Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT

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Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
Regional
Futures
Economic and social impact of the
Karen resettlement in Bendigo
A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The report is the product of a collaboration                          INDEX                                     FIGURES
between AMES Australia and Deloitte
                                                                      Executive Summary                    3    Figure 1A: Impact Assessment
Access Economics. AMES Australia
                                                                                                                Framework		                                5
evaluated the social impact of the Karen in                           1 Introduction                       5
Bendigo and managed the primary survey                                                                          Figure 1B: Labour market snapshot:
                                                                        1.1   Purpose                      5
data collection, and Deloitte Access                                                                            Bendigo and Victoria 2016                  8
                                                                        1.2 Impact Assessment Framework 5
Economics assessed the economic
                                                                                                                Figure 2A: Map of Greater Bendigo         12
impact of the Karen on Bendigo. The                                     1.3 Background to Resettlement
Karen population in Bendigo generously                                  		 in Bendigo                      7    Figure 2B: Population of Bendigo,
participated in the data-collecting                                     1.4 Timeline                      10    2016, by age                              12
interviews, and members of the Bendigo                                  1.5 Report Structure              11    Figure 2C: Components in forecast
community were equally generous in                                                                              population change 2011 - 2021      13
making time to talk to AMES Australia and                             2 Regional profile of Greater
Deloitte Access Economics.                                              Bendigo                           12    Figure 2D: School attainment in
                                                                                                                Bendigo, 2016                             14
AMES Australia and Deloitte Access                                      2.1 Demographics                  12
Economics would like to thank the following:                            2.2 Economy                       13    Figure 2E: Diversity in Bendigo, 2016     15
• Nanthu Kunoo, Nay Chee Aung and                                       2.3 Social Indicators             14    Figure 3A: Additional Bendigo GRP
   Ashin Moonieda who assisted us                                                                               ($ million)		                             18
                                                                        2.4 Population Diversity          15
   arrange the interviews with the Karen
   population.                                                                                                  Figure 3B: Additional Bendigo
                                                                      3 Economic impact                   17
                                                                                                                employment (FTE and headcount;
• Members of the Karen community in                                     3.1 Gross Regional Product        18    cumulative)                               18
   Bendigo who administered the survey.
                                                                        3.2 Employment                    18
• Staff from Bendigo Community Health                                                                           Figure 3C: Karen labour market
                                                                        3.3 Household Consumption         24    employment in Bendigo by Industry for
   Services, Bendigo Senior Secondary
   College, Bendigo Dental Health                                       3.4 Demographic Impacts           24    those who responded to the Census in
   Services, City of Greater Bendigo,                                                                           2011 and 2016                         19
                                                                      4 Social impact                     26
   Bendigo Justice Service Centre,                                                                              Figure 3D: Additional Household
   Matchworks, Bendigo Baptist Church                                   4.1 Diversification of Bendigo    26
                                                                                                                Consumption in Bendigo ($ million)        24
   and Community Care (MADCOW                                           4.2 Social Capital: Responsive
   Cleaning), the Karen Buddhist                                        		 Services                     27      Figure 3E: Current Age Profile Of The
   Dhamma Dhutta Foundation, Loddon                                                                             Karen Population In Bendigo               24
                                                                        4.3 Employment and Improved
   Campaspe Multicultural Services,                                     		 Standard of Living        32
   Hazeldenes Chicken Farm Pty Ltd,                                                                             TABLES
                                                                        4.4 Karen Youth: Opportunities and
   Keech Castings Pty Ltd, and Urban                                                                            Table 2.1: Bendigo employment
                                                                        		 Career Pathways                 33
   Garden Designs.                                                                                              by industry (2016)                        14
                                                                      5 Conditions significant in the           Table 3.1: Economic modelling
LIMITATION OF THE WORK                                                  successful resettlement of the          impacts - annual                          17
The economic modelling contained in                                     Karen community in Bendigo        36
this report was prepared solely for the                                                                         Table 3.2: AMES Survey Data               19
                                                                        1.    Employment                  37
purpose of assisting AMES Australia
                                                                        2.    Accommodation               37    Table 3.3: AMES Survey of Karen People
in understanding the impact of the
                                                                                                                Employment (Numbers Commenced,
resettlement of the Karen people to                                     3.    Leadership                  37
                                                                                                                Initial Position)                     21
Bendigo. The economic modelling in                                      4.    Pathways for young people   38
this report is not intended for any other                                                                       Table 3.4: Projected Working-age
                                                                        5.    Responsive services         38
purpose and should not be referred to,                                                                          Population as a Proportion of Total
                                                                        6.    Natural advantage of              Population                               25
used or relied upon by anyone else without
                                                                        		    regional centres            39
the consent of Deloitte Access Economics
Pty Ltd. We accept no duty of care to any
other person or entity, other than AMES
Australia for the use of this report.                                                                                                             August 2018

2   Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo
Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Regional settlement of migrants and                    According to the 2016 Census, over the                 For the Karen, it is evident in the levels
refugees is an important component                     ten years since 2006, more than 800                    and types of employment they are
in the advancement of Australia’s                      Karen people settled in Bendigo4;                      experiencing, improved standards of
migration strategies and, when                             “Bendigo is a very different place from            living, including home ownership, and
well-facilitated, makes a significant                      what it was ten years ago. It is much              greater opportunities and career pathways
contribution to the economic and                           more multicultural now with different              for young people. Karen people see a
social fabric of regional communities.                     faces on the streets.” 5                           good and sustainable future in Bendigo.
The purpose of this study is to
                                                       Resettlement of the Karen in Bendigo has               In addition to this social contribution,
examine one example of such
                                                       been sustained – evidencing the region’s               economic modelling undertaken by
migration, as well as further illuminate
                                                       attractiveness as a settlement location for            Deloitte Access Economics provides an
the community facilitation and the
                                                       this community – and has progressively                 indication of the scale of the economic
conditions that need to be in place in
                                                       contributed to a more ethnically diverse               impact. In net present value terms
order to deliver better economic and
                                                       Bendigo, impacting many aspects of                     (NPV) over a 10 year period, the total
social outcomes from the regional
                                                       Bendigo society, including an increase                 economic impact from the regional
settlement of migrants.
                                                       in social capital. Social capital has been             resettlement of the Karen population on
This study is the product of a research                directly linked to broader concepts such               the Bendigo economy is estimated to have
collaboration between AMES Australia and               as social cohesion, democracy, economic                been $67.1 million, with an associated
Deloitte Access Economics and focuses                  wellbeing and sustainability.6 In similar              impact on employment of 177 full-time-
on resettlement of Karen refugees in                   findings to the Nhill study, the research              equivalent (FTE). Further modelling of
Greater Bendigo (Bendigo), a substantial               undertaken to inform this report finds                 the demographic profile of the Karen
regional centre in central Victoria with a             increased social capital for the host                  population, which currently comprises a
population of 110,4791 in 2016. This study,            community and new settlers alike.                      disproportionately high share of people
part of a program of focus on regional                                                                        aged under 18 indicates, that all things
                                                       For Bendigo, not only is the city now
and rural resettlement, is a companion                                                                        being equal, the Karen labour force will
                                                       a more diverse community, but the
report to Small towns Big returns2 a study                                                                    continue to grow over time, adding to the
                                                       community itself values that increased
of resettlement in a much smaller rural                                                                       productive capacity of the region in years
                                                       diversity. This is evidenced by the
economy (Nhill, with a population of                                                                          to come.
                                                       responsiveness of local services who have
2,2783). These companion studies provide
                                                       found ways to support the resettlement of
an analysis of the social and economic
                                                       the Karen in Bendigo.
impacts of the Karen on these locations
over time, and the factors contributing
to the success of the resettlement of
the Karen in these two very different
regional contexts.

