Some refugees in Australia sending welfare payments abroad

SOME refugees in Australia are sending welfare payments abroad as part of a multi-billion-dollar industry to help relatives in poor countries.

A report commissioned by the Immigration Department says that many recent arrivals from Africa fear losing social respect if they do not send cash home.

Using World Bank data, the report estimated that up to $6 billion flows out of Australia each year in payments to people overseas. It said that a survey of humanitarian arrivals showed that 70 per cent had sent money home.

For Africans, it was not unusual to send up to 20 per cent of their weekly incomes to families.

The average amount was $200 a month and each refugee was supporting about five people back home.

Report author Prof Graeme Hugo, an Adelaide University demographer, said yesterday that many refugees and other humanitarian entrants were making big sacrifices.

"In some cases, people are obviously doing without things in order to be able to support families at home," he said.

"It's predominantly supporting close family, which in other circumstances would be with them, so there's a very strong feeling of obligation that many have."

Prof Hugo's report said that a study of Somalian and Ethiopian refugees in Melbourne and Adelaide had revealed the overwhelming majority sent money home, despite almost one in five being on the dole and 42 per cent earning less than $20,000 a year.

More than half said they did it to maintain their family's wellbeing, but "a significant number (22.4 per cent) felt they would lose social respect if they didn't send money", the report said.

Swinburne University migration expert Dr Katharine Betts said she was astonished by the scale of the payments leaving Australia.

"It might be a concern that taxpayers' money was being channelled in this direction," she said.

"I would worry about the welfare of families that felt an obligation to support people overseas when they were struggling here."

Prof Hugo said that humanitarian arrivals made a significant contribution to Australia and the Federal Government should consider making it easier for them to send money to relatives abroad.

"Anything that countries like Australia can do to facilitate that sending back of finances can potentially have good development impacts in the origin country," he said.

heraldsun.com.au 22 Jun 2011

Another BLATANT misinformation article spread by the mass media.

The story states that "some" refugee's send money abroad, yet the estimates is $6,000,000,000.

$6 billion suggests the practice is RAMPANT, and NOT occasionally done.

In any event this practice is illegal, and once again NOTHING is going to be done about this.

Fraud has been committed against the government, yet if any action is taken against stopping this kind of fraud, the catch phrases that will be thrown around will be:

Racists, Human Rights, anti-Muslim, etc.