1. Further to of 23 November 2015, we recommend that the Committce note that Australia: has a long-established, world class humanitarian resettlement programme that PROTECTED Sensitive: Cabinet facilitates positive economic and social integration; and performs favourably compared to other OECD countries against key indicators of successful migrant integration such as employment, education and English language outcomes, as well as civic engagementand the uptake of citizenship (Attachments A and refer); 2: We recommend that the Committee further note that: (C) migrant integration across all streams and Humanitarian) can be a long process and is largely dependent on prei?rn'ignation background, skills and individual circumstances; humanitarian entrants, in general, have? lower labour participation, are less highly educated and have lower of English languagepro?ciency than other migrant cohorts or the Ausu-alia?born population and require support to overcome barriers to integration; - where humanitarian are their children have comparable social and outcomes of the Australia-born population across key OECD indicators and, ini?particular, they are less likely to be unemployed and more likely to be?highly educated; the risks-91f: into. poor social and may make individuals more vulnerable to elements; . factors that can irad-icalisation are multi-faceted, di?icult to'quantify and between indiyiduals; I I recent preteens examples and Australia?s historical experience with the Sunni Lebanese community potential community safety and national security . associated integration; and - evidence shows that successful migrant integration is mainly determined by individual circumstance and settlement support, rather than solely by nationality; 3. To mitigate risks to thez?c?ommunity and consistent with existing Cabinet authority, we recommend that the Commitme note that in the ?rst half of2016 the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection will bring forward propOsals to: reform the visa ??amework and remove direct access to permanent residence to better align visa and citizenship decision?making with national security and community protection outcomes, and support economic growth and innovation; and . . . introduce a visa risk assessment tool that establishes an intelligence-led threat identi?cation and-risk pro?ling capability incorporating immigration as well as national security. and criminality risk for visa applicants. SensitiVe: Cabinet PROTECTED PROTECTED Sensitive: Cabinet 4. I We recommend that the Committee agree that to further mitigate risks and support successful resettlement and integration outcomes, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection will: apply additional screening criteria to the 12,000 Syrian intake and extend this, where possible and on a risk basis, to the Humanitarian Programme (Attachment XX refers); and conduct research into social cohesion issues and integration prospects associated with the Syrian cohort to inform any future reforms to Australia?s humanitarian resettlement arrangements. Sensitive: cabinet PROTECTED . . PROTECTED Sensitive: Cabinet ARGUMENT: I I. The National Security Committee of Cabinet (the Committee) asked that we report back with advice on Australia?s humanitarian resettlement services, including a compariSOn of Australia?s performance internationally and an examination of what factors contribute to successful resettlement and integration SC of 23 November 2015 refers). Recent terrorist attacks in foreign countries by radicalised elements have provoked public debate and the need for consideration of social cohesion and integration issues, within the national security context. Settlement in Australia: 2. Australia is a migrant nation with a resilient economy andla cohesive society. With 26 per cent of_ our population born overseas, we are - this diversity is a central feature of modern Australia and a key element in an increasingly globalised world. Our economic prosperity, cultural stable and democratic society continues to make us a highly desirable Ion from a range of backgrounds. 3. While there is a broad level of Within the cultural diversity, maintaining and building support will be ess?i social and economic bene?ts of migration into malian community for realise the 5. rl 4. Settlement programmes for 135.5: a ?ve-year period phat-arrival. . These programmes remain a centralti?l our app migrant integration and provide specialist support to migrant?i? entrants, who require assistance to overcome barriers to to the skills and knowledge that migrants need life in slide lili?ges to mainstream social services. Recipmcaglx?? "fco?iirii??gent to a quality education and . seeming sustainabl?di; to participate in society and gain a is also critical to migrant integration in rnmenti community initiated projects or the face of welcome and the hand of supportn;ln, a ,society involvement, enables place-based interventions to suit of di?'erentafilient instead of a one-size-?ts-all approach. 