1   Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au.
2   AMES and Deloitte Access Economics, 2015, Small towns Big returns: Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Nhill.
3   Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011 Census of Population and Housing (the most recent Census at the time of writing Small towns Big returns).
4   Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au.
5   Matthew Parkinson Community Care Director Bendigo Baptist Community Care Inc.
6   Australian Institute of Family Studies, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin No.4 Spring/Summer 2003 p.13-16;
    http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull4/ws.html (accessed 14 August 2014).

                                                                                                            A joint AMES Australia and Deloitte Access Economics Report   3
Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
As in the small rural economy of Nhill, the                           However, while critical in both locations,   Indications are that benefits will continue
necessary factor in the success of the                                employment was not of itself sufficient       to accrue as the community continues to
Karen resettlement has been employment.                               for successful resettlement. A number        integrate, and the assets and aspirations
The availability of regular, reliable and fair                        of other contributing factors have also      represented by the younger Karen
work at a large employer, Hazeldenes                                  been identified:                              population are realised in Bendigo.
Chicken Farm Pty Ltd, has been a                                      • capacity and capability of local           Considered in conjunction with Small
significant drawcard in attracting and                                    services to respond to new settlers      towns Big returns, this report tells us that,
retaining the Karen in Bendigo. Willingness                           • leadership and support from local          large or small, rural communities can
to adapt or develop workplace practices                                   champions, and leadership from within    benefit economically and socially from
to facilitate the integration of these new                                the Karen community                      regional resettlement, when approached
settlers was integral to this attraction                              • opportunities for young people to          in (contextually) appropriate ways. Herein
and retention.                                                            participate in training, employment      lies additional economic and social
Over the ten years of the Karen                                           and in the community                     contributions for Bendigo into the future,
resettlement, the number of businesses                                • affordable housing for both rental         but more particularly for other regional
employing Karen workers has grown                                         and purchase                             Australian communities to catalyse.
to more than 50, and the number of                                    • the natural advantages of large
industries where the Karen are employed                                   regional centres that offer services
increased from three to eight between                                     and opportunities within an easier to
2011 and 2016 7.                                                          navigate environment.

7 Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au.

4   Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo
Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
1. INTRODUCTION

1.1                                                     1.2
PURPOSE                                                 IMPACT ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK
Over 2013 – 2015 AMES Australia                         The assessment framework used to determine the impact of the resettlement of the Karen
documented the resettlement of a sizable                people in Bendigo is illustrated in Figure 1A below.
community of Karen refugees (from Burma/                FIGURE 1A: IMPACT ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK
Myanmar8) in the small rural township
of Nhill in western Victoria. The resulting
                                                                         TOTAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACT
report, Small towns Big returns: economic
and social impact of Karen resettlement in
Nhill, was prepared in research partnership
with Deloitte Access Economics and                               SOCIAL IMPACTS                                        ECONOMIC IMPACTS
provided an analysis of the economic
impacts for Nhill, systematic documentation                  Areas of analysis                                       Areas of analysis
of the headline social impacts and                       •   Impact on community diversity                       •   Impact on Gross Regional Product
described the factors that contributed to                •   Impact on service provision                         •   Impact on employment
the success of the resettlement.                         •   Impact on other social determinants                 •   Impact on household expenditure
                                                         •   Intergenerational effects                           •   Impact on demographics
The findings of that study were widely
reported and the successful resettlement                     Inputs                                                  Inputs
of the Karen in Nhill continues to generate              • AMES survey data                                      • Economy-wide modelling informed
considerable interest across a range                     • Case study / interview data                             by ABS data and AMES survey data
of communities and stakeholders. For                     • ABS data
instance local governments, especially
in regional Victoria, have demonstrated
interest in exploring opportunities to
apply similar approaches to growing their
rural communities.
In 2015 – 2017 AMES Australia and
Deloitte Access Economics undertook a
similar assessment of the economic and
social impact of the Karen population on
the larger regional economy of Bendigo
in central Victoria. Bendigo as a regional
city and a local economy is large, with
over 110,000 residents compared to Nhill’s
population of around 2,200.
And while similar to Nhill in that the Karen
population in Bendigo is also large
and established, it nevertheless makes
up a much smaller percentage of the
overall population.
This report is the product of a research
collaboration between AMES Australia and
Deloitte Access Economics.

8 In 1989, the military government of Burma announced that they wanted foreigners to stop using the words Burma and Burmese. Instead they wanted the world to
  use Myanmar for the country and its national people, and Bamar for the majority ethnic and linguistic group. Thus, members of the ethnic minorities – the Karen,
  for example – would be Myanmar by nationality and Karen by ethnicity, … (Refugees from Burma: Their Backgrounds and Refugee Experiences, Culture Profile
  No. 21, Published by the Center for Applied Linguistics, Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Washington, DC , June 2007).In this report the term Burma has
  been used to reflect how the Karen involved most commonly refer to their country of origin.

                                                                                                              A joint AMES Australia and Deloitte Access Economics Report   5
Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
1 INTRODUCTION

1.2.1                                                                 • Interviews with Karen community         1.2.2
                                                                        leaders: four of the Karen living in
PRIMARY DATA COLLATED                                                   Bendigo who are recognised as           ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
Where possible, quantitative data has                                   leaders in their community were         The economic impact has been assessed
been gathered as evidence of the                                        interviewed.                            using the Deloitte Access Economics’
impact of the Karen resettlement, and is                              • Interviews with service providers       Computable General Equilibrium (CGE)
augmented by qualitative data. Primary                                  based in Bendigo: a number of local     modelling capacity. The key outputs of
data has been collected from four                                       business and service providers were     the modelling and analysis are estimates
main sources:                                                           interviewed. These included staff       of the additional Gross Regional Product
• Structured surveys conducted with                                     and senior management at Bendigo        (GRP), FTE employment and household
   Karen people living in Bendigo:                                      Community Health Services, Loddon       consumption expenditure generated, from
   data from 116 Karen households                                       Campaspe Multicultural Services and     the date of the first arrivals of the Karen in
   (comprising 574 individuals) was                                     schools that Karen children attend.     Bendigo in 2007 to 2016.
   collected by field assistants using a                              • Interviews with employers: the
   standardised survey tool. All interviews                             Human Resource Manager of
   with the Karen were conducted in                                     Hazeledenes Chicken Farm Pty Ltd
   the Karen language. This ensured                                     agreed to be interviewed, as did
   that information collected was                                       representatives from Keech Bendigo
   comprehensive and accurate. The                                      and Matchworks employment services.
   surveys sought basic demographic                                     Several smaller businesses where
   profile data, employment data and                                     Karen workers are currently, or were
   disposable income data.                                              previously employed, also contributed
                                                                        to the qualitative data collection.

