May 2005

 

It is very difficult to prove racial discrimination has occurred in pre-employment, said Jenny Wang, Director of the Chinese New Settlers Services Trust. Moreover, though many migrants have experienced employment discrimination “it is difficult for new people here to make complaints because of the cultural and language barriers, difficult for them to have enough confidence to deal with their own situation when new to an environment. A lot of new migrants don’t know how to complain. They lack knowledge of the process and their own rights.” 

 

The report Race Relations in 2004, featuring a round-up of research and complaints to the Human Rights Commission, shows that migrants and refugees are not complaining at the level that matches the discrimination they may be experiencing. Recent research shows that migrants, refugees, and (as reported in NEON issue 1) people with non-English names are on the receiving-end of unfair barriers to employment.