Commitments made by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this week at the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees should be seen as significant and welcomed.
As the chief executive of a non-profit organisation that provides services to refugees settling in NSW, I believe we can still do more for the world’s refugees but nonetheless we’re glad to see this progress.
At the summit hosted by US President Barak Obama in New York, Mr Turnbull announced that the Australian government would permanently maintain its quota to settle 18,750 refugees a year from 2018. This provides assurance that the lives of a significant number of people and families fleeing conflict zones will be saved.
Mr Turnbull’s commitment to provide a further $130 million to support peace-building and assistance to displaced people, and resettling refugees currently residing in Costa Rica, are also positive outcomes from the summit. These new commitments came a little more than 12 months after that to accept an additional 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq.
Australia’s response to the refugee crisis has been much maligned on the world stage, and I believe we have the capacity still to do more to help. But I also know we have much to be proud of when it comes to Australia’s humanitarian efforts, in numbers and outcomes.
Australia’s intake of 18,750 refugees will, in 2018, compare well with other nations accepting refugees via the UNHCR program on a population comparison.
The government is loath to increase its welfare bill and there are many Australians who will claim refugees are over reliant on welfare payments. The initial have been used to argue this point. The study found about six per cent of refugees were in paid work within the first six months of arriving. These are preliminary results of a long-term study but we shouldn’t forget our obligation to support traumatised people recovering from war and persecution, before we expect them to work. Despite that, we’re confident subsequent reports of this study will show the more positive outcomes that occur soon after that initial period.
Among nearly 5,400 refugees we’ve supported in NSW in the 12 months to August this year, 1,785 took up paid employment in their first 12 months in Australia. That’s more than a third of all who arrived; men women and children. Almost 70 refugees started businesses through initiative, and dozens more are in the pipeline. Many more refugees are in education, vocational training, learning English and preparing to make the most of their opportunities in Australia.
Maurice* is a prime example. Maurice, his wife and son arrived in Sydney as refugees from Syria less than 12 months ago but he has already started a master’s degree in finance to bridge his existing qualifications. Maurice has also started work for a large insurance company in Sydney. He plays soccer and teaches children to play the ude. If not for their experience of fleeing war in Syria, his family is like most aspirational households in Sydney.
Another great example of the human capital arriving as refugees is Nirary, also from Syria. He used his IT skills to develop an app, , which helps other newly arrived refugees find work opportunities in Australia. How’s that for innovation?
These results are no fluke. Maurice and Nirary both cited their early experience of settling in Sydney as the foundation for their success in such a short time.
Maurice credited his fast integration, to the support he received from the moment he arrived. That included case management by an Arabic-speaking case worker, secure accommodation and an orientation program that helped the family navigate employment and education systems. Maurice was linked with his employer through a partnership between his settlement service provider and the company he now works for.
Nirary got his project off the ground with support from the Ignite Small Business Start-ups initiative, and also found opportunities through the event held to find innovative solutions to problems refugees face in Australia.
Dozens more refugees have found work through a partnership between their settlement service provider, Austral Bricks and the Australian Brick & Blocklaying Training Foundation. These new employees are filling a skills shortage in the building industry.
Also supporting these outcomes are an airport welcome service by case managers who speak the refugee’s language, and who were often refugees themselves, ongoing support from bi-lingual case workers, and orientation sessions designed around specific communities.
Refugees who we support also benefit from our community engagement initiatives, such as Playtime for mothers and children, Community Kitchen and an arts and culture program. These are designed to help new arrivals break through social barriers and integrate in to their new communities.
These partnerships and initiatives, are not services that we’re obliged to provide. They are not provided in many of the nations that host refugees and which were represented at the summits in New York this week. These outcomes are the result of an innovative approach to refugee settlement that has long been shown to be mutually beneficial to all involved: refugees, business and the Australian community.
*not his real name
Violet Roumeliotis is CEO of Settlement Services International.
