ࡱ> 241g bjbjVV *$r<r<   8B N xjjjjjEEEikkkkkk$bEEEEEjjERjjiEijA&U0<EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE : African Australians: A report on human rights and social inclusion issues Key Issues Employment The real barrier for Africans living in Tasmania is employment and I understand that in the current economic crisis, it could be argued that employment is an issue not just for Africans but the rest of the members of this community. I do appreciate this. However, I have lived here for more than ten years now - before the economic crisis began - and gaining meaningful employment for an African has always been a number one issue. I cannot count how many Africans have left this State and settled interstate because there has been few employment opportunities for them here. When I say employment, I actually mean employment whereby you are using the skills and talents you have developed and acquired. Employment that is expressive of who you are as a person. Employment that allows you to work in an area where your passion lies. The only avenue that seems open to us is education but once you have earned your degree, there is little hope of finding work in an area that relates to your studies. I am amongst many Africans who have returned to University to earn yet another degree because there are limited employment opportunities. It is a serious issue. Tasmania is losing the opportunity to maintain a large and rich and diverse African community which I believe is a huge loss to the rest of the community. Furthermore, it is a common feeling among Africans that some agencies use Africans to draw from them their opinions and ideas, then after such consultations, projects are funded and job positions to carry out the projects are created. But time and time again, the Africans find themselves excluded from these job positions, even though the information has been gleaned from the Africans themselves. The agencies call on us to participate voluntarily on such consultations without offering and ensuring long-term incentives that would help us to feel that we are valued members of the community who are contributing meaningfully to the workings of this society. Other state governments in Australia seem to have been more proactive in ensuring that Africans living here are given equal employment opportunities. The Tasmanian Government established the social inclusion department but we have seen no action on the most important issues. It is a crime against humanity to bring Africans to a place where there are few employment opportunities. Solution Training programs with real employment outcomes; the state government of Tasmania making a commitment to employ Africans within the departments. Housing Independent African students face issues with finding affordable housing. The Tasmanian Government does not provide affordable housing options for African students. Africans who have arrived on their own, without family, are expected to find their own housing (after the induction phase of being settled). For university students (even independent college students) who are already overwhelmed with the challenges of tertiary studies, this adds another layer of stress to their lives. The high rental prices in the private market means that students need to have part-time employment in order to meet all other living costs. Not only is it difficult to secure a suitable part-time job but it makes tertiary studies all the more challenging. Doing academic work is challenging enough without the added challenge of English being a second language. Many students require extra tuition to complete the assignments in order to get good grades but it becomes difficult when our week is already filled with a full-time course load and part-time employment. Our chances of doing well at university diminish due the added stresses put upon us of finding affordable housing. Some of these challenges are of course common for many university students (not just African) but given that Africans are already facing a number of other challenges, i.e. adjusting to living in a new society, learning a new language, establishing a social network etc, the issue of affordable housing adds another unnecessary layer of stress. Solution The State Government to ensure there are affordable housing options to independent-living African students. Concluding statement It is the State Governments responsibility to ensure that Africans living in Tasmania are given the same opportunities as the rest of society in regards to employment and to housing. It is the responsibility of the State Government to take into consideration the issues Africans are dealing with when settling into a completely new and foreign society. If the Tasmanian Government want Africans to continue living here it has to show Africans that it is serious about not adding to the challenges they are already facing. The state of mind of the African community can be empowered if the Tasmanian Government are seen to be taking action on behalf of Africans, who simply want nothing more than to feel included, empowered, and a sense of belonging.     \fjIPQ9;<Gh%+h%B*OJPJQJ_HmHnHphsHhEkjhEkU/hCB*CJOJPJQJ_HmHnHphsHh;hCCJh;hC5 h;hChC#LMNOZ[\hij )$ ) N a%s8!#dha$$ ) N a%s8!#a$ ) N a%s8!#)*?@FGHIQR:;<=FG ) N a%s8!# ) N a%s8!#dh ) N a%s8!#(|. 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