(Transcript from World News Radio)
And this time, for what may be the first time, Tasmania's migrant population is approaching the kind of numbers that make politicians take notice.
The current Labor Government has released its multicultural policies, and they've drawn a bit of a mixed reaction.
Nikki Canning has the story.
(Click on audio tab to listen to this item)
It has been a nice road, but will it get us there?
In essence, that's been the reaction from Tasmania's main ethnic communities group after the state's Labor Government released its new multicultural policy for the coming election.
The policy calls for attracting more international students, doubling funding for multicultural festivals and investing $100,000 in helping new migrants find work.
It promises more Multicultural Language Services to help people access essential services, and says Labor will work with the community to enact a state Charter of Human Rights.
The Multicultural Council of Tasmania -- the state's equivalent to Ethnic Communities Councils -- says Labor's consultative process was very good.
But Council chief executive Anna Reynolds says the end result may not bring the desired results in Tasmanian society.
"As part of our submission, we said that Tasmania really should have a Multicultural Act which does enshrine in law the goals for multicultural policy and the obligations on government and enshrines in law some processes and programs. And in other states, like Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, these things have really worked, in terms of a policy that's put into legislation has more strength, is taken more seriously and, also, isn't as vulnerable to change when there are changes of government."
Anna Reynolds says the Multicultural Council is reasonably happy with Labor's outcome but Tasmania has a long way to go in accepting diversity and needs to take big steps.
She says the council advised the Government that a Multicultural Act would make a significant difference.
"We think it would be an important part of a state multicultural policy, not only to have some of the policy settings but also to have grants available for community cultural development, community festivals and the kind of things that really celebrate diversity and improve community education about the value of diversity for Tasmania."
The Migrant Resource Centre in Northern Tasmania says it is not so sure that an Act would make a major difference.
The centre's chief executive officer, John Brown, says the Government consulted well with community groups and it has produced a policy with a sound foundation.
"I'd like to see what the purpose of that Act was going to be and whether it was actually going to add value. Certainly, there are some significant pieces of legislation around but an act of parliament, whilst it does enshrine certain aspects of the policy and goals, is it going to really achieve what we're after?"
Tasmania's Premier Lara Giddings suggests it would not.
Responding to the council's idea, she says in a statement:
"Those states -- for example, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland -- which have enacted legislation have significantly larger migrant populations than Tasmania. Just because a policy is made into legislation does not prevent it from being changed. Legislation is regularly reviewed and amended."
Less than 12 per cent of Tasmania's population is born overseas, half the ratio of Australia as a whole.
One focus which the state Liberal Party has talked about is to bring in more skilled migrants, a group largely drawn to the mainland up to now.
But John Brown, with the Migrant Resource Centre, says he also wants to see policies and programs to help displaced people coming to Tasmania through humanitarian programs.
After a strong flow of Bhutanese and Nepalese refugees, he says the focus now is on Afghan Hazaras being processed from camps in neighbouring Iran and Quetta, Pakistan.
"Certainly, when you look at skilled migration -- and they talk about skilled business migration, as well -- they're bringing with them a set of skills which are in need, generally, and that creates employment opportunities. They find it easier to get started than, say, the humanitarian entrants, who are coming here predominantly out of refugee camps and, say, are very much behind the eight ball when it comes to settlement and self-integrating into that community."
Anna Reynolds, from the Multicultural Council, says the council wants policies that help Tasmania retain its migrants, not just attract others.
And she says, while it is great to have migration in the state's spotlight, the council just hoped for more.
"The old multicultural policy was from 2001, so it is good that there's been a focus on it and a look at the policy. However, we don't feel we've come a long way in waiting that 13 years. We haven't really advanced a great deal, in terms of having a policy that's got really tangible goals, that's enshrined in law and has some quite strong obligations on the part of government and departments, so we are a little disappointed in the strength of this policy."
