Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (Australia)
Encyclopedia
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) is an Australia
n Government
department. It is responsible for immigration arrangements
, border control
, citizenship
, ethnic
affairs, multicultural affairs. For the 2008-09 financial year, DIAC had an annual operating budget of A$1.7 billion.
, Australia
launched a massive immigration
program. The Minister for Immigration
, Arthur Calwell
promoted mass immigration with the slogan "populate or perish" and established the Department of Immigration in 1945.
"Machinery of Government" changes following government reshuffles in the 21st century:
DIMA and its successors were the centre of controversy from 2001 because it was primarily these departments that implemented the Australian government's policies of mandatory detention
of unauthorised arrivals and the Pacific Solution
. The Department was also accused of mistreating asylum seekers at Australian immigration detention facilities
.
The Rudd
Labor
government announced the end of mandatory detention in Australia
in July 2008, unless the asylum seeker was deemed to pose a risk to the wider community, such as those who have repeatedly breached their visa conditions or those who have security or health risks.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
department. It is responsible for immigration arrangements
Immigration to Australia
Immigration to Australia is estimated to have begun around 51,000 years ago when the ancestors of Australian Aborigines arrived on the continent via the islands of the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea. Europeans first landed in the 17th and 18th Centuries, but colonisation only started in 1788. The...
, border control
Border control
Border controls are measures used by a country to monitor or regulate its borders.The control of the flow of many people, animals and goods across a border may be controlled by government Customs services. Security is enforced by various kinds of Border Guards and Coast Guards...
, citizenship
Australian nationality law
Australian nationality law determines who is and who is not an Australian, and is based primarily on the principle of Jus soli. The status of Australian citizenship was created by the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 which received Royal Assent on 21 December 1948 and came into force on...
, ethnic
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
affairs, multicultural affairs. For the 2008-09 financial year, DIAC had an annual operating budget of A$1.7 billion.
History
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
launched a massive immigration
Immigration to Australia
Immigration to Australia is estimated to have begun around 51,000 years ago when the ancestors of Australian Aborigines arrived on the continent via the islands of the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea. Europeans first landed in the 17th and 18th Centuries, but colonisation only started in 1788. The...
program. The Minister for Immigration
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Australia)
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is responsible for overseeing the Department of Immigration and Citizenship....
, Arthur Calwell
Arthur Calwell
Arthur Augustus Calwell Australian politician, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for 32 years from 1940 to 1972, Immigration Minister in the government of Ben Chifley from 1945 to 1949 and Leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1960 to 1967.-Early life:Calwell was born in...
promoted mass immigration with the slogan "populate or perish" and established the Department of Immigration in 1945.
"Machinery of Government" changes following government reshuffles in the 21st century:
- 26 November 2001 the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) and the Department of Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs merged to form the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA).
- 27 January 2006 the Indigenous Affairs responsibility moved to the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous AffairsDepartment of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (Australia)The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs is an Australian Government department. Its main office is located in Southern Canberra in the suburb of Greenway. Its role is to develop social policies and support affected Australian society and the living standards...
. - 23 January 2007 the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs was renamed the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
DIMA and its successors were the centre of controversy from 2001 because it was primarily these departments that implemented the Australian government's policies of mandatory detention
Mandatory detention in Australia
Mandatory detention in Australia concerns the Australian federal government's policy and system of mandatory immigration detention active from 1992 to date, pursuant to which all persons entering the country without a valid visa are compulsorily detained and sometimes subject to deportation.In the...
of unauthorised arrivals and the Pacific Solution
Pacific Solution
The Pacific Solution was the name given to the Australian government policy of transporting asylum seekers to detention camps on small island nations in the Pacific Ocean, rather than allowing them to land on the Australian mainland...
. The Department was also accused of mistreating asylum seekers at Australian immigration detention facilities
Australian immigration detention facilities
Australian immigration detention facilities comprise a number of different facilities throughout Australia and one on the Australian territory of Christmas Island. They are used to house people who are detained under Australia’s policy of mandatory detention and previously under the now defunct...
.
The Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
government announced the end of mandatory detention in Australia
Mandatory detention in Australia
Mandatory detention in Australia concerns the Australian federal government's policy and system of mandatory immigration detention active from 1992 to date, pursuant to which all persons entering the country without a valid visa are compulsorily detained and sometimes subject to deportation.In the...
in July 2008, unless the asylum seeker was deemed to pose a risk to the wider community, such as those who have repeatedly breached their visa conditions or those who have security or health risks.
See also
- Immigration to AustraliaImmigration to AustraliaImmigration to Australia is estimated to have begun around 51,000 years ago when the ancestors of Australian Aborigines arrived on the continent via the islands of the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea. Europeans first landed in the 17th and 18th Centuries, but colonisation only started in 1788. The...
- Minister for Immigration and CitizenshipMinister for Immigration and Citizenship (Australia)In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is responsible for overseeing the Department of Immigration and Citizenship....
- List of Australian Commonwealth Government entities
- Cornelia RauCornelia RauCornelia Rau is a German citizen and Australian permanent resident who was unlawfully detained for a period of ten months in 2004 and 2005 as part of the Australian Government's mandatory detention program.- Overview :...
- Vivian SolonVivian SolonVivian Alvarez Solon is an Australian who was unlawfully removed to the Philippines by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs in July 2001. In May 2005, it became public knowledge that she had been deported, although DIMIA knew of its mistake in 2003...
- Migration Agents Registration AuthorityMigration Agents Registration AuthorityThe Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority is an Australian Government authority that regulates the Migration Agents profession...