                                 Bendigo: a regional city

6   Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo
Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
1 INTRODUCTION

1.3
BACKGROUND TO                                              The 2016 Census13 recorded
                                                           32,656 Myanmar-born people
RESETTLEMENT IN                                            in Australia, an increase of 50%

BENDIGO                                                    from the 2011 Census, and an
                                                           increase of 164% since 2006. The
                                                                                                                                Northern
                                                                                                                                Territory
                                                                                                                                                  Queensland
                                                                                                                                                    3,176
                                                                                                                                  201                10%
Over the ten years since 2007 at least 800                 2016 distribution by state and                                         1%
                                                                                                         Western Australia
Karen people settled in Bendigo9. This                     territory shows Victoria as having                 8,707
                                                                                                                                South Australia
                                                                                                              27%
section provides background on the key                     the largest number with 10,971                                           1,575
                                                                                                                                     5%               New South Wales
stakeholders in the resettlement of the                    followed by Western Australia                                                                   7,124
Karen community in Bendigo, including:                     (8,707), New South Wales (7,124)                                                                22%
                                                                                                                                                                        Australian
• the Karen people                                         and Queensland (3,176). In                                                                                     Capital
                                                                                                                                                      Victoria           Territory
• Greater Bendigo                                          addition, Victoria has seen the                                                            10,971               611
                                                           largest growth in its Myanmar                                                               34%                 2%
• employers
                                                           population since 2011,                                                                        Tasmania
1.3.1                                                      at approximately 50%.                                                                           292
                                                                                                                                                            1%

THE KAREN PEOPLE                                           No census data records the
                                                           number of people in Australia                         Ancestry: In the 2016 Census Burmese
On a global level, over the last ten years                                                                       (13,694) and Karen (4,816) were the two
                                                           that identify as ethnic Karen, as
refugees from Burma (Myanmar), Iraq,                                                                             top ancestries reported by Myanmar-
                                                           the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Bhutan, Somalia and, most recently, Syria                                                                        born people.
                                                           records country of birth, rather than
have been the target of a large number
                                                           ethnic group. However, reported                       Language: the main languages spoken
of UNHCR resettlement submissions to
                                                           ‘ancestry’ and ‘main language                         at home by Myanmar-born people in
resettlement countries like Australia.
                                                           used at home’ provide a good                          Australia were Burmese (13,218), English
In regards to refugees from Burma, more                    indication of the number of Karen                     (5,407) and Karen (5,329).
than 140,000 refugees live in camps along                  in Australia.
the Thai-Burma border. Most of these
identify as ethnic minority Karen.10
                                                        Like most new arrivals, the majority of the             The Karen are predominantly from
In 2005, the United Nations High                        Karen live in metropolitan areas when                   rural backgrounds and live in Burma as
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)                       they first settle in Australia. In Victoria, for        subsistence farmers in small mountain
began the registration and resettlement of              example, of the 5,177 individuals in the                villages, growing rice and vegetables
people from these camps. 50,000 Karen                   state who reported speaking Karen at                    and raising animals. Younger people
refugees have been resettled in America,                home14, around 2,400 have settled in the                may have spent all or most of their lives
Canada, Australia, and some European                    Wyndham Local Government Area (LGA).15                  in refugee camps. Coming from these
countries.11                                            Other Karen communities have been                       backgrounds, a number of Karen people
The majority of the Karen have settled                  established in areas including Greater                  find the prospect of living in a smaller city
in America, with Australia taking in the                Geelong (590 individuals), Maroondah (333               (compared to Melbourne) quite attractive.
second highest number.12                                individuals), Hobsons Bay (329 individuals)
                                                        and Hindmarsh (136 individuals).

9    Based on the 2016 ABS Census of Population and Housing number of individuals selecting `Karen’ as the language spoken at home. Anecdotally, it was
     indicated in a small number of interviews that the Karen population in Bendigo may be higher than this, however, the ABS Census data were used as the
     basis of the quantitative analysis included in this report.
10   UNHCR, 2014 UNHCR country operations profile – Myanmar and Thailand, http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e4877d6.html.
11   http://kcssf.org.au/about-us/the-karen-people/.
12   Bird, J., Brough, M., & Cox, L., QUT, 2012 Producing solidarity: a settlement strategy of the Karen refugee community in Brisbane.
13   Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au.
14   Includes Karen born in Australia.
15   Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au.

                                                                                                              A joint AMES Australia and Deloitte Access Economics Report      7
Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
1 INTRODUCTION

Karen people are strongly community                                   1.3.2                                        The 2016 Census20 shows that in Bendigo:
oriented and place high importance                                                                                 • the unemployment rate (15+) was 6.4%
on family and respect for elders and                                  GREATER BENDIGO                              • the employment rate was 69.9%
community/religious leaders. A number                                 Bendigo, located in the Central Goldfields   • the participation rate was 58.2%
of people cited joining family, other                                 Region approximately 150 kilometres
Karen and/or their religious leader as a                              north west of Melbourne, is Victoria’s       Compared to Victoria, these statistics
reason for moving to Bendigo. The 2016                                second largest regional economy and          show that a similar proportion of the
Census16 indicates that roughly 22% of                                the fourth most populous city in regional    working age population (15-64) are
the Karen in Bendigo are Buddhist and                                 Victoria. Classified ‘Inner Regional’ on     employed, but that a lower proportion
74% are Christian (with 47% of the Karen                              the Australian Standard Geographic           of the working age population choose
population identifying as Baptist). This                              Classification (ASGC) Remoteness             to participate in the labour market.
is consistent with AMES survey data in                                Areas, at August 9, 2016 Bendigo had         Additionally, Bendigo’s unemployment rate
which around two thirds of the participants                           a residential population of 110,47918.       was 0.2% lower at the time of the Census
identify as Christian, and a quarter as                               Bendigo provides a service and               than the Victorian state-wide rate at 6.4%.
                                                                                                                   100%
Buddhist.                                                             infrastructure centre for north central      FIGURE 1B: LABOUR MARKET SNAPSHOT:
                                                                                                                   90%
                                                                      Victoria, and has a strong and diverse       BENDIGO  AND VICTORIA, 2016
The main Karen community organisations
                                                                      business economy.                            80%
in Bendigo are the Karen Culture and
Social Support Foundation (Incorporated),                             Manufacturing is Bendigo’s largest           70%
known as the Karen Buddhist Dhamma                                    industry by economic output but there
Dhutta Foundation until 2016, and the                                 has been substantial growth in all           60%

Karen Organisation of Bendigo.17                                      other sectors. Bendigo’s business and        50%
                                                                      manufacturing industry includes multi-
                                                                      national, national and small to medium       40%

                                                                      enterprises. Bendigo and Adelaide Bank       30%
                                                                      is one of Bendigo’s largest businesses,
                                                                      with engineering, food manufacturing,        20%

                                                                      gold mining and defense equipment being      10%
                                                                      other strong business areas. Growth areas
                                                                      catering for the expanding population        0%
                                                                                                                          Unemployment rate   Employment rate   Participation rate
                                                                      include retail, finance, education and
                                                                                                                              (+15)
                                                                      health services.19
                                                                                                                   ■    BENDIGO
                                                                                                                   ■    VICTORIA

                                                                                                                   Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing
                                                                                                                   (2016)

                                                                                                                   As a large regional city, Bendigo hosts
                                                                                                                   many large and small community events
                                                                                                                   including farmers’ markets, food and wine,
                                                                                                                   art, music and literary events. At Easter,
                                                                                                                   as a tribute to the Chinese influence in
                                                                                                                   Bendigo’s history, the Chinese dragon
                                                                                                                   parade through the streets marks the
                                                                                                                   beginning of the annual four-day Bendigo
                                                                                                                   Easter Festival, Australia’s longest running
                                                                                                                   cultural festival. In recent years the
                                                                                                                   Karen have added their cultural events
                                                                                                                   to the annual calendar and Bendigo now
                                                                                                                   celebrates Karen New Year, Wrist Tying
16 Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder           Festivals and the Annual Water Festival
   on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au.
17 http://www.karen.org.au/karen_people_in_bendigo.htm.                                                            (Buddhist New Year Festival).
18 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing.
19 http://www.economyprofile.com.au/bendigo.
20 Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder
   on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au.

