Equitable & Accessible Service Delivery An Ongoing Challenge for the Australian Government i

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1 Equitable & Accessible Service Delivery An Ongoing Challenge for the Australian Government i Dr Loucas Nicolaou CEO, Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA) Multicultural Conference: Strengthening Diversity Thursday 2 May 2013 Australian Multicultural Community Services Inc. (AMCS) Since 1979, when FECCA was established as the peak national advocacy body representing ethnic communities around Australia, the Australian population has become even more diverse through successive waves of immigration. Global conflicts mean that the demographics of each year s cohort of new Australians is ever-evolving; and nation-shaping events such as the Apology to Australia s Indigenous Peoples, and the present Royal Commission into child sexual abuse, are testament to Australia s ability as a nation to reflect on past mistakes, to re-evaluate our values and acknowledge that change needs to happen for us to move forward. In almost all areas, Australia has displayed a culture of continuous improvement to our social policies. Multicultural service delivery, to a degree unlike many other areas of social services, has consistently been among those that had to fight for their place in the Australian political consciousness. CALD Australians and their representatives, including many of the organisations represented here today, have continuously had to justify the right of all Australians, including immigrants, to receive access to services that are appropriate to their culture and conducted in a language they can understand. Due to this continued struggle to make successive Governments recognise the necessity of culturally and linguistically appropriate service delivery, and indeed the value of multiculturalism itself, essential services for CALD Australians have been constantly losing and re-gaining ground and funding. I would contend that Australia, as a nation, has not yet fully come to terms with the fact that we are a nation of immigrants, from all parts of the world. As some of our politicians keep reminding us in the current political environment, all but Australia s Indigenous peoples are either first generation immigrants or relatively recent descendants of them. The idea of assimilation to a false ideal of an Anglo-Celtic, exclusively English-speaking national identity should be considered a relic of the past, not an idea that still occasionally gains attraction in the Australian media. Australia is a nation of immigrants, and we should be striving toward a national consciousness that does not question the right of immigrants and other minority groups to access culturally and linguistically appropriate services. The fact that multiculturalism has remained such a political battle ground has been to the detriment of immigrants and CALD communities as well as Australian society as a whole, and this might be why improvements to multicultural service delivery have arguably moved at a much slower pace than other services, such as public health and education, over the last 30 years. 1

2 It is absolutely true that, relative to some other countries, Australia truly does reflect on and often celebrate multiculturalism, and provides very good social services for its diverse population. But the fact that we are doing better than some of our friends is not a justification for complacency. We should be striving toward continuous improvement in service delivery. As one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world, we should be a leader in designing strong multicultural policies and we should be setting an example for other countries. My presentation today perceives Access and Equity for CALD Australians as a public policy that reflects the linkages between our national culture and our social services, as framed by Australia s evolving identity and values. In this context, I briefly examine the practical meaning of Access and Equity and some of the key directions that we must continue to follow to achieve accessible and equitable services, including the importance of maintaining and strengthening a service system that provides CALD Australians with options, through effective mainstream services that are culturally and linguistically responsive, as well as strong multicultural and ethno-specific infrastructure. In discussing these issues, I draw from FECCA s extensive experience in interacting with consumers of Australian Government services each and every year since FECCA was established over three decades ago. I will refer to aged care and issues facing new and emerging communities as specific examples. FECCA knows from our annual Access and Equity consultations that there are still many areas of service delivery that are not fully accessible to CALD Australians, and which are not responsive to the cultural and practical barriers they often face in a way that makes for equitable outcomes and this was certainly evident at our most recent community consultation at Ballarat a couple of weeks ago. What is Access and Equity? The critical test of good service delivery is that services are designed in a way that works for the public in its entirety not just a certain portion of the public. We know from 2011 Census data that 27 per cent of Australians were born overseas, and a further 20 per cent have at least one parent who was born overseas. This is nearly half our population. Keeping in mind that the Australian public is an extremely diverse group, the obvious challenge for policy makers and service delivery organisations is to reflect that diversity in everything they design and deliver. The Australian Government s Access and Equity agenda, currently overseen by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), is about the Government s determination to ensure CALD people experience equal access to services and achieve equitable outcomes. It reflects the Government s recognition that all Australians should have the right to access Government programs and services equitably regardless of their cultural, linguistic or religious background. In practice, people at our community consultations tell us that when accessing Government services such as health care, Centrelink and employment services, they want to interact with staff that have been given meaningful training in cultural competency, and preferably who understand their particular socio-cultural background. If they have difficulties in speaking English, they seek easy and affordable access to an accredited interpreter in whatever service they are accessing. They want to be able to access settlement related services whenever they need them throughout their life, not just within a specified (and short) time span immediately after arrival. And crucially, they want to 2

