A vote on whether or not to take part in the government’s Safe Haven Enterprise Visa program may see only a small number of refugees to Bendigo, says Mayor Peter Cox.
The September 16th vote, if passed, will grant visas to asylum seekers who arrived in Australia prior to July 2013 and have passed health and security checks.
A little over 9600 Safe Haven visas are expected to be issued, mainly to asylum seekers currently living in Melbourne who are on minimal work or study entitlements.
Bendigo postcodes 3550, Bendigo’s CBD, and 3555, which includes suburbs such as Golden Square, Kangaroo Flat and as far as Big Hill, are being reserved for any refugees that are settled in Bendigo.
Regardless of the vote there are no guarantees Bendigo will receive any refugees. However Mayor Cox believed the city had the necessary resources needed to support any intake of asylum seekers.
“If 20 refugees came as a result of this program I would feel very confident they would be able to be supported,” he said.
‘Light The Dark’ vigils took place in Castlemaine and Bendigo in September in support of asylum seekers.Cox also highlighted the diverse culture an influx of refugees would bring to Bendigo, citing the town of Nhill as an example.
The Western Victorian town has accepted 170 Karen refugees since 2010, and a study into the economic effect of refugees on Nhill noted a benefit of $41.5m.
Safe Haven visa holders are ineligible for Humanitarian Settlement Services such as housing and health services, but are granted eighteen months of income support as well as language and job training, as well as primary and secondary education for minors.
The visas are valid for five years, more than half of which must be spent working or studying.