8   Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo
Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
1 INTRODUCTION

DIVERSITY IN BENDIGO                                  An overview of the demographic profile of Bendigo and demographic trends is provided
                                                      in Chapter 2.
In its Diversity Plan, the City of Greater
Bendigo refers to the increasing number
of migrants from non-English speaking                   “Increasing cultural diversity in Bendigo has meant increasing religious diversity.
backgrounds in Bendigo’s population,                    The Karen are religiously diverse and include Buddhist and different Christian
and notes that:                                         denominations. There is a small but growing Sikh community, Hindu community and
                                                        a revitalising progressive Jewish community. Muslims have resided in Bendigo for
• between 2006 and 2011 residents from
                                                        many years and the Bendigo Islamic Association was established in 2003. Having
     non-English speaking backgrounds
                                                        a place of faith for worship, social gatherings, programs and education is important
     increased by 43% - a greater increase
                                                        for community participation, identity and religious expression. Consequently, there
     than regional Victoria generally.
                                                        has been growing interest to establish different places of worship. This has included:
     This is reflective of Australian and
                                                        approved planning approval for a Karen monastery in Eaglehawk, a Bendigo
     Victorian immigration patterns, and
                                                        Mosque, and expressions of interests for a Gurdwara (Sikh temple). The Stupa of
     the settlement of refugees, particularly
                                                        Universal Compassion is not only a place of Buddhist spiritual connection, but also a
     Karen, Karenni (from Burma) and
                                                        place of inter-faith dialogue.”
     Hazara (from Afghanistan). Settlement
     in Bendigo also included many small                (Greater Bendigo Cultural Diversity and Inclusion Plan; Document Set ID: 3439349;
     culturally, linguistically and religiously         Version: 1, Version Date: 18/08/2016)
     diverse communities, such as the
     Sikh, South Sudanese and Nepali
     communities; and
• the resettlement of a significant
     community from a single ethno-
     cultural group, the Karen, is an unusual
     demographic characteristic not seen
     in Bendigo since the Chinese arrived
     during the gold rushes.
The results of the 2016 Census21 provide
a more up-to-date picture of cultural
diversity in the municipality and show:
• since 2006, the number of individuals
    reporting an ancestry other than North
    West European or Australian has
    increased from 4% to 7% of Bendigo’s
    total population.
• an increased proportion of residents
    speaking a language other than
    English at home - from 6% in 2006 to
    11% in 2016.
• in 2016, 16% of the population of
    Bendigo identified a country of
    birth other than Australia, although
    this remains a lower share than the
    Australia-wide inner regional average of
    29%, or the Victoria-wide share of 35%.
             Plans for a new monastery complex:
Ashin Moonieinda with Karen community members
  Photographer: Adam Holmes/Fairfax Syndication

21 Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au

                                                                                                          A joint AMES Australia and Deloitte Access Economics Report   9
Regional Futures Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo - A JOINT AMES AUSTRALIA AND DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS REPORT
1 INTRODUCTION

1.3.3                                                             OTHER EMPLOYERS
                                                                  Other businesses have been able to               These businesses cover a diverse range of
EMPLOYERS                                                         capitalise on the additional labour supply       sectors including: construction, agriculture/
HAZELDENES CHICKEN                                                that the Karen have created, and/or have         horticulture, cleaning, hospitality, education,
FARM PTY LTD                                                      responded to greater demand for services         health and community services. This is
The initial resettlement of the Karen                             as a result of the settling Karen population.    expanded on in Chapter 3.
in Bendigo was prompted by work
opportunities at one of the larger local                          1.4
employers, Hazeldenes.
Hazeldenes is a family-owned company.                             TIMELINE
The business has been in operation                                The resettlement of the Karen in Bendigo has been a gradual process. The idea of
for over 60 years and includes farming,                           sponsoring Karen refugees was initially proposed by members of the Bendigo community
hatching and processing chickens largely                          in 2005. Information about the Karen people and their lives in the refugee camps was
for the domestic market, where customers                          shared through church groups and sponsorship was organised.
include major supermarket chains. A small
percentage of products are exported to
the Asian market, where demand for fresh                           TIMELINE                                       AMES SURVEY (574 individuals)
products is growing.
                                                                   MAY 2007                                       END 2007
GROWTH                                                             • Three Buddhist monks, followed by a          • 13 individuals have settled in Bendigo:
Hazeldenes has created 290 new jobs                                  family of four, arrive in Bendigo              two families, two couples and three
for direct employees over the past six                                                                              individuals
                                                                   • Accommodation arranged for the
years – an increase of 60% in their directly
                                                                     monks in a church property; the family       • Two adults are enrolled in ESL classes
employed workforce.22 The business now
                                                                     is provided temporary accommodation            and the teenager in secondary school
employs 850 - 860 local employees and
                                                                     through the Bendigo Friends and              • Adults are seeking work, but no-one is
contractors including youth, mature-aged
                                                                     Mentors group                                  employed apart from the monks in their
workers and people from many different
                                                                                                                    religious capacity
cultural backgrounds. This includes
between 125 and 130 Karen people,                                  2007 - 2010
20 Hazara people from Afghanistan,                                 • More Karen refugees arrive directly          • 167 individuals have settled in Bendigo
as well as many Chinese, Vietnamese,                                 from refugee camps on the Thai-Burma           (41 households)
Filipinos, Pacific Islanders, South Africans,                        border                                       • 12 adults are enrolled in ESL classes
Indians and Sri Lankans.23                                         • Others relocate to Bendigo from                and five in further education (TAFE
                                                                     Melbourne and other places in Australia        or University); 20 children enrolled in
COMMUNITY
                                                                   • By 2010 the Karen community has                primary school; 34 in secondary school
Hazeldenes is a strong supporter of the local
                                                                     grown to 42 families and includes            • 15 people (14 households) have paid
Bendigo community. As well as employing a
                                                                     and a number of single people25                employment; nine of these are employed
large number of local people, the business
                                                                     (Data on the number of individuals is          at Hazeldenes
supports many social and community
                                                                     not available)                               • 18 people/families are buying houses
services across regional Victoria; is heavily
involved with a locally–based national charity                     2011
for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder;
                                                                   • By the 2011 Census26, 284 people             • 219 individuals have settled in Bendigo
works with disenfranchised young people
                                                                     speak the Karen language across                (55 households)
and young people with disability; sponsors
                                                                     Bendigo, the most common language            • 35 people (27 households) have paid
local football, education and community
                                                                     other than English (Bendigo City               employment; 21 of these are employed
events. The Hazeldenes Bendigo Easter
                                                                     Council Annual Report 2015-2016)               at Hazeldenes
Festival is an iconic and inclusive event.24
                                                                                                                  • 22 people/families are buying houses

22 https://www.facebook.com/hazeldeneschickenfarm/photos/rpp../1350153214998859/?type=3&theater.
23 Interview with People and Performance Manager Hazeldenes Chicken Farm Pty Ltd (teleconference, 19th March 2018).
24 http://www.hazeldenes.com.au/community-spirit/.
25 Couch, Adonis & MacLaren, ACU, 2010, What Makes a Welcome? Exploring Karen refugee settlement in Bendigo.
26 Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au.

10   Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo
1 INTRODUCTION

A timeline describing key features of the resettlement is provided below. The data in
the first column has been collated from a range of sources including interviews, local
reports and census data. (Note: indications are that the total Karen population is
under-represented in the Census) AMES survey captured approximately half the Karen
population in Bendigo. Together, the two sets of data provide a comprehensive picture of
the Karen resettlement in Bendigo.

