Auburn is 19 km west of Sydney`s CBD, and the white roof in the distance is the famous Grand Mosque. (http: / Chang Hsiu-feng)
In some developed countries, in some corners of some big cities, there are always places called "slums", and scholars and policy makers who conduct urban research have a headache whenever they think of such a place. The average person is even more afraid of avoiding, here the disadvantaged and the poor are dense, the houses are dilapidated, as if the modern "civilized world" does not fit, Sydney has such a place?
The answer given by the study is no. In Sydney, where people receiving humanitarian aid-so-called refugees and their families-live together, it is often better than people think they live in areas where "vulnerable" groups live.
In order to explain the topic more comprehensively, we have chosen Auburn and Springvale as examples, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) `s information on income, employment, and especially language skills. Both districts are characterized by a high proportion of "vulnerable" groups and immigrants, but their performance in the housing market is not weak.
Bottom-up social structure
In both suburbs, the earliest immigrant groups appeared during the period after World War II, when manufacturing was concentrated. At the time, Australia`s goverment encouraged support for such immigrants, who not only helped to build production in Australia, but also promoted the service and development of their communities. Some of these groups are subsidized by Australia`s goverment, and more communities integrate more organically into Australian society as a whole through their own efforts.
However, with the decline in manufacturing in the late 1970s, goverment support policies for these areas have been gradually withdrawn and immigration policies have changed.
However, whether it is Auburn or Springvale, their highly developed socio-economic traditions allow it to continue its own development.
At the same time, thanks to the high population density of these local grass-roots community groups, these new immigrants and refugees are better able to take advantage of their strengths.
Springvale, 23 km southeast of Melbourne`s CBD, is known for its Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants.
Both the suburbs of Auburn and Springvale have well-developed public transport services and are not far from the central business district of their city. There are enough social and community services, there are suitable and rich store types, the services can meet the needs of the local community. Historically, both suburbs have provided important resources and support for new immigrant communities.
Development of real estate market
But there are signs that things are changing in these new settlements.
In recent years, Australia`s urban housing market, immigration policy, economic and labour market structure have undergone wide-ranging and profound changes, and the benefits that people living in these immigrant areas have gradually changed.
People in low-skilled jobs are increasingly unable to afford to buy a home, and fewer jobs and weaker goverment support for new immigrants are making it harder for newcomers than they used to be.
Notably, housing costs for Auburn and Springvale have risen rapidly in recent years. Although the private housing market has succeeded in meeting the needs of generations of new immigrants over the past many years, the situation has gone away. Now, many migrants are unable to buy their own properties in these areas and have to live in overcrowded, co-rented houses with substandard living conditions.
Now, the situation for new immigrants is to either live in areas where conditions are unsatisfactory or move to cheaper suburbs, but where infrastructure and public services are also very backward.
If the situation in other new immigrant suburbs is similar to that in Auburn and Springvale, then Australia`s reputation as a country of old immigrant destinations would be very damaging.
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This is happening in places like Auburn and Springvale, giving us enough reason to worry about the lives of new immigrants.
As new immigrants are forced to move into more dispersed areas and live in more and more poor-quality properties, they have previously enjoyed access to the developed infrastructure already available in the Australian immigrant community to break away from their "vulnerable group" status. As a result, the tradition of becoming "new Australians" has become more and more indifferent. The reason we don`t want this is because housing is becoming more and more difficult to afford, not to mention the total disruption of the goverment`s employment and resettlement support policy.
In Australia`s property rental market, more than 95% of the supply is provided by private owners, which no doubt poses a new risk to those who choose Australia as a destination for immigration. If allowed to develop freely, it will ultimately hurt the tolerant, open culture that Australian society has long known to the world, and the economic base built by immigrants.
