the priorities for Australia’s refugee and humanitarian programme for 2007-2008. The main change was that while Australia intake would be maintained at 13,000 places, the will be an increase in the intake from the Middle East region and the Asia region to around 35 percent each. See

18 August 2007 Priorities of Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Intake for 2007-08

However, the minister last week made statements to the media regarding concerns about the ability of some groups to fit in with the Australian way of life. See, for example:

• 4 October – Doorstop: Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Programme
• 3 October – Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Programme, and skilled migration

Responses to Kevin Andrews

In no particular order

1. From the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister Assisting the Premier in Western Queensland, The Honourable Kerry Shine, Friday, October 05, 2007

Sudanese refugees a valuable addition to Queensland
Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews has undermined the excellent work of Queensland’s Anti-Discrimination Commission and religious groups to help Sudanese refugees integrate with Queensland communities, [the Queensland] Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Kerry Shine said today.

2. Settlement of African refugees can work, Brotherhood of St Laurence, 5 October 2007

Australia can make settlement work for African refugees and on the whole it already has been successful, the Brotherhood of St Laurence said today.

A key part of the solution is linking economic needs with social needs. The Brotherhood’s experience is that assisting refugees to become “job ready” is the best basis for building a new life and identity in Australia.

And this is what refugees want – to put their past behind them, find work and contribute to the social and economic life of the Australian community, (see press release via bsl.org.au.)

3. Tony Burke, Australia’s Shadow Minister for Immigration, Integration & Citizenship, maintains a media list at:
http://www.tonyburke.com.au/file.php?file=/news/ZAAFZTMXCA/index.html
See, for example:
Refugee Quotas, interview with Jacinta Tynan (Sky News)

4. Government’s stance is destructive, Senator Andrew Bartlett, Australian Democrats

Democrats’ Immigration spokesperson, Senator Andrew Bartlett, says the Howard government’s continuing deliberate and destructive attacks on African refugees living in Australia shows they are unfit … (more from Senator Bartlett)

5. The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) expressed concerns at the Immigration Minister’s statements regarding Australia’s intake of refugees from Africa.
FECCA Chair Voula Messimeri says

This latest announcement to drastically reduce the African refugee intake from 70 per cent to 30 per cent of the total 13,000 thousand intake, flies in the face of the spirit and intent of the United Nations Convention relating to the status of refugees (1951) as well as against the Australian values of a fair go, that the government is constantly advocating (more from FECCA).

African immigration and resettlement

African immigration and resettlement will be the topic of a special edition of Starting Out on radio 3ZZZ 92.3 FM (Melbourne), Wednesday 10 October 2007.

Panelists/studio guests

1. Osman Osman (post-grad politics student, 3ZZZ youth broadcaster, from Eritrea)
2. Ajak Kwai (singer, Dinka from southern Sudan)
3. Iguot Mabor (medical science student, speaker with the UNHCR, from Sudan)
4. Anwar Abdosh (Harari, from Ethiopia)

Facilitator Warren Crosbie (3ZZZ trainer, does not speak Arabic or any African languages)

Many of the show’s panelists and guests speak several languages, including Dinka, Swahili, Harari, English and Arabic. The show will be mostly in English.

Interviewees confirmed so far include

• 7:15 am Bol Gok (Nuer, from southern Sudan, Secretary General of the Sudanese Community Association of Australia
  (see article in The Age newspaper: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/04/1191091281217.html?from=top5 ) Minister’s African dossier renews racial tensions, by Jewel Topsfield, David Rood and Daniella Miletic, October 5, 2007
• Carmel Guerra, Director, CMYI (time yet to be confirmed) http://www.cmyi.net.au/AboutCMYI
• James Waterson, Senior Constable with the Multicultural Liaison Unit, of the Dandenong Police

Background articles
1. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has branded Federal Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews as a politically-motivated racist for criticising Sudanese refugees.
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/05/2051936.htm

2. Sudanese not getting enough help, say students
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2007/s2051241.htm

3. Other stories from ABC Radio National World Today, & PM
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/default.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/default.htm

4. Recent stories/opinion in Herald Sun
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22533375-5000117,00.html
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22535636-661,00.html

Possible interviews

1. Chair, African Think Tank

Languages in Africa

The web site of the Federation of African Communities Council (FACC) has a useful list of African nations, and the languages spoken in them:
http://www.facc.org.au/profileofafrica.htm?

FACC is headquartered in Lakemba, NSW.

Diversitat – a radio station and RTO in Geelong

Diversitat Training offer Certificate II in Broadcasting training, with a day, and also an evening, course commencing October, 2007. The trainer is Josine, an experienced broadcaster with SBS Radio (see SBS radio Dutch team). She is a skilled trainer with a passion for community broadcasting. Contact the Diversitat office for more information.

http://www.diversitat.org.au/

Diversitat Training is an established Registered Training Organisation in the Geelong region that was established in 1998 to deliver accessible learning opportunities in community settings, for adults to gain employment, move into further education, and realise personal growth.

In 2004, Diversitat took over the operations of Geelong’s Community Radio Station 94.7 – The Pulse. Diversitat Training works closely with The Pulse to develop and deliver accredited radio broadcastings, screen and multimedia training programs [more from CBAA].

Diversitat is a trading name for Geelong Ethnic Communities Council Inc, a Registered Training Organisation (RTO); see NTIS ref 5819, and Diversitat’s list NTIS accredited National Qualifications.