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This paper critically examines the ways ageing migrants perceive and experience a sense of belonging in a mediascape during the pandemic. It underscores how 15 elderly people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds in Victoria, Australia stayed connected among their networks in and beyond Australia by accessing and consuming COVID-19 information via traditional and digital channels. By analysing the data based on conducting remote interviews in 2020 and 2021, the findings highlight the paradoxical nature of mediated belonging. On the one hand, ageing migrants forged connections at a distance with their familial and social networks by circulating and consuming COVID-19 information. This practice provided ageing migrants an assurance of their safety and their networks. On the other hand, differentiation and racialisation stirred frustrating, polarising and exclusionary-mediated environments. In this case, they deployed connective strategies to negotiate connections and belonging. In sum, this paper reveals the possibilities and politics of mediated belonging fuelled by intersecting structural and technological divides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments around the world acted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through lockdowns and border closures that had specific impacts on temporary residents (migrants, asylum seekers and refugees). In Australia, there were differential responses across states and territories, and a critical distinction made at Federal government level between permanent residents and citizens as compared to temporary migrants. The result has been the continued Othering of certain groups of Australians of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds as well as migrants and refugees on the basis of racial characteristics and visa status. This paper will consider the period where arguably multicultural policies were 'on hold' by investigating the timeline leading up to major policy decisions and the immediate and longer-term after-effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arguably the way in which multicultural communities were treated has shown the superficial nature of multicultural policies in Australia and the lack of more solid foundations in support of what now demographically constitutes a majority of the country's population. Drawing on secondary data analysis, the paper will outline the distance these actions have put between political leaders and multicultural communities, and queries the implications for a sustained commitment to multicultural policies in an era of temporary migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, young people and culturally and linguistically diverse populations (CALD) were underserved by non-tailored government health messaging. Social media influencers offer a potentially cost-effective and scalable form of health communication for reaching young CALD populations. Little is known, however, about the characteristics of an influencer's identity authenticity for reaching CALD youth, or how that authenticity is underpinned by brand consistency and relatability. Drawing on the authors' commissioned evaluation of a state government initiative for delivering targeted COVID-19 health information to CALD young people (11-26 years) in Victoria, Australia, this paper analyses findings from thirteen qualitative interviews with influencers and target audience members to provide insights on identity authenticity in the contemporary digital ecology. The analysis aims to contribute to the limited extant knowledge of the role third-party influencers can play in government health communication by providing a cultural context for understanding identity authenticity when targeting minority social groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the challenges faced by migrant, refugee, and multicultural communities in Australia during the Covid-19 pandemic. It discusses the difficulties these communities encounter in accessing essential resources and the rise in racism and discrimination they experience. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the long-term effects of these issues beyond the pandemic. It introduces a special issue that includes ten research articles examining the challenges faced by multicultural communities during the pandemic and offering recommendations for policymakers and practitioners. The articles delve into the experiences of multicultural communities in Australia, focusing on racism, health disparities, and policy responses. They highlight the types of racism Asian Australians face, the impact of racism on health and social outcomes, and the barriers to reporting racism. The role of far-right actors in perpetuating racism and the effects of anti-Chinese sentiment are also explored. The research underscores the need for improved data collection on racism and calls for culturally sensitive communication, increased representation, and collaborative approaches to address pandemic-related racism. The issue also discusses the experiences of older migrants, the role of digital media in fostering a sense of belonging, and the shortcomings of Australia's multicultural policies during the pandemic. Overall, the articles provide valuable insights into the challenges faced by multicultural communities and the necessity for inclusive and fair responses. [Extracted from the article]

