Month: June 2022

Despite some signs of progress, the speed and scale of forced displacement is outpacing solutions for refugees.

The number of people forced to flee their homes has increased every year over the past decade and stands at the highest level since records began, a trend that can only be reversed by a new, concerted push towards peacemaking, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said today.

By the end of 2021, those displaced by war, violence, persecution, and human rights abuses stood at 89.3 million, up 8 per cent on a year earlier and well over double the figure of 10 years ago, according to UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report. 

Since then, the Russian invasion of Ukraine – causing the fastest and one of the largest forced displacement crises since World War II – and other emergencies, from Africa to Afghanistan and beyond, pushed the figure over the dramatic milestone of 100 million. 

“Every year of the last decade, the numbers have climbed,” said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. “Either the international community comes together to take action to address this human tragedy, resolve conflicts and find lasting solutions, or this terrible trend will continue.” 

Last year was notable for the number of conflicts that escalated and new ones that flared; 23 countries, with a combined population of 850 million, faced medium-intensity or high-intensity conflicts, according to the World Bank. 

Meanwhile, food scarcity, inflation and the climate crisis are adding to people’s hardship, stretching the humanitarian response just as the funding outlook in many situations appears bleak. 

The number of refugees rose in 2021 to 27.1 million. Arrivals climbed in Uganda, Chad and Sudan among others. Most refugees were, once again, hosted by neighbouring countries with few resources. The number of asylum seekers reached 4.6 million, up 11 per cent.

Last year also saw the 15th straight annual rise in people displaced within their countries by conflict, to 53.2 million. The increase was driven by mounting violence or conflict in some places, for example Myanmar. The conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray and other regions has spurred the flight of millions within the country. Insurgencies in the Sahel drove fresh internal displacement, particularly in Burkina Faso and Chad. 

The speed and volume of displacement is still outpacing the availability of solutions for those displaced – like return, resettlement or local integration. Yet the Global Trends report also contained glimmers of hope. The number of refugee and IDP returns increased in 2021, returning to pre-COVID-19 levels, with voluntary repatriation having surged 71 per cent, though numbers remained modest. 

“While we’re witnessing appalling new refugee situations, and existing ones reigniting or remaining unresolved, there are also examples of countries and communities working together to pursue solutions for the displaced,” Grandi added. “It’s happening in places – for example the regional cooperation to repatriate Ivorians – but these important decisions need to be replicated or scaled up elsewhere.” 

And although the estimated number of stateless people grew slightly in 2021, some 81,200 acquired citizenship or had it confirmed – the biggest reduction in statelessness since the start of UNHCR’s #iBelong campaign in 2014. 

We congratulate Rosemary Kayess on her re-election to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

A respected lawyer and academic, Ms Kayess’ candidacy was strongly supported by the Australian Government and Australian organisations of persons with disabilities.

She was awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal in 2019 in recognition of her contribution to human rights at home and abroad.

Australia is a global leader on disability issues.

Australian advocacy played a leading role in establishing the Committee at the United Nations.

In her second term, Ms Kayess will advance the Committee’s critical work advocating for the human rights of all persons with disabilities.

Ms Kayess will promote the rights of women and girls with disabilities; inclusive education; and reasonable accommodations to allow people with disabilities to fully participate in their communities.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong said:

“Ms Kayess’ re-election is a strong endorsement from her international peers of her decades-long work to progress disability rights.”

Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Hon Bill Shorten MP said:

“It’s wonderful to have an Australian with a disability as a representative at the United Nations. She will be an exceptional voice for people with disability on the Committee, particularly promoting the rights of women, children and inclusivity.”

Australia’s low-paid workers will be better off because the Albanese Labor Government fought to get them a pay rise.

During the election campaign, we promised to put in a new submission to the Fair Work Commission’s annual wage review to argue that people on low wages should not go backwards. We delivered on that promise in our first fortnight in office.

Today, the Fair Work Commission has delivered a 5.2 per cent rise in the minimum wage, slightly above headline inflation.

Its decision means an extra $40 a week for full-time workers on the minimum wage or low-paid awards.

