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The profession of social work intervenes in the lives of the vulnerable and marginalised. In the majority, social work policy and practice in Australia has been founded on a western practice paradigm. Recent and rapid developments in the migratory trends of migrants and refugees places additional demands on social workers to practice with and for diverse communities. This article argues that the profession of social work is reluctant to embrace the multicultural face of Australia and lacks the intellectual apparatus to respond to diversity. The article underpins Professor Andrew Jakubowicz's analysis to multiculturalism as a powerful platform for social work academics and students to critically engage with by challenge existing racism and discriminatory trends towards multicultural communities that may possibly arise in social work practice.

Building equitable health and social policy in Australia to improve immigrant health literacyThe COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that many immigrants in Australia are at an increased risk of infection, illness, stress and other issues associated with the virus, due to major barriers in accessing health and wellbeing information, activities and services. 1 Barriers of South Asian women in Australia. However, to date, South Asian men have not been captured in the data by the NSW, MHCS. Their current priority focuses on partnerships with key stakeholders, such as the Cancer Institute NSW, to undertake information podcasts on cancer screening. Previously, the NSW MHCS has undertaken projects with South Asian women and breast cancer screening, such as "The Pink Sari," project. No similar projects have been rolled out for South Asian men on male-specific cancers. Whilst, these initiatives are of significant impact, a nationally funded health communication service for each state and territory, followed by a systematic approach to map and evaluate specific health literacy strategies for immigrant communities in Australia should become a national priority. 9These should also include an explicit gender lens, with intersections between gender, race, ethnicity and culture interrogated further.Additionally, comprehensive consultation and ongoing community engagement are necessary to capture the health literacy needs of migrant and refugee communities throughout the country.As there has been little research focused on health literacies amongst migrants and refugees in Australia, it is necessary to develop and monitor the effectiveness of health literacy tools and frameworks that are appropriately tailored to people from culturally and linguistically diverse groups, including migrants and refugees in Australia. Drawing on recent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health literacy scholarship, it is apparent that there are many synergies with immigrant groups in relation to the preservation of culture, tradition and intergenerational relationships. 9 For example, one study that explored the nexus between culture, age, gender and health literacy in Australia revealed that "outreach services in community-based settings were highly valued" by the participating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 12 A similar initiative with a particular emphasis on migrants and refugee communities would enhance opportunities to inform contemporary policy and practice approaches aimed at improving their health literacy.Finally, the current period of pandemic recovery is a crucial time to address major barriers and opportunities for improved health and wellbeing of immigrants. With more nuanced research and evaluation of health literacy, supported by a national policy approach, it is possible to not only help reduce the risk of avoidable harms wrought by COVID-19 right now, but also take important steps towards more equitable and inclusive health and social systems for the long term. 13 Such steps are necessary to help sustain ongoing...

The rapid growth in international student numbers in Australia in the first decade of the 2000s was accompanied by a series of public crises. The most important of these was the outbreak in Melbourne Victoria and elsewhere of physical attacks on the students. Investigations at the time also pointed to cases of gross exploitation, an array of threats that severely compromised their human rights. This paper reviews and pursues the outcomes of a report prepared by the authors in 2010 for Universities Australia and the Human Rights Commission. The report reviewed social science research and proposed a series of priorities for human rights interventions that were part of the Human Rights Commission's considerations. New activity, following the innovation of having international students specifically considered by the Human Rights Commission, points to initiatives that have not fully addressed the wide range of questions at state.