 TIMELINE                                           AMES SURVEY (574 individuals)

 2015
 • Local estimates put the Karen                    • 487 individuals have settled in Bendigo
   population in Bendigo at more than                 (109 households)
   1,000 (Sources include City of Greater           • 113 people (109 households) have paid
   Bendigo Community Partnerships                     employment; 48 of these at Hazeldenes
   Manager; Karen leaders)

 2016 - 2017
 • The 2016 Census27 records 870 people             • A further 33 individuals arrive in 2016.
   who speak the Karen language across                Just under half of these (14) are pre-
   Bendigo. However, the Bendigo                      school or primary school age
   community estimate that between 1500             • 23 children in pre-school, 85 at primary
   and 1700 Karen are settled in Bendigo              and 85 at secondary school (in total 193
   from initial and secondary migration28             children)
 • Many families have children enrolled in          • 21 attend TAFE; four are enrolled at
   local primary and secondary schools,               university
   with 325 of the 870 Karen-speaking               • 40% of working age adults (127 people)
   individuals identified in the 2016                 have had one or more jobs since they
   Census aged 15 or under                            arrived in Bendigo
 • The 2016 Census records 201                      • 57 of these have worked at Hazeldenes,
   employed Karen individuals, with                   30 of them for five or more years.
   126 employed full-time. 19 individuals             Retention is high
   were unemployed, and the remainder               • A further 50 plus businesses have
   were not in the labour force                       employed Karen workers
 • Over 125 Karen are employed at                   • 29 families are buying a house
   Hazeldenes
 • Local agencies report that at least
   52 houses have been purchased by
   the Karen population

27 ibid.
28 Many local people interviewed believe the population to be underrepresented in the 2016 Census due to the fact that a percentage of the Karen community
  would not understand the Census and its purpose nor would they have the computer literacy required to complete the Census online.

                                                                                                          A joint AMES Australia and Deloitte Access Economics Report   11
2 REGIONAL PROFILE OF GREATER
  BENDIGO

                                                                                                               2.1
Greater Bendigo (Bendigo) is a major regional centre servicing the towns and rural areas
of the Loddon Campaspe Region, about 150 kilometres north west of Melbourne.                                   DEMOGRAPHICS
The city is connected to Melbourne and other regions by high-quality road and rail                             The official population of Bendigo as of
infrastructure, and much of the city comprises suburban communities based around key                           the 9th of August, 2016 is 110,47930 and
transport corridors.                                                                                           Bendigo is the largest regional centre in
                                                                                                               the Loddon Mallee Region31. On the night
FIGURE 2A: MAP OF GREATER BENDIGO
                                                                                                               of the 2016 Census, there were 53,589
                                                                                                               males and 56,890 females in Bendigo.
                                                                                                               The median age in the population was
                                                                                                               39 years, slightly older than the median
                                                                                                               age across Victoria which is 37 years.
                                                                                                               Based on the 2016 Census, Bendigo’s age
                                                                                                               profile shows a lower proportion of people
                                                                                                               in the prime working age group of 25-49
                                                                                                               (30.6% in Bendigo, compared to 34.6%
                                                                                                               in Victoria), with youth and children, and
                                                                                                               residents aged over 50 over-represented
                                                                                                               compared to the State of Victoria
                                                                                                               (Figure 2B).
                                                                                                               FIGURE 2B: POPULATION OF BENDIGO,
                                                                                                               2016, BY AGE

                                                                                                               85 and
                                                                                                                 over
                                                                                                               80-85
                                                                                                               75-79
                                                                                                               70-74
                                                                                                               65-69
                                                                                                               60-64
                                                                                                               55-59
http://knowyourcouncil.vic.gov.au/councils/greater-bendigo                                                     50-54
                                                                                                               45-49
The economic history of Bendigo                                   The city has approximately 66,500 local      40-44
                                                                                                               35-39
dates back to the 1850s when alluvial                             jobs29, across more than 7,500 local         30-34
gold deposits were first discovered in                            businesses (Remplan 2016). Large             25-29
the region. During the 1900s the city                             employing businesses include the             20-24
                                                                                                               15-19
established itself as a manufacturing base                        Bendigo Health Care Group, Bendigo
                                                                                                               10-14
for primary industries operating in the                           Bank and Hazeldenes, however the               5-9
region. While still significant, traditional                      majority of businesses are small, with 97%     0-4

reliance on manufacturing has decreased                           of all businesses having fewer than 20           0.0%   1.0%   2.0%   3.0%   4.0%   5.0%   6.0%   7.0% 8.0%

in recent years, with the development of a                        employees. (Draft Plan Greater Bendigo,      ■   BENDIGO
strong health, education and retail sector                        March 2017)                                  ■   VICTORIA

in the city.                                                                                                   Source: ABS 2016 Census of Population and
                                                                  Education is also a major employer in        Housing
Both Bendigo and the Loddon Campaspe                              the region with Bendigo offering a full
Region have been experiencing strong                              range of higher education opportunities
economic growth in recent years. While                            (including La Trobe University and
the economy in the city is diverse,                               Bendigo Kangan Institute of TAFE), private
the most common industries include                                and public secondary schools and a large
health care and social assistance, retail                         number of primary, pre-school and child
trade, education, construction and                                care facilities.
manufacturing.

29 Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au
30 Ibid.
31 The Loddon Mallee region includes the two sub-regions of Loddon Campaspe and Mallee.

12   Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo
2 REGIONAL PROFILE OF GREATER
  BENDIGO

                                                                                                                         2.2
This could impact on the local economy                   FIGURE 2C: COMPONENTS IN FORECAST
over the next 15 years if a large proportion             POPULATION CHANGE 2011 - 2021                                   ECONOMY
of the working age population retire                     35%
                                                                                                                         Bendigo has over 7,500 businesses and
and Bendigo continues to lose workers
                                                                                                                         a workforce of around 66,500 people. By
aged in their twenties to Melbourne. The                 30%
                                                                                                                         industry, Bendigo has experienced strong
dependency ratio32 is expected to reach
                                                                                                                         employment growth in construction; arts
close to 29% by 2021 - higher than the                   25%
                                                                                                                         and recreation services; transport, postal
Victorian average.
                                                                                                                         and warehousing; healthcare and social
                                                         20%
The population of Bendigo is anticipated                                                                                 assistance; professional services and
to grow on average at 1.4% annually33.                                                                                   financial and insurance services. The
                                                         15%
This is below the state average of 1.8%,                                                                                 number of individuals employed in each
but higher than the majority of Victoria’s                                                                               industry in 2016 is shown in Table 2.1.
                                                         10%
regional areas. The expected rate of                                                                                     Bendigo is also the headquarters for the
growth in Bendigo is the third-largest of                                                                                Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, which is now
                                                         5%
all Victorian regional cities, behind Greater                                                                            a top 70 ASX-listed company and employs
Geelong and Ballarat, with Bendigo’s                                                                                     approximately 1,000 people locally
                                                         0%
diverse employment and housing                                                                                           across head office, six branches and two
                                                                Net migration   Natural increase   Deaths   Births
opportunities, proximity to Melbourne,                                                                                   community bank branches.
                                                         ■    BENDIGO
cultural and social amenities and                        ■    MELBOURNE
                                                                                                                         Other major businesses include
increasing health and education facilities               Sources: ABS 3235, VIF 2016                                     Rural Finance Corporation, Hofmann
continuing to attract inward migration from
                                                                                                                         Engineering, Keech Castings, Parmalat,
neighbouring LGAs, Melbourne and New
                                                                                                                         Hazeldenes, Bendigo Health, Latrobe
South Wales.
                                                                                                                         University and Bendigo TAFE.34
Compared to Melbourne, Bendigo is
forecast to have lower relative population                Major Businesses                                             Industry
growth. By 2021, the population of
                                                          Bendigo Bank                                                 Banking
Bendigo is predicted to increase by
34% from 2011 levels, compared to                         Rural Finance Corporation                                    Financial and insurance services
Melbourne’s 45% increase. The difference                  Thales                                                       Defence
in relative population growth is driven
                                                          Hofmann Engineering                                          Primary and fabricated metal product
by lower net migration, as well as lower
                                                                                                                       manufacturing
natural population increase and births than
Melbourne. Further, Bendigo’s death rate                  Keech Castings                                               Primary metal product manufacturing
is significantly higher than Melbourne’s,                                                                              (steel castings)
reflecting a relatively older population                  Parmalat                                                     Dairy product manufacturing
in Bendigo.
                                                          Hazeldenes Chicken Farm Pty Ltd                              Meat product manufacturing (poultry)
                                                          Bendigo Health                                               Health care and social assistance
                                                          La Trobe University & Bendigo TAFE                           Tertiary education

                                                         The Gross Regional Product (GRP)35 of the Greater Bendigo LGA is estimated to be
                                                         $6,700m in 2016, accounting for approximately 1.5% of Victoria’s total Gross State
                                                         Product (GSP).

