PREMIER Will Hodgman has offered a further glimpse into Tasmania’s response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Europe and the Middle East. The Department of Premier and Cabinet will on Wednesday hold a workshop with members of the community sector to help frame its response to supporting refugees and asylum seekers. A separate, non-political refugee response working group of church, union and local government heads will then meet for the first time on Thursday. Before Wednesday’s workshop, Mr Hodgman said CatholicCare and the Northern Tasmanian Migrant Resource Centre stood ready to help displaced people. Mr Hodgman said both organisations had strong links with private real estate agents. ‘‘CatholicCare have 15 arrival properties where refugee families can live for up to six months if required,’’ he said. ‘‘They have experience in upscaling quickly, as they did in 2012-13 when they received 520 people in the one year.’’ Mr Hodgman said the Northern Migrant Resource Centre had 100 volunteers standing ready to help with the intake. However, he said it was still too early to tell how many of the up to 500 displaced people would come from Syria. ‘‘Until we’ve had further discussions on Tasmania’s share of Syrian refugees, we will not know how many of those refugees may form part of the Tasmanian government’s additional intake,’’ he told the Parliament. ‘‘However, what we can do is be prepared for when that occurs.’’ Mr Hodgman on Monday stopped short of saying whether Tasmania could take in more than 500 people in light of the Syrian crisis. Labor multicultural affairs spokeswoman Madeleine Ogilvie said assisting 500 people did not go far enough. ‘‘The announcement of a cap of 500 on those we might assist from Syria is an arbitrary figure. We can do so much more,’’ she said. Meanwhile, Labor is hopeful new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull may be more receptive to opening the former Pontville Detention Centre as a reception facility for refugees.
PREMIER Will Hodgman has offered a further glimpse into Tasmania’s response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Europe and the Middle East.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet will on Wednesday hold a workshop with members of the community sector to help frame its response to supporting refugees and asylum seekers.
A separate, non-political refugee response working group of church, union and local government heads will then meet for the first time on Thursday.
Before Wednesday’s workshop, Mr Hodgman said CatholicCare and the Northern Tasmanian Migrant Resource Centre stood ready to help displaced people.
Mr Hodgman said both organisations had strong links with private real estate agents.
‘‘CatholicCare have 15 arrival properties where refugee families can live for up to six months if required,’’ he said.
‘‘They have experience in upscaling quickly, as they did in 2012-13 when they received 520 people in the one year.’’
Mr Hodgman said the Northern Migrant Resource Centre had 100 volunteers standing ready to help with the intake.
However, he said it was still too early to tell how many of the up to 500 displaced people would come from Syria.
‘‘Until we’ve had further discussions on Tasmania’s share of Syrian refugees, we will not know how many of those refugees may form part of the Tasmanian government’s additional intake,’’ he told the Parliament.
‘‘However, what we can do is be prepared for when that occurs.’’
Mr Hodgman on Monday stopped short of saying whether Tasmania could take in more than 500 people in light of the Syrian crisis.
Labor multicultural affairs spokeswoman Madeleine Ogilvie said assisting 500 people did not go far enough.
‘‘The announcement of a cap of 500 on those we might assist from Syria is an arbitrary figure. We can do so much more,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, Labor is hopeful new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull may be more receptive to opening the former Pontville Detention Centre as a reception facility for refugees.