Many low-paid workers are young, female, in casual employment, and are far more likely to find themselves experiencing financial hardship. Many of them were on the front line delivering essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They deserve more than our thanks. They deserve this pay rise.

This is a great result for these workers. But it’s only the beginning.

The Government is determined to get wages moving again.

For the last nine years, low wages were a deliberate design feature of the Liberal National Government’s policies. They never once advocated for low-paid workers to get a pay rise.

That era is now over.

Labor will continue to fight for more secure jobs and better pay for workers. Our submission to this wage review was simply the first step.

The Government expects there to be a comprehensive discussion about other ways to get wages moving at the Jobs Summit later this year.

We also want to acknowledge the role the union movement played in today’s decision. They too argued that low-paid workers deserved a pay rise, particularly given the cost of living pressures people are experiencing.

The Albanese Labor Government is building a better future for all Australians—just as we promised.

A new report argues that energy ministers will need to increase the benefits to regional communities that host large-scale solar, wind and transmission infrastructure if governments want to ensure continued support for renewable energy.

The report is published by the Australia Institute and the Sydney Environment Institute and will be launched by independent NSW MPs Alex Greenwich and Dr Joe McGirr today (Wednesday, 15 June.)

The report authors endorse the decision by governments to establish Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) across regional Australia to replace retiring coal-fired power and expand generation capacity. Field trips and research interviews were conducted in Australia’s first two REZs: Central-West Orana and New England.

The authors found that although renewable energy enjoys a high level of community support, if the pace and intensity of development are not carefully managed and local benefits maximised it will risk creating conflict that could delay the clean energy transformation and harm energy security.

The report finds that governments can increase financial benefits for local communities, target First Nations participation, reduce negative impacts, and coordinate more sustainable economic development beyond short-term construction booms.

The Australia Institute’s Dan Cass said: “Our research is timely because the new Australian government has promised to spend $20 billion to subsidise 10,000km of new transmission lines which will unlock huge private investment in generation and storage in REZs.

“The federal government has been instantly thrust into an energy crisis but if it works quickly with state governments to design a fair system for planning and developing REZs it will be the last energy crisis Australia ever has to face.”

University of Sydney Emeritus Professor Linda Connor said: “This report highlights that the shift from coal to renewables is also a spatial shift that brings many physical and social changes to regional communities.

“This infrastructure is urgently needed for energy security and to reach zero emissions electricity, but we need to ensure it creates value for hosts. An unprecedented level of community participation, social impact assessment, and sustained local benefits is required.”

Riikka Heikkinen said: “Australia’s vital shift to renewables will proceed more quickly and ultimately at lower cost if it is better calibrated to share and amplify the economic benefits for regional communities that will host tens of billions of dollars worth of investment.”

“We have to make sure the communities that are providing us with the path to clean energy security are also communities that are benefiting fairly from the change.
ANU’s Dr Rebecca Pearse said: “In many instances regional communities are benefiting greatly from new renewable energy projects, like farmers being paid to host solar farms on relatively unproductive paddocks. But there have also been instances where communities have been disrupted by things like transmission lines being built across private land.

“Regional Australia is doing the country a terrific service by hosting our shift to renewable energy, so we need to make sure those communities have the mechanisms to negotiate beneficial deals for themselves.”

Key recommendations for energy ministers

• Improve benefit sharing: 
  • More inclusive and generous benefit sharing arrangements, which should also include new transmission infrastructure.
  • Encourage the pooling of community funds from energy developments in each REZ to enable funding of larger-scale facilities and programs that benefit diverse host communities.
• Target First Nations participation
  • Create stronger processes for culturally appropriate consultation and inclusion of Traditional Owners in all aspects of REZ development to maximise socioeconomic benefits.
• Manage cumulative impacts
  • Governments can work with residents and local agencies to schedule when and where projects are built to minimise negative cumulative impacts.
• Coordinate economic development
  • REZ frameworks for multisectoral economic planning can help deliver employment, skills and other sustainable benefits to host communities.

The four co-authors are affiliated with the Australian National University, University of Technology Sydney, University of Sydney and The Australia Institute.