Kevin Andrews: African gang problem has been denied too long and fresh approach needed
AUTHORITIES have been denying there is an African gang problem for a decade and doing so removes any chance of solving it, writes Kevin Andrews.
Opinion
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SHORTLY after being appointed immigration minister in 2007, I received a series of phone calls from frontline community workers, including police, about increasing problems from groups of young unemployed immigrants in a number of Melbourne’s suburbs.
Given the consistency and gravity of the messages, I resolved to investigate the claims.
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Over a few weeks, I discreetly met with local police, welfare workers, English language and employment providers and others, as well as visiting a number of suburban areas.
What resulted from those discussions was a disturbing picture: a significant number of young men, who had immigrated to Australia under our refugee program, were uneducated, unemployed and engaged in a range of anti-social behaviour.
For the previous two years, 70 per cent of our humanitarian intake had been from Africa.
Many of the young men who immigrated to Australia had suffered horrific experiences in war-torn parts of the African continent.
In their teens, many had only mid-level primary education. But they certainly could not be put into classes with local eight- and nine-year-olds.
The real prospect was that unless changes were made, many of them would remain uneducated, unemployable and in danger of embarking on a life of crime.
The fact is that immigration is not a journey that ends when a person sets foot upon Australian soil. It is a process that involves settlement.
The Howard Cabinet subsequently endorsed my recommendation to reduce the African intake from 70 per cent to 30 per cent. This level would enable the people already selected under the program to come to Australia, while turning our attention to the challenges of those struggling with the realities of settlement.
The announcement was met with predictable outrage from the Left, much of it confected. The government was accused falsely of racism.
But worse, a number of public officials denied both the anecdotal evidence from police and other frontline personnel and the data, which indicated higher levels of anti-social behaviour and criminal activity from these groups. A decade later, the problems have exacerbated.
Groups of uneducated, unemployed and bored young men have morphed into criminal gangs. Their contempt for authority and rejection of the values of our civilisation, such as the rule of law, are being paraded before our eyes.
Denial of the challenges that were apparent a decade ago has only worsened the problem.
Denial today will only aggravate the challenges.
We must accept that the past approach has failed.
There should be a presumption of remand for those charged with violent offences — community expectation being that people accused of violent offences should not be allowed straight back on to our streets to immediately reoffend.
Secondly, I believe we need a “one strike and you’re out” policy for anybody breaching bail. If you are on bail and you violate the conditions of that bail, you forfeit the privilege and face remand.
For far too long in Victoria, breaching bail has carried no consequences.
Thirdly, the offence of breaching bail by juveniles should be reinstated. It was a change that weakened the bail system in 2016.
These measures, along with tougher sentencing, would improve the public safety of the residents of Victoria.
We should learn the lessons of a decade ago that denying that a grave problem exists does not resolve it. Only a determination to address the challenges will restore safety to our communities.
That is what Victorians expect — and it is what they deserve.
Kevin Andrews is the Member for Menzies in the Australian Parliament
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