32 The dependency ratio expresses the number of individuals in a population aged 0-14 years old or 65 and over as a proportion of the working-age population
  (those aged 15 to 64).
33 Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2016, Victoria in Future 2016. Accessed online on 15/01/2018 via: https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/
  assets/pdf_file/0014/14036/Victoria-in-Future-2016-FINAL-web.pdf.
34 www.rdv.vic.gov.au/bendigo.
35 Gross Regional Product is the total level of final goods output produced by factor inputs within a geographic region over the course of a financial year. GRP is
  measured using imputed methods as it is difficult to accurately allocate factor inputs to specific regions and the ABS does not publish a series on it, the estimate
  presented is based on Deloitte Access Economics calculations.

                                                                                                                     A joint AMES Australia and Deloitte Access Economics Report   13
2 REGIONAL PROFILE OF GREATER
  BENDIGO

                                                                                                                 2.3
TABLE 2.1 BENDIGO EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY (2016)

 Industry                                                                   Employed persons              %      SOCIAL INDICATORS
 Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing                                                   2,859              4.3      Bendigo is classified as ‘Inner Regional’
                                                                                                                 on the Australian Standard Geographic
 Mining                                                                                913              1.4
                                                                                                                 Classification (ASGC) Remoteness Areas.
 Manufacturing                                                                       5,867              8.8      Currently there are significant levels of
 Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services                                            778              1.2      disadvantage in both the city and region.
                                                                                                                 According to the most recent release
 Construction                                                                        5,757              8.7
                                                                                                                 of the SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-
 Wholesale Trade                                                                     1,213              1.8      Economic Advantage and Disadvantage
 Retail Trade                                                                        7,142             10.7      (SEIFA, 2011)35, Bendigo is more
 Accommodation and Food Services                                                     4,333              6.5      disadvantaged than the Victorian average.
                                                                                                                 Bendigo has an Index of Relative Socio-
 Transport, Postal and Warehousing                                                   2,284              3.4      economic Disadvantage index score
 Information Media and Telecommunications                                              823              1.2      (IRSEAD) of 983.1 compared to Victoria
 Financial and Insurance Services                                                    2,230              3.4      which has an IRSEAD index score of
                                                                                                                 1,009.6.36 With a score of less than 1000,
 Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services                                               703              1.1
                                                                                                                 Bendigo is relatively more disadvantaged
 Professional, Scientific and Technical Services                                     3,117              4.7      when compared to the whole nation.37
 Administrative and Support Services                                                 1,842              2.8      In line with this, residents have lower
 Public Administration and Safety                                                    4,097              6.2      educational attainment than the state
 Education and Training                                                              6,007              9.0      average, with 46% of relevant Bendigo
                                                                                                                 residents having completed a secondary
 Health Care and Social Assistance                                                  10,527             15.8      education (relative to 57% across Victoria),
 Arts and Recreation Services                                                        1,057              1.6      while 38% have not completed schooling
 Other Services                                                                      2,407              3.6      beyond year 10 (relative to around one
                                                                                                                 third in Victoria).38
 Inadequately described                                                              1,815              2.7
                                                                                                                 FIGURE 2D: SCHOOL ATTAINMENT IN
 Not stated                                                                            685              1.0      BENDIGO, 2016
 Total – all industries                                                            66,456            100.0
                                                                                                                 100%

Source: 2016 ABS Census of Population and Housing

In 2016, the median weekly household                              The proportion of households where             80%
income in Bendigo was $1,184. This is                             mortgage repayments were 30% or more
below the Victorian ($1,419) and Australian                       was lower (5.9%) than the State (7.5%) and
weekly household medians ($1,428).                                National (7.2%) values.                        60%

Yet the percentage of households
                                                                  At the time of the 2016 Census, the
experiencing housing stress is fairly similar
                                                                  unemployment rate in Bendigo was               40%
to the state and national average, with
                                                                  slightly lower than the State average (2016
households for which rent makes up more
                                                                  Census: Bendigo 6.4%, Victoria 6.6 %).
than 30% of income (10.3%) on par with                                                                           20%
Victoria (10.4%) and slightly lower than
Australia (11.5%).
                                                                                                                 0%
                                                                                                                              BENDIGO         VICTORIA

36 The SEIFA index of Advantage and Disadvantage has “been constructed so that relatively                        ■    YEAR 12 OR EQUIVALENT
   disadvantaged areas have low index values while relatively advantaged areas have high values”.                ■    YEAR 11 OR EQUIVALENT
37 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA 2011) cat. no. 2033.0.55.001.   ■    YEAR 10 OR EQUIVALENT
   (Most current release).                                                                                       ■    YEAR 9 OR EQUIVALENT
38 For Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s) across Australia, the average (population weighted) SEIFA score on       ■    YEAR 8 OR BELOW
   the index of disadvantage is 1,000. Therefore areas with an index above 1,000 are above the Australian        ■    DID NOT GO TO SCHOOL
   average and so relatively less disadvantaged, while index figures below 1,000 indicate areas of
   relatively greater disadvantage when compared to the nation.                                                  Source: ABS 2016 Census of Population and Housing
39 ABS 2016, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder on 15/01/2018
   www.censusdata.abs.gov.au.

14   Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo
2 REGIONAL PROFILE OF GREATER
  BENDIGO

2.4
POPULATION DIVERSITY
Traditionally not a noticeably multicultural   FIGURE 2E: DIVERSITY IN BENDIGO, 2016
community, in the past 10 years Bendigo        Proportion of residents born in Australia                  Latest proportional increase in ancestry
has come to include a growing culturally,      2016                                                       from 2006 to 2016
religiously and ethnically diverse
                                               100%                                                                       x 2.9              x 2.9               x 1.5
residential population. The City of Greater
Bendigo has invested focus in promoting
an inclusive community that presents
                                               80%
equal opportunities for all residents.

