The 'Nobody Left Behind' campaign encourages local councils to provide support

BY RITAM MITRA

OV I D-19 has sent governn1ents around the world scrambling to implen,ent stin1ulus packages to encourage spe ndin g and keep their teetering economies from collapsing. Australia's focus, including in the recently handed down Federal Budget, has been on incentivising businesses and facilitating welfare payn1ents for residents and citizens. H owever, these measures overlook the broader com 1nuni ty of international students, refugees , asylum seekers , working holiday makers and skilled te111porary 1nigrants that play a critical role in Australia's economy. That's why social justice organisations D emocracy in Colour and Welcon1ing Australia, together with over a dozen participating local councils, have recently launched a new advocacy ca 1np a ign p ledging support for these workers to ensure no part of the community is left behind.

Speaking to I ndian Link, D e1nocracy in Colour national co -director Neha Madhok describes the joint "Nobody Left Behind" initiative as a necessary backstop to n1ake up for failures in federal government po l icy. The campaign, which has seen 14 local co uncil s commit to providing funding or in-kind support for temporary visa holders, is also aimed at ramping up pressure on the Morrison government to extend wage subsidies to the 2 million people who are currently exc lud ed from the government's Job Keeper package. Critically, these workers are typically over-rep r esented in industries that have been affected by COV I D-19, particularly in the hospitality and entertainn1ent sectors. "U ltimately, ensuring people have access to social security is the federal govern111ent's responsibility," says Madhok. " Our elected officials who we voted fo r last year are responsible for ensuring that everyone who works here is okay. Even though te111porary 1nigrants can't vote, they are paying tax, working incredibly hard to support themselves and their families, and doing so in lockdown situations in which the rest of us have been kept very comfortable. State govern111ents have already had to fork out cash to try and keep peopl e afloat, now it's co1ne to local councils to try do the same."

Madhok draws on her family's experience of 111igrating to Australia in the early 1990s in h ighlighting the iinportance of social security in allowing migrant workers to ultimately flourish. " We were really lucky because we were on a pathway to pern1anent residency, and had the protections of social safety net including Medicare and welfare, which meant n1y parents could do what they needed to do to survive. D ad getting a permanent job was what changed our lives," recalls Madhok.

" Bu t the lives of temporary visa holders stay [difficult] - the fathe r will keep working cash-in-b and jobs , while the mother's qualifications aren' t recognised, meaning they will have to beco1ne Uber drivers or take up other jobs," says Madhok. " But because my parents were on a permanent pathway, which has been eroded over the last 20 years , that's the reason I can be a 1niddle class person, go to university, and have the privileges of a comparatively very comfortable life. What would happen i f my parents came to Australia just 20 years later?"

And for those temporary nligrants who did migrate 20 years later and are living in Australia during COVI D -19 today, the challenges can be overbearing. "You hear stories of migrants living with 16 to a bedroom, eating once a day, lining up outside Melbourne City Council and other places to access food, and people going without so that their kids can eat. I t's a really terrible situation," says Madhok.

Bu t the challenges span beyond

Austt·alia' s borders. Madhok recounts the story of an individual involved with D e mocracy in Colour: " Th eir family overseas lost inco11Je during COV ID, and just like many people of co lour across the country, they're now working extra time to make sure their family back home is okay. I t's a really common story we've heard all across Australia where there are people who have to change their own lives even if they themse lves haven't been impacted by COVID in that way, but their friends or family overseas are absolutely suffering," says Madhok.

With local councils such as City of Sydney, City of Hobart and City of Hume having already signed the pledge, Madhok and her team continue to pressure other councils with large South Asian populations who have yet to do so, such as the City of Parramatta. I t's a role that will prove even 1nore critical g iven the deficiencies identified by Madhok in the recent Federal Bud get, including as to social housing and wage s ub s idi es for temporary migrant workers.

Madhok concludes with a ca ll to action: "Unless we stand up and do what we can in our communities to call fo r a better world, then so1neone e lse will n1ake that decision for us. If they do, they won't make it with our best int erests in mind, and people of colour will get left behind." You can sign Dem ocracy in Colour and Welcoming Australia's pledge at nobodyleftbehind.org.au or visit democracyincolour.org to see how you can get involved.