On 6th October, 2005, the many voices of the Sudanese Community once again came together at Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau in a night of lively discussion and debate, continuing the dialogue between cultures. The night was hosted by Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau and facilitated by Maria Dimopolous. Special Guests were Peter Vardos, Dr Stephen O’Shea and Gary White from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, and Alison Foulsham of Family Court of Australia.

Summary of Proceedings:

The night began with a casual welcoming by Bureau staff over a light supper. Formal introductions were made by the Bureau’s director, Anna Hall.

Peter introduced himself and his role and responsibilities as First Assistant Secretary, Citizenship, Settlement and Multicultural Affairs with Department of Immigration and Migration and Indigenous Affairs. He then shared his own migrant history to demonstrate that the issues the Sudanese community are experiencing are similar to those of previously migrating communities, but are new within their cultural context. The key focus was on people’s experience of living with two cultures and how this can create conflicts.

This area was obviously of great interest and raised many important comments around the role culture plays in law and personal beliefs. Issues around freedom of cultural expression were discussed, Peter noted that Australia's approach to multiculturalism means that people are free to express and practice their cultural and religious beliefs, within the framework of Australian law and with an overriding loyalty to Australia. Peter said that the Australian legal system was one of the key pillars of our stable, democratic society and the system would start to unravel if adjustments were made to incorporate 'special cultural laws'. He believed that the way forward for emerging communities is to engage the Australian public in their culture and not become consumed by cross-cultural challenges.

Summary of Issues Raised by Sudanese Community:

Family Issues:
Child Protection and Child Custody are still concerning issues, as was the confrontation with authorities involved in such instances.

Youth Issues:
It was recognised that Sudanese Youth adapt much easier to Australian life than adults. However, there are still some general concerns that this quick adaptation puts them at risk of losing their Sudanese culture. Some believe these culture clashes are causing families to breakdown. Differences between Sudanese and Australian definitions of ‘youth’ were also discussed, as was the need for greater education of Sudanese youth on the police.

Bridging gaps between cultures:
Cultural awareness by service providers and the wider community were identified as needing more attention. Awareness included people acknowledging the impact wars & events in people’s country of origin have on them here, more support for parents, and a stronger focus on families.

Law:
Discussion was held around clashes between Sudanese and Australian law with a focus on how practices around Intervention Orders could be more culturally sensitive. Aspects of this included more time spent ‘talking’ with families and the community about the issue, strengthening the view that family issues are dealt within the family with advice from government.

Cultural Expression:
It was clear that many feel they are limited in the expression of their culture which causes difficulty settling to life in Australia. One’s history is a part of which they are and should be celebrated not confined.

Media:
Concern was expressed over the negative portrayal of the Sudanese community in the mainstream media. It was clear that the media needs to report on individuals and not generalise people based on the affiliating culture. The Sudanese community wants to have something in place that gives them the opportunity to respond officially to racist media comments.

Unemployment:
Issues of high unemployment matched with no recognition of previous qualifications are of great frustration to many people. Qualified Sudanese leaders are working in factories. It was suggested that opportunities for employment for leaders by service providers should be increased as a close partnership could be benefit both parties. From the questions raised during the consultation it was clear that there is still a need to address multiple issues within the Sudanese and wider community.

Possible actions to be taken include the following;

• Conversation with Child Protection.
• Create more programs to educate Sudanese Youth on issues of police, and to better support them in all areas.
• Consultations with youth on what issues they are facing.
• Advocate to authorities and service providers that some newly arrived people simply need more time to adapt to Australian life.
• Cultural awareness to agencies – design and deliver education and training about Sudanese culture.
• Greater understanding of Civil and Criminal Laws in Australia.
• Meetings with police on Sudanese Family Culture.
• Exploring avenues for Sudanese representatives for media.
• Cultural orientation program with more information before they come to Australia. This orientation needs to happen in context of Australia.