In this article I critically examine the role of the Australian far-right in the racialisation of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Discourse-Historical Analysis of (n = 133) Facebook posts from Australia's most prominent far-right populist party, Pauline Hanson's One Nation, revealed a range of discursive strategies, linguistic and rhetorical devices, and multimodal semiotic practices were employed to scapegoat China and Chinese-Australians throughout the pandemic. The findings highlight the unique role played by the Australian far-right in the racialisation of the health crisis which engendered a wave of Sinophobic and anti-Asian racism on a global scale. This research furthers our empirical understanding of how crises are exploited by the far-right to advance their racial politics in the twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a surge in anti-Chinese sentiment emerged as a pressing issue, with debates on how the pandemic exacerbated such sentiments. To explore this intricate relationship, we conducted two survey experiments, incorporating COVID-specific contextual inquiries in Australia and the United States during two phases (8–21 June 2021 and 28 July-12 August 2022). Our findings reveal that individuals' perceptions of the Chinese diaspora remained unaltered when presented with information regarding the Chinese government's initial management of COVID-19. However, when exposed to a message suggesting the Chinese government's influence over overseas Chinese communities, people's attitudes towards the Chinese diaspora significantly deteriorated. In addition, Australian respondents demonstrated heightened sensitivity to perceived foreign interference from China compared to their American counterparts. Our study underscores the role of suspicions and apprehensions surrounding China-related foreign interference in shaping anti-Chinese sentiment in the Western context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on older migrants' digital media use has primarily focused on understanding issues related to the 'digital divide', 'transnational capital', and '(im)mobility'. Few studies have investigated how these issues interplay and how they affect older migrants' construction of selfhood, which informs their modalities of digital engagement. This article will address this gap, by drawing on the concept of 'geographical scale', to examine older Chinese migrants' digital media use and their sense of self and belonging during COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne Australia. To achieve this, I analysed 31 interviews, which were collected from two sequential studies conducted in 2020 and 2021. The interview data revealed that older Chinese migrants' diverse media practices and imaginaries are embedded in and informed by multiple sets of scales of the physical body, the family and domestic realm, the community sphere, and transnational network. It is found that digital media allow participants to navigate, negotiate with and even reconfigure these scales to cope with the challenges of ageing, migration and a global pandemic. However, digital media also produce new scales that differentiate older migrants from the rest of the population to sustain the structural inequality and social unevenness in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 13 November 2020 and 11 February 2021, an online national survey of 2,003 Asian Australians measured the type and frequency of their experiences of racism during the COVID-19 context. The survey also aimed to understand the reporting behaviours of targets and witnesses of racism and identify barriers to reporting racism. The survey found that 40 per cent of participants experienced racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, most commonly in public settings such as in shops, on the street, public spaces, and work. A similar 39 per cent of participants witnessed racism. Despite these high rates, Asian Australians overwhelmingly did not report incidents of racism. Lack of trust in statutory agencies and their response to racism reports was a frequent barrier experienced. Feelings of hopelessness, shame or disempowerment and lack of knowledge of reporting tools and human rights were other barriers to reporting. Lifting the confidence of people to report racism remains an urgent task. These findings provide direction for developing targeted anti-racism strategies, reporting tools and support services for targets and witnesses of racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health, social, and economic uncertainties that accompany crisis events make them fertile ground for racism, as observed on a global scale during the COVID-19 pandemic, with evidence of significant social and health consequences for those targeted. In this article, we present the findings of a reflexive, interpretive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 10 service providers and community leaders who have supported multicultural communities during the pandemic in Melbourne, Australia. Interviewees discussed numerous social and health equity consequences of pandemic-related racism and offered best-practice recommendations for policy, research, and advocacy. Drawing on Systemic Racism Theory, our analysis reveals significant social and health implications of racism in Melbourne during COVID-19, lending further support to the concept of racism as both a social determinant of health and a key driver of social inequity. Participants advocated collaborative, community-led antiracism and advocacy approaches that centre the knowledge and expertise of people with lived experience of racism. These recommendations are discussed with consideration of contemporary challenges in research, policy, and practice efforts to address the ongoing health and social equity issues facing multicultural communities in times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]