Earlier this year, our team at SSI Legal Pty Ltd. launched SSI’s very own legal service dedicated to providing immigration and citizenship assistance to clients across Australia. Our mission is simple: to guide our clients through the complex migration system, making it more simple, affordable, and accessible to everyone.

Senior Lawyer, Stephanie Camilleri, along with her professional team of lawyers Lucy and Grace and paralegals Emily, Julianne and Anjanaa service SSI Legal clients with a shared genuine passion for helping others. As Stephanie put it, “It’s not just about the law; it’s about changing lives and reuniting families. This philosophy drives everything we do.”
“From partner visas and skilled worker visas to student and protection visas, we cover a wide range of services to both individuals and organisations. Our team is here to support our clients through every step of the journey,” she added.
The team brings an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience, and together, are committed to delivering personalised, compassionate legal advice and support.
“One of our recent successes involves reuniting a family that had been separated for 12 years. Seeing the joy on our client’s face was a powerful reminder of why we do what we do,” Stephanie said.
“Every case is unique, and we approach each one with the care and attention it deserves.”
Operating out of Melbourne but serving clients nationwide, the SSI Legal team is ready to assist clients from all backgrounds, no matter where they are in Australia or beyond.
“We understand the challenges and uncertainties of immigration, and our goal is to make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible,” Stephanie added.
SSI Legal Pty Ltd is a certified social enterprise offering legal advice and services to individuals and organisations on a fee-for-service basis. For more information or to speak to one of our dedicated immigration lawyers, visit our website: dev.ssi.org.au/our-services/ssi-legal/about-ssi-legal

Rob Hendra spent decades in the fast-paced world of banking and finance before making a complete pivot into home care.
In 2020, he was studying to become a conveyancer and was focused on continuing his corporate career. All that changed when, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rob sadly lost his mother. Due to border closures at the time, he was unable to return home to Indonesia.
Experiencing the real-time devastation and direct impact on his family led to a shift in his perspective and he began to reevaluate what mattered most to him.
“I always wanted to look after my parents, but the reality was that I lived here overseas, and they lived back home. I could never care for them in that way,” Rob said.
Rob wanted to do his part to repay the collective debt to hospitals and honour the work they do to save and change lives. He began working part-time in a hospital while finishing his conveyancing course.
“During that period, I got to see a wide range of patients receiving treatment,” Rob recalled. “Particularly with the elderly, I got to spend more time having conversations with them and seeing how excited they were when family members visited.”
When an advertisement for SSI’s Home Care Workforce Program (HCWSP) appeared on his Facebook feed, Rob jumped at the opportunity. He sent in his CV and, within a week, had a response and multiple interview offers came pouring in.
Rob describes his career switch to home care as a higher calling, one where he can still put his conversational and business skills to use.
“I’ve had the whole fast paced career and I thought, I would like to do something for me, something that’s meaningful,” he said.
The tailored home care training at his workplace, Catholic Healthcare, offered Rob a mix of theoretical and practical knowledge, while also allowing him to branch out and grow the skills he already possessed.
“My current employer is one of the best organisations I’ve encountered in my working life,” Rob said.
His law background helps him thrive in aspects of home care like building rapport, reading body language, and making genuine connections.
“It’s a job with high flexibility and travel time considerations, and what’s great for me is it’s not too physically demanding,” Rob said. “It’s also a lot more secure than banking and finance!”
Looking back, Rob wouldn’t change a thing and is grateful for the seamless and efficient organisation that facilitated his career change.
“I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly everything played out,” he said. “I’m happier than ever and I get to do work that makes a real difference. If you’re compassionate and want to help others, home care is the type of job to get into.”
Celebrate the artistic vibrancy and diverse cultural expressions of multicultural Australia