                                               60%

                                                                                                          Growth
                                               40%

                                               20%

                                                                                                                     SOUTH EAST    SOUTHERN CENTRAL          NORTH AFRICAN
                                                                                                                       ASIAN            ASIAN                 AND MIDDLE
                                                                                                                                                               EASTERN
                                                                                                           ■       2006
                                               0%
                                                                                                           ■       2016
                                                        BENDIGO          VICTORIA         AUSTRALIA

                                               Languages Other Than English spoken at                     Change in religious affiliation from 2006
                                               home 2016                                                  to 2016

                                                                                                          1%

                                                                    5%      6%

                                                           15%                      11%
                                                                                                          0.8%

                                                                                           4%

                                                                                            7%             0.6%

                                                                                                           0.4%
                                                          30%
                                                                                    22%

                                                                                                           0.2%

                                               ■    NORTHERN EUROPEAN                6%
                                               ■    SOUTHERN EUROPEAN                11%                   0%
                                               ■    EASTERN EUROPEAN                 4%                               Buddhism    Hinduism           Islam       Judaism
                                               ■    SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL ASIAN      7%
                                               ■    SOUTHERN ASIAN                   22%                   ■       2006
                                               ■    EASTERN ASIAN                    30%                   ■       2016
                                               ■    AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS            15%
                                               ■    OTHER                            5%                   Proportion of Bendigo affiliated to certain religions

                                                                                                      A joint AMES Australia and Deloitte Access Economics Report          15
2 REGIONAL PROFILE OF GREATER
  BENDIGO

In 2016, a higher proportion of residents                         This increase in diversity is similarly   Another indicator of cultural diversity is
in Bendigo had been born in Australia                             reflected in an increased proportion of   the increase in affiliation with a range of
(85.5%) in comparison to the proportion                           residents speaking a language other       different faiths. Both Hinduism and Islam
across Victoria (64.9%), Australia                                than English at home increasing from      have more than doubled their relative
(66.7%), or other Australian inner regional                       6% to 11% between 2006 and 2016. The      prevalence in Bendigo, increasing from
areas (71%).                                                      largest increase in language spoken at    0.14% of the population to 0.45% of
                                                                  home was Southern Asian Languages         the population and 0.15% to 0.42% of
The most common countries of birth were
                                                                  increasing from 0.3% of the population    the population respectively. Buddhism
England 1.8%, New Zealand 0.7%, India
                                                                  to 1.3%, followed by South East Asian     increased from 0.53% of the population to
0.6%, Myanmar 0.4% and Thailand 0.4%.40
                                                                  Languages. Asian languages are also the   0.98% of the population.
The most commonly spoken language
                                                                  most common languages spoken at home
other than English in Bendigo was Karen,
                                                                  after English.
spoken by almost 1% of Bendigo’s
population (compared to 0.1% in Victoria
and 0% in Australia).
Over the 10 years between 2006 and
2016, the number of individuals reporting
an ancestry other than North West
European or Australian increased from
4% to 7% of Bendigo’s total population.
This is equivalent to an increase of 5,467
residents. The ancestry with the largest
proportional increase was those with
South-East Asian ancestry41 (288%),
followed by Southern and Central Asian
(286%) and North African and Middle
Eastern (148%).

         New faces: increased diversity in Bendigo
                    Photo supplied by AMES Australia

40 Note that many of the Karen coming to Australia were born in refugee camps in Thailand, so their official country of birth is Thailand.
41 Includes people from Burma (Myanmar) - Burmese, Karen, Chin, Rohingya (http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2901.0Chapter652016#5).

16   Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo
3 ECONOMIC IMPACT

The resettlement of the Karen people has                  This chapter of the report outlines the                     In net present value terms (NPV)44, the
had measureable economic impacts on                       modelling approach and underlying data,                     total economic impact on the regional
Bendigo. These impacts were estimated                     and presents the results of this analysis.                  economy over the 10 years to 2016 is
by Deloitte Access Economics based on                                                                                 estimated to have been $67.1 million (with
                                                          The key outputs of the modelling and
a combination of data obtained from the                                                                               an associated impact on employment of
                                                          analysis are Gross Regional Product
2016 Census and information collected                                                                                 204 employed persons, and 177 full-time-
                                                          (GRP), FTE employment and household
via a survey of the Karen in Bendigo                                                                                  equivalent (FTE) employment).
                                                          consumption expenditure, from the date
conducted by AMES Australia in 2015.
                                                          of the first arrivals of the Karen in Bendigo
The estimation of the economic impacts                    in 2007 to 2016 (in keeping with the
comprised:                                                available data).
• collection and collation of the AMES                    As the consultations with local employers
   survey data                                            did not unequivocally indicate that the
• extraction of data relating to the                      arrival of the Karen alleviated some
   Karen from the 2016 ABS Census of                      existing labour and skills shortages (which
   Population and Housing on its release                  was the case in Nhill)42,43, the economic
   in July and October 2017, to augment                   impacts are largely driven by the indirect
   and validate the AMES data                             effect of an increased demand for labour
• analysis of the demographic impact of                   in Bendigo arising out of the needs of the
   the age profile of the Karen population                additional Karen population, which itself
   in Bendigo                                             led to increases in employment in other
• consultation with the larger local                      sectors of the local economy.
   employers of the Karen in Bendigo,
                                                          TABLE 3.1: ECONOMIC MODELLING IMPACTS – ANNUAL
   to test the assumptions made in
   the economic modelling and to                           FY ending           2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
   determine the qualitative nature of                     June
   the Computable General Equilibrium                      Employment            11       22       33       44          54        83       106       130        153       177
   (CGE) model inputs – i.e. the short-run                 (Cumulative,
   counterfactual assumptions                              FTE)
• calibration and then execution of
                                                           GRP                  0.6      1.3       2.1     2.8         3.6        5.1       6.7       8.3      10.0       11.7
   the CGE modelling, and analysis of
                                                           ($ million)
   the results.
                                                           Household            0.3      0.7       1.1      1.4        1.8       2.5        3.2       3.8        4.5       5.2
                                                           consumption
                                                           ($ million)
                                                          Source: Deloitte Access Economics (2018)

42 AMES and Deloitte Access Economics, 2015, Small towns Big returns: Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Nhill. The modelling in this study
   was conducted on the basis that there was some existing unmet demand for labour in Hindmarsh, Victoria, driven principally by a large local employer,
   Luv-a-Duck. The resettlement of the Karen people increased the supply of labour in the region, largely satiating this demand.
43 It is important to note that the figures presented in this report are not directly comparable to those presented in the Nhill case for a number of reasons, including
   the fact that this report is in 2016 dollars and the previous report was in 2014 dollars, but also because of updates to databases underlying the model since the
   production of the Nhill report.
44 The Net Present Value (NPV) has been calculated using a standard 7% discount rate, to convert the value of past economic impacts to current equivalents.

                                                                                                                  A joint AMES Australia and Deloitte Access Economics Report   17
3 ECONOMIC IMPACT

3.1                                                                 3.2
                                                                                                                              According to the 2016 Census45, of
GROSS REGIONAL                                                      EMPLOYMENT                                                those who listed a profession, 64% of

