SA: Kennett says support services needed for refugees

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-1999
SA: Kennett says support services needed for refugees

ADELAIDE, April 7 AAP - Australia could do more harm than good if it simply offered shelter
to refugees from Kosovo without providing the necessary support services to help them rebuild
their lives, Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett said today.

Mr Kennett said he supported Australia taking some people from the war-torn region and he
was happy for Victoria to take a portion or all of those brought into the country.

With that in mind, he said he already had asked officials within his own government to look
at what was needed in the way of facilities and help.

But Mr Kennett said it was unrealistic to think that these people would or could be
returned to their homeland in three months time and Australia must consider what other
services they would require.

"We must, as Australians, take on board some of those refugees but it is not just about
accepting them but actually planning how you're going to receive them," he said.

"Many of the them will be emotionally shattered, many of them will be suffering depression
and many of them will be suffering psychological illnesses.

"You can't bring in a large number of people and isolate them.

"You're going to have establish and start developing the networks that are going to help
them for the first six months or whatever."

Mr Kennett said he did not think it mattered how many refugees Australia accepted.

What was important, he said, was what it could do to help those people brought here.

"If, in fact, you are simply receiving them to return them somewhere in three months you
might do more damage than good," he said.

"If you're taking them out of a violent situation and they arrive knowing they've got three
months or six months before they're going back somewhere, that sort of apprehension might
actually do a lot more damage."

Mr Kennett said he expected to discuss the Kosovo crisis and Australia's plan to take
refugees with the federal government and other state leaders at the premiers' conference on
Friday.

He was in Adelaide to speak to a national conference of public sector accountants.

AAP tjd/rsm/br

KEYWORD: KOSOVO KENNETT

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