3 feel as though they are not discriminated against or disadvantaged in accessing services in comparison with other Australians. How do we achieve better service delivery? This is what we are aiming for but how do we achieve it? The road to developing services, from health, to employment, education, and aged care, that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for all Australians has been a long one. Unfortunately, many of the issues raised in the 1970s and early 1980s when I was first involved with FECCA are still relevant today. Some of the ongoing barriers involved will be again the focus of the FECCA biannual conference at the Gold Coast in November, later this year. In terms of institutional responses, the focus in the 1980s was to ensure every Australian Government agency developed and maintained an access & equity plan or policy. Now, as we know from the report of the Access and Equity Inquiry Panel released by the Australian Government in June last year, the focus is on convincing departmental Secretaries and their Senior Executives to implement effectively the Access & Equity agenda which is and has been for a while an Australian Government policy, making APS agencies responsible for ensuring equitable access for all CALD consumers. Our system still tends toward operating in silos and Government services often lack the flexibility to respond to all of a client s needs in a particular area. Let s take employment services, largely delivered through Job Services Australia, as an example. Over the past few years, JSA has lifted its game in terms of recognising that, for many clients, particularly those from refugee backgrounds, complex factors have contributed to their difficulty in finding employment, such as past trauma experiences. However JSA s ability to offer truly tailored services is still restricted. For example, several participants at recent Access and Equity consultations in Auburn, Perth, Cooma and Ballarat were disheartened after continually being knocked back for jobs, despite being highly educated and motivated, with good English and suitably experienced for the roles they were applying for. Their apparent job readiness meant they reported receiving very limited support from JSA staff. But it is necessary to look beyond factors such as levels of professional experience and English. Less obvious barriers can be present that cause major difficulties in finding a job. What these clients said they really needed to gain that initial access to the Australian employment market was relatively simple: training in Australian workplace culture and support to write an application and resume that met Australian employers expectations, which are very different from those in their home countries. However, they did not receive this scope of assistance from JSA staff. In a supporting environment, mainstream agencies such as Job Services Australia would be able to provide culturally and linguistically specific services to all clients, and respond to the complex needs of each client. And while improved cultural competency is an admirable and important goal to work towards, and indeed an area that FECCA has been involved in, it is ethno-specific and multicultural services that are sometimes best placed to provide tailored services to CALD clients, particularly during their first few years in Australia. FECCA strongly supports the continued and increased funding of Migrant Resource Centres, multicultural councils, ethnic communities councils in various states and regions (including the 3

4 ECC of Victoria) and related organisations that provide invaluable support for CALD clients and tailored services that large mainstream Government agencies and contractors are simply unable to deliver on their own. Importantly, these organisations provide a range of services in one place and are often the link that first gives new immigrants knowledge of available programs and services, and then puts them in touch with the different Government services they are entitled to. They can provide those tailored services such as help with resumes and job applications and they offer a supportive environment for immigrants who may feel confused, alone or powerless. In our consultations, we often hear about the value that new immigrants place on having welcoming and culturally responsive places like this to go to. In short, Migrant Resource Centres and related service provider organisations are a cornerstone of social services that makes the entire system operate more effectively. Their presence is particularly critical in regional areas, where ethno-specific services may not be available and mainstream Government agencies struggle to adequately respond to the needs of a small, very culturally and linguistically diverse population. Such organisations, working along mainstream service providers, will continue to become more and more important as Australia s CALD population becomes even more diverse. Over the years, there have been significant cuts to ethno-specific infrastructure across several sectors, including aged care and health. In many cases, funding is moved to mainstream organisations, or small organisations are encouraged to merge under a larger multicultural umbrella, ostensibly to bring efficiencies of scale. However, ethno-specific services play a key role in the service system and this shift comes at the expense of individualised services and effectiveness in many CALD communities. In many communities, ethno-specific services provide support that cannot be matched by any other bodies, such as information provision in their clients language, and support tasks such as form-filling and mentoring support. These tailored mentoring services may not always be continued by mainstream services which are already overburdened and often do not have the specific cultural skills required. It is often members of new and emerging CALD communities, without established support networks, who would most benefit from ethno-specific services but are least able to access the support to establish these services. For example in Fairfield in Sydney s West, where one of FECCA s 2011 Access and Equity consultations was held, there are people from 130 countries who speak 97 languages. It is considered one of the most disadvantaged socio-economic areas in Sydney, and has a high population of people from refugee backgrounds. It is in areas such as Fairfield that the urgent need for ethno-specific organisations has been strongly expressed. The need for ethno-specific services is just as great in regional and rural areas, particularly for members of new and emerging CALD communities, many of whom come from refugee backgrounds. There seems to be an increasing trend toward settling refugees in regional areas and while this approach can have many advantages both for refugees and regional communities, it is crucial that these CALD communities are provided with adequate support services to ensure that their settlement stories are happy ones. It is a reality that for members of small CALD communities who may have experienced past trauma, mainstream government agencies such as JSA, cannot provide adequate support during the early days of settlement. 4

