2012 Face the Facts

Face the Facts:

Some Questions and Answers about Indigenous Peoples, Migrants and Refugees and Asylum Seekers (2012)

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Foreword by Dr Helen Szoke

Chapter 1: Questions and answers about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

• • 1.1 Who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
  • 1.2 How many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are there?
  • 1.3 Where do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live?
  • 1.4 How widely are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ languages spoken in Australia?
  • 1.5 Do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience disadvantage?
  • 1.6 Do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples get special treatment from the government?
  • 1.7 Overcoming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ disadvantage
  • 1.8 What is the ‘Northern Territory Emergency Response’?
  • 1.9 Does the Australian Constitution recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
  • 1.10 What is the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples?
  • 1.11 What is the right to self-determination?
  • 1.12 What is reconciliation?
  • 1.13 Who are the Stolen Generations?
  • 1.14 What is the Apology?
  • 1.15 What is native title?

Chapter 2: Questions and answers about migrants, temporary entrants and multiculturalism

• 2.1 How do people come to Australia?
• 2.2 Who can migrate?
• 2.3 How many people migrate to Australia?
• 2.4 Where do migrants come from?
• 2.5 Where do migrants settle in Australia?
• 2.6 What are the impacts of migration?
• 2.7 Who can enter Australia temporarily?
• 2.8 How many people temporarily enter Australia?
• 2.9 Where do temporary entrants come from?
• 2.10 What are the impacts of temporary entrants?
• 2.11 How do migrants and temporary entrants affect population growth?
• 2.12 Who takes up Australian citizenship?
• 2.13 What is multiculturalism?
• 2.14 How diverse are Australians?
• 2.15 What is racism?
• 2.16 How prevalent is racism?
• 2.17 What are the impacts of racism?

Chapter 3: Questions and answers about asylum seekers, refugees and immigration detention

• 3.1 Asylum seekers and refugees
• 3.2 How many asylum seekers are there?
• 3.3 Who is a refugee?
• 3.4 How many refugees are there?
• 3.5 How do asylum seekers and refugees differ from migrants?
• 3.6 What is the role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees?
• 3.7 What obligations does Australia owe asylum seekers and refugees?
• 3.8 What is Australia’s policy on asylum seekers and refugees?
• 3.9 How many refugees come to Australia and where do they come from?
• 3.10 How many asylum seekers come to Australia and where do they come from?
• 3.11 What happens to asylum seekers in Australia?
• 3.12 What is immigration detention?
• 3.13 Who is in immigration detention?
• 3.14 How long are people held in immigration detention?
• 3.15 What happens to people who do not meet the definition of refugee but are in need of protection?
• 3.16 What assistance do asylum seekers receive in Australia?
• 3.17 What settlement services does Australia provide to refugees?
• 3.18 What were Australian laws, policies and practices on refugees and asylum seekers like in the past?

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Additional resources

• Face the Facts Education Resource (2008)
• Face the Facts (2008 edition) - note this is used for the Face the Facts Education Resource

Foreword

Myths are often propagated about some groups of people who live in Australia. These groups include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse peoples, asylum seekers and refugees.

So, back in 1997, the Commission decided to address these myths with a concise publication which would set out basic facts and figures. That publication is Face the Facts and I am very pleased to say this is its fifth edition.

Face the Facts draws on primary research information from a variety of sources, including laws made by the Australian Parliament, government policies, academic research and statistics gathered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics including Census data.

Face the Facts is one of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s most successful publications and continues to be its most requested.

This edition will be available exclusively online. There a number of advantages to being online. Firstly, we have found that the vast majority of people access the Commission’s resources online, rather than in hard copy. Secondly, publishing online makes it very easy for us to be able to update the information and therefore keep it current.

While the structure and the format of this 2012 online edition is consistent with previous editions, in order to ensure that Face the Facts remains user friendly and accessible, its contents have been considerably updated.

We have also significantly enhanced the publication to make sure that more relevant topics and more recent issues have been covered. This includes information about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Australia’s new multicultural policy and research into racism and racial attitudes in Australia.

If you want to look more closely at a particular issue, we have included a list of recommended publications and websites. You can also visit the Commission’s website to find out more information about groups and issues included in Face the Facts.

I hope that you find this edition of Face the Facts to be a useful resource that sheds light on the multifaceted realities of Australia today and one that will help encourage enlightened debate and thinking based on facts.

Dr Helen Szoke

Race Discrimination Commissioner
Australian Human Rights Commission