African Communities Council of NSW (ACC)
Media Release
October 3, 2007
African Communities Council (ACC) of NSW expresses its deep and serious concern about the racial statements and the smear campaign launched against African-Australians in the last three years, accentuated by the pronouncements of Mr. Kevin Andrews in his interview on Tuesday 1 October 2007 on Melbourne Radio Station 3AW.
ACC strongly believes that African-Australians, in their comparative short arrival in Australia, have done a lot of remarkable work for the promotion of peace and love among the various communities in Australia. Africans are the youngest members of the Australian family and approximately 60% of them are under 20 years of age, who are doing well in sports, music, arts, academic studies and contributing to the Australian economy as tax-paying workers in some industries like nursing, construction, cleaning, security, taxi business , community services, and many other sectors.
Africans, Sudanese in particular, recorded one of the highest numbers of students in AMEP classes and TAFE NSW, compared non-African migrant communities (pro rata). Africans, in their keenness to learn not only English but new skills as well, have been attending Citizenship classes in large numbers and are doing their best to participate in the Australian reality and its “Fair Go”. Many conferences, researches, workshops and consultations were conducted in the past five years with thoughtful recommendations made to address the “Greater Challenges”” faced by Africans. If the three tiers of the Australian Government had taken cognizance of those recommendations, African settlement would have witnessed a more viable result and outcome.
ACC believes that the input you apply will result in the output you will get. In other words, ill-investments done in dealing with people will lead to ill-settlement in the long run. Africans in general and Sudanese in particular were granted Australian entry visas on the basis of UN conventions and protocols. Notwithstanding that, the Australian Government applied a very tough health and character scrutiny scheme, which is a sure proof that a refugee would land on the Australian soil only with a reasonably good health and a well-checked character (Form 80). On top of that, African refugees come to this country with a hoard of expertise, skills and life experiences, which need to be acknowledged and utilised by all peace-loving Australians for peace and harmony in the Australian society.
ACC Management Committee and its members would like to express their gratitude to organisations, politicians, individuals and networks in their support and solidarity with Africans in the recent campaigns of vilification, misrepresentation and open racial discrimination exercise mounted by some officials and individuals. ACC is proud to have the friends that have assured us that we are always not alone in our arduous journey. We are very thankful for the various supportive statements, media releases, phone calls and emails received from RCOA, HREOC, ECC-Victoria, African Think Tank, Victorian Community organisations, African Media Outlets, African Workers Network, etc. ACC would like to salute Mr. Phong Nguyen, the chairperson of ECC-Victoria, and his predictive statement:” Selecting refugees on perceptions of their capacity to integrate borders on racism”.
Mekka Krubally - ACC President,
Hashim Elhassan- ACC Secretary
Suseni Fonmudeh - ACC Public Relations Officer
Sydney 3rd October 2007
Photo:Kevin Andrews, Australia’s minister of Immigration and Citizenship.
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