5 Members of new and emerging CALD communities face the same settlement challenges as immigrants coming from language groups that are already well-established in Australia, such as unfamiliarity with Australian culture, limited English skills, difficulty in finding employment and housing, lack of knowledge of the services available and potential past trauma experiences. All of these significant challenges are further compounded for immigrants from new and small communities they are less likely to have already-established ethno-specific services that they can access, or the informal support networks that are available to new immigrants from well-established CALD communities. They may have trouble finding translating and interpreting services in their language and, for refugees resettled in regional areas, culturally and linguistically appropriate services are likely to be limited or non-existent, and they may find themselves struggling to integrate into a small community unused to interacting with people from very different cultures. Such scenarios are not uncommon in regional areas that are receiving immigrants from new and emerging CALD communities, such as Ballarat and Shepparton. Multicultural and ethno-specific services are crucial to assist these immigrants with successful settlement and integration, as are mainstream government services that are firmly underpinned by access and equity principles. Forward planning is necessary to ensure that services such as JSA and Centrelink are able to provide interpreters who speak previously little-known languages, and that regional Multicultural Service Officers and other staff are equipped to respond to the cultural nuances of new groups of immigrants. Finally, members of new and emerging communities should be encouraged to establish their own culturally appropriate support organisations, and be provided with the necessary support to allow them to compete for funding against larger, more established community groups. In developing multicultural services, FECCA urges the Australian Government to prioritise CALD communities with the greatest need, rather than simply those with greatest numbers. This is a key principle of Access and Equity. It means reversing the trend toward mergers and de-funding of ethno-specific organisations, and providing greater support for small organisations to bid successfully for Government tenders in competition with well-established mainstream and CALD organisations. Unless this action is taken, the loss of such organisations means that many CALD communities, particularly new and emerging communities, are vulnerable to increased isolation and marginalisation. The same argument applies to ethno-specific aged care services, which are often the most sought-after and best placed service providers to care for CALD elders, for instance, especially as their native language and culture often re-asserts itself as they age. FECCA staff recently met with representatives of the National Network of Multicultural Aged and Community Care Providers, of which AMCS is a member, on their recent trip to Canberra. They met members of both sides of politics and encouraged them to recognise the importance of ethnospecific aged care services through increased political support and funding, rather than the opposite trend. FECCA applauds the Australian Government and the Department of Health & Ageing for the recently launched National Ageing and Aged Care Strategy for People from CALD Backgrounds, developed in consultation with FECCA and a range of other organisations late last year. We accept this Strategy as an effective approach designed to assist the Government to implement aged care reforms that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for all service users, including those that 5