6. delivered across all tiers of government. The Australian Government investsicver $45 per annum in direct settlement services, which are r' ,?imanee: Australia?s settlementifiw A 7. There is a solid foundation of international work de?ning and comparing indicators of migrant integration, notably from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX). The OECD de?nes the key indicators of successful migrant integration as: labour market performance (including high participation rate and low unemployment); job quality (including hours worked, skills recognition or quali?cations level, self-employment); cognitive skills (including host?country language literacy, education and naming); household income I (including reliance on welfare); housing availability; health; civic engagement (including uptake of citizenship); and social cohesion (including perceptions of discrirrnnatlon, acceptance and impacts). - - - Sensitive: Cabinet PROTECTED - PROTECTED Sensitive: Cabinet 8. Across these indicators, Australia performs favourably compared to other OECD countries. Migrant settlement outcomes are equal to, or better than, the outcomes for migrants in other developed countries when considering all streams of migration (see ?nther analysis of outcomes and policies at Attachments A and C). I 9. Australian policy-making has a strong focus on English language pro?ciency, education and employment: the ?three Es?, along with targeted programmes for civic engagement. Support in these areas reduces the risk of long-term and inter-generational unemployment; increases productivity, innovation and access to potential new markets; enhances social cohesion; and reduces welfare dependency. 10. Migrant integration can be a long process and is largely dependent on pro?migration background, skills and circumstances. In Australia, Skill stream migrants are selected to be well-equipped with the above three indicators, allowing to quickly become, economic and social contributors. Other cohorts, such stream migrants, secondary visa holders (the spouses and dependent family memjj 36f?? visa holders) and humanitarian entrants, are not selected on an economic basis. These cohorts generally take longer and require more settlement assistance to'become integratedfinto society. 1 1. Humanitarian entrants face signi?cant??setilement challenges as aiksult of their 'l experience of persecution and discrimination. may to and English language barriers, as well as mental and problems. ?Inggeneral, they have lower labour market participatigm are less and have lowerirates of English language pro?ciency than Australia-born population. Research indicates that 46 per cent have de?anczupdertakenl?aid work, 25 per cent have a long-term disability or illness, 20 per cent are in language and 15 per cent have never attended are housing payments and more than three Ei?pg?go othengApstralians. 12. In addition, settlement for are often determined by existing community result infconcenuations of communities in particular areas tfot?egttlementm regional Australia or areas of greater 'ors of in areas of high humanitarian migrant 'on and low," statusaEesigni?cantly below the national average. 13- a research showsiihat the second generation (children of humanitarian migrants) perform strongly inte?g'gation indicators, with labour force participation, educational outcomes and above the Australian average. Hmnanitarian entrants also show: a high level oiientreprefieurship and reported higher median incomes from their own than Skilled or Family stream migrants; and - high levels of oitiaansmp uptake, which is an indicator of integration and social cohesion and demonstrates a migrant?s commitment to and understanding of shared societal rights and responsibilities. Radic'alisation of humanitarian entrants: . 14. In the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris and social unrest in Cologne and elsewhere in Germany, it is prudent to examine Australia?s potential exposure to the risks posed by extremism and radicalisation of migrants including humanitarian entrants. France, Germany and a number of other European nations have experienced a recent uncontrolled in?ux of asylum seekers from con?icts in Syria and Africa. France and Germany both have large numbers of asylum seekers and irregular migrants, and only very small managed Sensitive: Cabinet PROTECTED PROTECTED Sensitive: Cabinet humanitarian programmes of a kind comparable to Australia?s. Although they both offer compulsory civic orientation courses and some language training, it is apparent that there are cohorts which are not bene?tting from these initiatives.? 15. France?s non-humanitarian migrant intake is dominated by the family stream and therefore much less focused on economic selection, with professional categories making up a only nine per cent of total intake. In addition, the concentration of low-skilled migrant arrivals in poor housing and areas with low socio-economic indicators appears to have led to inter-generational disadvantage, high levels of youth unemployment, and subsequent disengagement and radicalisation. 16. Factors that can lead to radicalisation are multifaceted, di?icult to quantify and vary between individuals, but may include settlement and Some humanitarian entrants bring beliefs, issues or associations ?if 'lead them to advocate or engage in politically motivated violence and many ?i f; cant social, economic and cultural challenges once onshore. These factors . entrants more vulnerable to radicalisation, even with stringent in place, and underline the importance of successful settlement programm if" v- . 17. Many humanitarian entrants in in maintain close an ensuring ties to their communities o??shore and are strongly events__there, by the I signi?cant number of Australians who have to or join in Syria. 18. They also tend to co?locate diaspo 5 notably larger capital cities (Sydney and Melbourne?g ,gghere is 11 gig: causal relationship between the size of a migrant comr'nunity and the that emerge from that community in Australia,? settlement in opportunities and display a level of cohesidifi?ay for future radicalisation. 19. In Australia, in?uenced by our refugee intake and subseque?tii?elated mi?iation ?om'ir atives and spouses (chain migration). The most prominent ethnic extremists are the Lebanese. The majorityn? A their extended families and Australia- caliber, edited-LC ,gsyave migration to Australia as a resultgg?gthe?leban bomd??bmdants. 