PRODUCT                                                             The additional employment generated
                                                                                                                              the working Karen population in Bendigo
                                                                                                                              stated that their occupation was a
                                                                    in Bendigo (comprised largely of Karen
The LGA of Greater Bendigo (which forms                                                                                       labourer, consistent with the information
                                                                    workers) increased from a small number
the basis for the economic modelling),                                                                                        obtained from the AMES survey of the
                                                                    of individuals in 2007 to 58 people (54
had an estimated GRP of $6,700 million                                                                                        Karen (which indicates that 63% of
                                                                    FTE) in 2011, and to 204 people (177 FTE)
in 2016, which was estimated to be 0.17%                                                                                      employees reported as being a factory
                                                                    in 2016 (Figure 3B). This represents a
higher as a result of the additional $11.7                                                                                    hand, packer, worker, or farm worker).
                                                                    0.3% increase in the number of employed
million GRP attributable to the Karen                                                                                         The next most prominent occupations
                                                                    persons in Bendigo. At the same time,
population in that year (Figure 3A). The                                                                                      were Community and Personal Services
                                                                    the arrival of the Karen in Bendigo had
increase is broadly commensurate with                                                                                         (16%) and Machinery Operators and
                                                                    flow-on employment impacts on other
the increase in population over the period,                                                                                   Drivers (7%). The Karen engaging in
                                                                    local employers, who provide goods and
but includes an element of compounding                                                                                        hands-on work is also reflected through
                                                                    services to the Karen.
return to the initial population growth.                                                                                      the industries they tend to work in. Over
                                                                                                                              half are employed in the Manufacturing
FIGURE 3A: ADDITIONAL BENDIGO GRP                                   FIGURE 3B: ADDITIONAL BENDIGO
($ MILLION)                                                         EMPLOYMENT (FTE AND HEADCOUNT;                            industry, followed by Agriculture,
                                                                    CUMULATIVE)                                               Forestry and Fishing, and Health and
                                                                                                                              Social Service.
12.0                                                                250
                                                                                                                              In comparison to 2011, the 2016 Census
                                                                                                                              data shows that the proportion of Karen
10.0
                                                                    200                                                       workers in the Manufacturing industry
                                                                                                                              has decreased from 73% to 54%, and the
8.0                                                                                                                           variety of industries the Karen work across
                                                                    150                                                       has expanded from three to eight major
6.0
                                                                                                                              industries. This is likely to be a reflection of
                                                                                                                              the concentration of the initial roles taken
                                                                    100
                                                                                                                              up by the Karen with a small number of
4.0
                                                                                                                              businesses, in particular Hazeldenes, with
                                                                                                                              a subsequent diversification in the number
                                                                    50
2.0                                                                                                                           and type of employers.

0.0                                                                 0

       2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016                  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Source: Deloitte Access Economics (2018)                             ■    EMPLOYMENT (FTE)
                                                                     ■    EMPLOYMENT (HEADCOUNT)

                                                                    Source: Deloitte Access Economics (2018)

45 Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census of Population and Housing, accessed through TableBuilder on 15/01/2018 www.censusdata.abs.gov.au.

18     Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo
3 ECONOMIC IMPACT

FIGURE 3C: KAREN LABOUR MARKET                                                                                                                                                                                         3.2.1                                               TABLE 3.2: AMES SURVEY DATA
EMPLOYMENT IN BENDIGO BY INDUSTRY
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Karen employed at                               Work
FOR THOSE WHO RESPONDED TO THE                                                                                                                                                                                         EMPLOYMENT IMPACT ON
CENSUS IN 2011 AND 2016                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Hazeldenes                                     ended
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       LOCAL BUSINESSES
80%                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Year                       Number           Number
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       HAZELDENES
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             2009                                  2
70%                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The single major employer of the Karen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       in Bendigo is Hazeldenes. The family                  2010                                  3
60%                                                                                                                                                                                                                    owned business was established in 1938                2011                                20
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       breeding chickens for egg sales. With
50%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             2012                                39                  1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       the move to growing chickens for meat
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       in 1972, the business grew to employ a                2013                                36                  1
40%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       staff of six. An expansion of facilities and          2014                                37                  0
30%                                                                                                                                                                                                                    investment in innovation between 2006                 2015                                49                  2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       and 2010 grew the number of workers
20%                                                                                                                                                                                                                    employed at Hazeldenes to 480. By 2016,               2016                                50                  1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       with a further investment in automation,              Unknown                               7                 1
10%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Hazeldenes employed 730 staff. The                    Total                               57                  6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       company now employs 850 – 860
0%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       local people.                                       Once the first Karen found work at
                                                                                           ADMINISTRATIVE & SUPPORT SERVICES

                                                                                                                                                                     PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SAFETY
       MANUFACTURING

                       AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & FISHING

                                                         HEALTH CARE & SOCIAL ASSISTANCE

                                                                                                                               EDUCATION & TRAINING

                                                                                                                                                                                                      OTHER SERVICES
                                                                                                                                                      CONSTRUCTION

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       The first groups of refugees and migrants           Hazeldenes, there was a gradual but
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       employed in manufacturing at Hazeldenes             steady growth in the number of Karen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       in the 1970s and 1980s were Vietnamese,             employed by the business. Of those
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Chinese and Filipinos who had settled               captured in AMES survey data, in 2009,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       in Central Victoria. In the early 2000s the         two were employed at Hazeldenes and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       first waves of Karen from Burma, and                by 2016, 57 of the survey participants had
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Hazara from Afghanistan, commenced                  worked at Hazeldenes. Of these, only
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       work at Hazeldenes. Describing its current          six had subsequently left, and this was
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       workforce the company reports:                      for a range of reasons – including to go
■    2011
■    2016                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  to other jobs. Hazeldenes’ People and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Today - we have between 125 and 130
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Performance Manager confirmed that in
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016                                                                                                                                                                               Karen people, 20 Hazara people from
Census of Population and Housing                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           early 2018, the company employs more
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Afghanistan, as well as many Chinese,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           than 125 Karen. This equates to 14.7% of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Vietnamese, Filipino, Pacific Islanders,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           the organisation’s workforce, and around
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            South African, Indian and Sri Lankans
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           half the Karen workforce in the region. In
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            that comprise a significant component
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           the 2016 Census, 5,867 people in Bendigo
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            of our 850 strong workforce.46
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           were employed in the manufacturing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           sector, of which Karen workers at
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Hazeldenes were likely to represent
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           around 1.6%.

46 Ann Conway, People and Performance Manager, Hazeldene’s: The Multicultural Workforce, Shepparton
   Interfaith Network News, November 2017. http://sheppartoninterfaith.org.au/?p=2929

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       A joint AMES Australia and Deloitte Access Economics Report   19
3 ECONOMIC IMPACT

In a presentation at a regional conference                        Reflecting this opportunity for secure       In addition, the MADCOW Cleaning
in 2016, Ann Conway, the People and                               employment and proactive employment          social enterprise has been established
Performance Manager at Hazeldenes,                                approaches, the young leaders in the         by Bendigo Baptist Community Care,
outlined the benefits of a multicultural                          Karen community report that Hazeldenes       driven specifically by the will to assist the
workforce as:                                                     is very supportive of their Karen workers.   Karen settle and participate in the Bendigo
    workplace diversity; a committed,                             The community also appreciates that          community through employment.
    engaged workforce; increased                                  Hazeldenes sponsors Karen events
                                                                                                               And in yet other cases new positions
    applicant pool – particularly important                       including providing chicken for the Karen
                                                                                                               have been created by service providers
    in regional areas; and a significant                          New Year event.
                                                                                                               in response to increased demand for
    contribution to Hazeldenes growth.47                          While a large part of additional             services in Bendigo from the growing
The majority of jobs at Hazeldenes                                employment was absorbed by                   Karen community (eg multicultural aides
are full-time permanent positions with                            Hazeldenes, the resettlement of the Karen    in schools and Bendigo Community
additional fixed term contract staff taken                        to Bendigo has also generated flow-on         Health Services).
on to meet seasonal demand. Hazeldenes                            benefits to other businesses in the region.
has also been proactive in implementing                           (Table 3.3).
support systems for their non-English                             In some cases, businesses were able to
speaking workers. Initiatives include                             capitalise on the additional labour supply
translating key policies and procedures                           that the Karen have created (eg Keech)
and identifying Karen staff with higher                           or the aptitudes/work ethic that the Karen
levels of English and paying them an                              brought to the workforce (eg Urban
allowance to act as interpreters in small                         Garden Design; Dental Health Services;
group meetings with other Karen workers.                          horticulture/agriculture).
This ensures messages are passed on
clearly, and facilitates feedback from the
Karen workers.

                         MADCOW® social enterprise:
                  training and employment pathways
               Photo supplied by Matthew Parkinson
                Community Care Director at Bendigo
                        Baptist Community Care Inc

47 ibid.

20   Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Bendigo
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