6 speak limited or no English, and this is a clear example of the Government s Access and Equity agenda in action. The Strategy identifies a number of priority areas for CALD aged care policy and it takes a holistic approach to policy development and implementation and the reform process. It sets out five key guiding principles of inclusion, empowerment, access and equity, quality and capacity-building, followed by strategic goals and actions to achieve these ideals. Some key action areas that we look forward to seeing implemented, and working with the Government to achieve, are: increased awareness of advanced care planning for people from CALD backgrounds; the development of more and better culturally and linguistically appropriate information about aged care in order to support CALD seniors, their families and carers to make informed decisions about their care; improved data collection and research mechanisms; improved cultural competency training for all aged care staff; better involvement of CALD communities in delivering aged care; and the acknowledgement and resourcing of the role of ethno-specific and multicultural aged care services to not only provide care, but support CALD seniors to access and feel comfortable in the aged care system. The current challenge for the Australian Government and the Department is to now ensure effective and long lasting implementation of this Aged Care Strategy. FECCA is conducting ongoing work around CALD ageing and aged care, and our representatives were recently here in Melbourne with Minister Butler for the launch of the National Aged Care Network (NCAN), which is a web-based communication tool for all interested parties in the CALD aged care space, being developed under the auspice of FECCA. We hope this will become a major communication tool for CALD aged care stakeholders around Australia, including facilitating effective interaction between the Department of Health & Ageing and the CALD Aged Care sector throughout Australia. Having stressed the importance of strengthening multicultural and ethno-specific service infrastructure, it must also be stressed, however, that all services are important for CALD consumers ethno-specific, (particularly soon after arrival in Australia), multicultural AND mainstream. While participants at our consultations often require tailored, culturally-specific services in many circumstances, especially in the early days after arrival, they also want to be able to access mainstream services and feel they are part of wider Australian society. This is why cultural competency in mainstream services is so important, and why FECCA strongly commends the Australian Government s recent action in accepting all recommendations of the Access and Equity Inquiry completed last year, which will lead to the implementation of a strengthened and refreshed Access and Equity framework across all of Australian Government departments and agencies. As expressed in our media releases at the time, however, FECCA was disappointed that the Inquiry Panel and in turn the Australian Government chose not to locate the coordination of Access and Equity framework under a central agency such as the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, since Access and Equity considerations go to the core of Government functions. Suffice it to stress that, historically, the implementation of the Access and Equity Policy that has been in place over the last three decades or so across the Australian public Service has progressed extremely slowly. 6

7 But we do look forward to seeing the various aspects of the revised framework rolled out, including each department s development of an Agency Multicultural Plan specifically aimed at improving their responsiveness to cultural and linguistic diversity. FECCA was pleased to note the Government s recent announcement of $15 million worth of new funding to support CALD communities, as are many people here today. This may provide a much needed boost to some of the services I was just speaking about, and FECCA was particularly encouraged to hear that translating and interpreting services will be among those to receive a boost. It is our hope, however, that FECCA and many of its affiliates and partner organisations will have the opportunity to work in partnership with the Government (as well as the Scanlon Foundation and the Migration Council of Australia, which have already been named as major funding recipients) to deliver on these new commitments to building social inclusion infrastructure and improving access and equity for CALD Australians in accessing Government services. On behalf of FECCA, I look forward to hearing further about the Government s directions for this new funding. In summary, there are still a number of areas of improvement to accessible and equitable service delivery that need to be made, and that are affordable and achievable; and FECCA will continue to advocate in this regard. It is pleasing to hear, last year and this year, the leaders of the major political parties re-affirming their support to Australian s multiculturalism and diversity. There is no doubt that, in recent years, there have been significant inroads in revitalising multicultural Government infrastructure and recognising the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity in service delivery at the national level. FECCA and its constituents hope that these positive directions will continue to be built upon in the years to come. In order to truly respond to diversity, we need to maintain a mixture of ethno-specific, multicultural and mainstream approaches to service delivery. While many improvements have been made in recent years, the Government, service providers and anyone working in this sector need to acknowledge that many CALD consumers still do not feel they have equitable access to services. Effective implementation with long lasting results can only happen through proactive leadership from the top within the Australia Government machinery and through a whole-of-government approach to accessible and equitable service delivery. Beyond service delivery, I hope that Australians, through both Government policy and progressive public attitudes, will continue to chip away at our legacy of uncertain attitudes toward immigration and cultural diversity. With strong bipartisan support and commitment I hope that, one day, comprehensive social services that cater to all cultural and linguistic groups will be regarded by incoming Australian Governments as an indisputable right of every Australian, just like free education and subsidised health care, rather than as optional extras. i This is an edited version of a speech presented at the AMCS Conference, Strengthening Diversity, in Melbourne on 2 May