Regionalizing Immigration, Health and Inequality: Iraqi Refugees in Australia

Katie Vasey,Lenore Manderson

doi:10.3390/admsci2010047

Abstract

Humanitarian immigrants and refugees face multiple adjustment tasks and post-settlement support services concentrated in metropolitan areas play an important role. As part of an ongoing commitment, the Australian Government has increasingly supported resettlement in rural and regional areas of the country. Drawing on the experience of Iraqi migrants in Victoria, Australia, we examine some of the conditions that characterize regional resettlement and raise key questions for public health policy. Structural vulnerabilities and discriminations impact upon physical, mental and social wellbeing, leading to further exclusion, with negative long-term implications. The discussion throws light on the issues that migrants and refugees may encounter in other parts within Australia, but are also germane in many countries and highlight the resulting complexity for policy-making.

Highlights

In recent decades, migration across and within borders has both intensified and diversified, raising significant questions concerning the health and wellbeing of mobile populations and host communities.Most host governments with major immigration programs recognize health as an essential human right, and acknowledge the importance of providing services to people and communities of diverseAdm
By 2008, refugee regional resettlement initiatives had been implemented in almost all states and territories [17], with approximately 7.5 per cent of entrants settled in regional areas [28,36,37]
Following the 2010 federal election in Australia, rural and regional issues received much attention because three independent members of parliament from rural electorates hold the balance of power

Summary

Introduction

Migration across and within borders has both intensified and diversified, raising significant questions concerning the health and wellbeing of mobile populations and host communities.Most host governments with major immigration programs recognize health as an essential human right, and acknowledge the importance of providing services to people and communities of diverseAdm. Most host governments with major immigration programs recognize health as an essential human right, and acknowledge the importance of providing services to people and communities of diverse. Important questions remain on the extent to which humanitarian immigrants and refugees share the same basic rights and entitlements as citizens in relation to accessing social and health care services [4,5]. Even immigrants with rights and entitlements can face a range of barriers which limit their access to, and use of, health care services in host countries. Access is influenced by the economic status of immigrants, their lack of familiarity with the language and culture as well as services, and the official policy criteria by which support is provided [5,7,8]. Too, poor access is related to the precarious civil status of other family members [5]

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