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Workshop fosters a global perspective on migration

December 01, 2006

Holdcroft.thumb.jpgAn international meeting at The University of New England on migration challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region “really got to the bigger picture”, according to one of the key participants.

“The whole issue of migration is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century internationally,” said Father David Holdcroft, Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (Australia). “In countries like Australia, with an ageing population, there is increasing pressure to relax restrictions on the flow of labour – with all the attendant questions of national identity.”

Referring to the UNE workshop as “a terrific initiative”, Father Holdcroft (pictured here) said it was “just crucial” to discuss the mechanics of these large-scale movements of people in an environment that was “not politically or ideologically driven”. “These kinds of meetings are important in making us think about Australia in terms of its relationships with other countries,” he said.

The workshop, titled “Migration Challenges in the Asia-Pacific in the 21st Century”, was on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 November. It was convened under the auspices of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and sponsored by UNESCO.

Turning to the refugee issue in particular, Father Holdcroft referred to an element of “radical intolerance” in Australian Government policies aimed at deterring unwanted arrivals. He said government policies needed to allow “space for a fair and balanced response” to such arrivals, and scope to address the causes of refugee movements themselves. “We shouldn’t confuse refugee policy with immigration policy,” he said.

UNE’s Professor Amarjit Kaur (School of Economics) and Professor Ian Metcalfe (UNE Asia Centre) organised the workshop, the Asia Centre sponsoring Father Holdcroft’s visit to Armidale.

Immediately after the workshop, UNE hosted the 14th Colloquium of the Malaysia and Singapore Society of Australia (Thursday 30 November and Friday 1 December). The Colloquium, titled “Boundaries and Shifting Sovereignties: Migration, Security Issues and Regional Cooperation”, continued the theme of migration, and included contributions from some of the workshop participants. Speakers from India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, as well as from around Australia, contributed to the two meetings.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at December 1, 2006 04:53 PM