20. intake was largely from the poorer and uneducated Lebanese population?in. who ?ed to neighbouring Syria. Australia established a dii?ijljamatic prescig?'e in Syria to help facilitate the migration of displaced Lebanese; howeildiithere number of key factors that differentiated this intake: I fr, were not declared re?igees by UNHCR, the Australian requirements for migration and treated this cohort as ?qan? refugees? allowing Lebanese migrants who reached the Australian Embassy in Syria to apply to enter Australia, conditional on sponsorship from relatives; the criteria were further relaxed to expand the categories of people eligible for entry, resulting in greater chain migration of new Lebanese communities to Australia; - security and character checking was a challenge as much of the Lebanese Government ceased to function during the war; the majority of Lebanese migrants to Australia chose not to return home after the war, I but maintained strong and enduring ties to their communities in Lebanon, including complex religious, political and ethnic loyalties; and Sensitive: Cabinet PROTECTED PROTECTED Sensitive: Cabinet - this wave of migrants introduced new Lebanese communities to Australia (Australia?s Lebanese population up to this point was largely Christian). 21. Consequently, this led to the transportation to Australia of a Sunni community which included elements who already held extremist beliefs, or who were more highly receptive to extremist messages. While there have been instances of extremist violence from within this community, most activities relate to the provision of ideological or political support and/or fundraising. 22. Settlement services at the time the Lebanese cohorts were arriving were of an informal I nature and often provided through community and diaspora networks. Since this time, delivery of settlement services has been improved through use of service providers, in part as a response to lessons learned around the Lebanese experience, 23. The vast majority of humanitarian entrants have into Australian society without national security concerns. However, it has that there are links between recent onshore terrorist attacks and the The perpetrator of the Martin Place Siege (Man Haron Moms) arrived Recent shootings in Pmramatta and Melbourne were perpetrated who in Australia as dependents on a parent?s Global Special ngamme 202) visa: - - Farhad Khalil Mohammad labar Iran mother?s visa granted 10 October 2006 father in January 2001 :g_(processed in Tehran); and . - Abdul Numan Haider _am_ 'stan ndent on his father?s visa granted 19 May 2003 'i Measures to mi?gatei??ic?isation - 24. Successful are ale?ysconuibutor'to sucial cohesion and may reduce the ref radicalisation. It equally important that the Australian a. cultural?itiiarersity is maintained to ensure continued 'l public?s con?dence ?a community. 25. (Minister for Inimigration and Border will be packagedf reforms to sirnplify Australia?s visa create wn??gsgover access to permanent residency and citizenship. This new ""fZi'pgwork will iril'f'jf. ,uce decision points along the immigration continuum an enf integration ?amework to assess aspiring migrants? suitability for Citizenship Test and Citizenship Pledge to strengthen accoun foreiginmimienm made at Citizenship conferral; and enhanced I access, use and itive information to su'engthen intelligence-led, risk-based decision making across the?'continuum, from pro-visa stage through to post-citizenship conferral. These measures will further strengthen Australia?s selective managed migration streams. 26. In relation to the planned intake of 12,000 Syrian and lraqi refugees, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, in collaboration with UNHCR, is putting in place more stringent checks to review character, identity and security. These checks exceed those put in- place by European countries to manage the irregular movement of people across continental Europe. In addition, Australia is prioritising family groups who have been registered With UNHCR for periods to thither reduce the potential for deliberateicirtremist in?ltration. [more info required from ref and burn branch] Sensitive: Cabinet PROTECTED PROTECTED Sensitive: Cabinet 27. Nonetheless, it is expected that some refugees from this con?ict will bring with them issues, beliefs or associations that lead them to advocate or engage in politically motivated or communal violence. Close attention to the delivery of health, education, employment services and infrastructure that positively in?uence successful integration and social cohesion may assist to mitigate, but will not eliminate, the ongoing?prospect that a small number of refugees will be susceptible to criminality and radicalisation. Social alienation, lack of opportunity and uncertain identity will be contributing factors, as has been observed in earlier humanitarian cohorts. A more detailed assessment of the threat posed by the Syrian and Iraqi cohort is at Attachment 28. It is proposed that, where possible, these additional screening criteria be applied to the entire Humanitarian Programme to help ensure that we accept individuals with a high probability of successful integration. 29. To further build Australia?s evidence base on print and integration outcomes over the longer term, our Departments will conduct a lon on the 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugee cohort. This study will inform any massed to Australia?s settlement programme. Implications: . 30. There are no ?nancial implications from ggirpcommeggatiens of 'Any costs associated with the additionalscreening of programi?e?gintake and the 335.9?. longitudinal study will be funded existing; [tbc need toi'?heck with external budgets and Syrian i 31. There is no regulatory or compliance need to call 0. areadaegional?tagonrudii3?shay with ?no impacts"] Sensitive: Cabinet PROTECTED 4? -