Filipino, Murrawarri and Ngemba artist, DOBBY will be joined by special guests, Aussie hip hop legend, L-FRESH The LION, and hard-hitting Palestinian-Australian creative, Sereen Omran, for a one-of-a-kind performance at New Beginnings Festival 2024.
The festival, produced by non-profit SSI, is being held on the wharves of the National Maritime Museum on Saturday, January 27, at 3 -11pm.
DOBBY is set to perform unique collaborations with the duo, as well as his latest release ANCESTOR as a headliner at Sydney Festival’s most iconic celebration of Refugee, Migrant and First Nations artists.
An electrifying storyteller, whose 2020 single, ‘I Can’t Breathe,’ became an anthem for Australia’s Blak Lives Matter movement, DOBBY is expected to play unreleased tracks from his highly anticipated album, WARRANGU; RIVER STORY.
“I played New Beginnings Festival in 2022. That show was special for me, it marked a new stage in my career, and became one of my favourite shows I’ve played. I’m so excited to join the wholesome, vibrant and joyous array of acts again at this year’s New Beginnings Festival!
“I’m also really excited to have my good friends L-FRESH The LION and Sereen joining me on the stage for this special show!”
DOBBY is co-headlining the festival with rising Afro-Caribbean, Arrernte RnB and neo-soul artist SOLCHLD, alongside a lineup of Aussie artists from 15+ cultural backgrounds.
SSI Arts and Culture Producer Raphael Brasil said, “As one of the most multicultural countries in the world, Australia’s creative industry is home to a melting pot of ideas, cultures, and talents. New Beginnings Festival embodies our diversity by showcasing an eclectic mix of music, dance, art, culture, and food from Australia’s leading culturally and linguistically diverse artists and entrepreneurs.”
SSI’s New Beginnings Festival began in 2014 as a platform to use arts and culture to build bridges between refugee communities and wider Australia. From its origins, the event has evolved to include strong representation of both migrant and First Nations artists in recognition that true inclusion can only be achieved by acknowledging and celebrating diversity.
Other New Beginnings Festival performers include:
- East-African pop band, Chikchika, which draws upon the rich traditions of both Tigrinya and Oromo music, with a healthy influence from contemporary Australia.
- DJ Deepa from Kerfew, an Australia-wide creative collective of South Asian musicians, designers and broadcasters who use art as a vehicle to explore, reimagine and celebrate the cultures and stories.
- Reggae Powerhouse, The Strides, whose music builds on the foundations of classic roots reggae with a hip-hop edge, forging a sound that brings together modern dance hall, dub beats and reggae-pop.
- Internationally acclaimed musicians, Avaye Rood, presenting a blend of Persian-inspired original music, combining English and Persian poems by Rumi.
- Ghana Road Show, an engaging combination of circus, dance, and music that will take you on a journey through West Africa.
- The Curious Works Showcase, an exhibition featuring visual art photography, and digital art that provides insight into the experiences of three refugee artists.
After a turnout of nearly 6,000 Sydneysiders in 2023, New Beginnings Festival is again featuring as one of Sydney Festival’s major events, enabling underground artists and hidden gem stall holders to display their talents to an even wider audience.
Guests can explore food stalls featuring cuisine from Jamaica to the Pacific Islands, to Sierra Leone, and market stalls with entrepreneurs selling wares from First Nations, refugee and migrant backgrounds.
Mr Brasil said, “Now in its eighth year, New Beginnings Festival has showcased more than 363 performers and artists from across 80+ cultures – giving the public the opportunity to discover creatives often outside of their circle of understanding.”
How to join
The free festival takes place on Gadigal Land, at the wharves of Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at 3 -11PM and is open to people of all ages.
The festival is proudly presented by non-for-profit organisation SSI and its partners, the Australian National Maritime Museum; Mundo Institute and BUZZ Speaker Hire; with Stage Partner Allianz Australia, and Experience Partner Smartraveller.
Find out more
For venue details, registration and full lineup, see New Beginnings Festival webpage.
Media enquiries
Jordan Wood – SSI Senior Communications Officer
Phone: 00403 082 926
Email: jwood@ssi.org.au

Settlement Services International (SSI) has launched a new learning program to train aged care workers on culturally safe service for seniors from diverse backgrounds as a proven way to boost health outcomes and quality of life.
The offering is a response to feedback from aged care providers that there is a need for practical training directly addressing the real-world challenges faced by workers. It also offers solutions to the recommendations in the government’s Aged Care Diversity Framework, which has called for better training to support providers in accommodating the diverse characteristics and life experiences of seniors, such as arriving in Australia as a migrant or refugee.
With a target of training 14,600 people within 18 months, SSI aims to help unlock the proven benefits of this person-centred approach for Australia’s ageing population by significantly raising the skill level of direct care workers in interacting with culturally diverse seniors. In doing so, it will reduce barriers for seniors accessing healthcare, increase customer satisfaction and business performance for aged care providers, and improve retention of direct care workers within the short-staffed industry.
About the diversity e-learning modules
The online program is delivered in seven accessible e-learning lessons, which can be completed on any laptop or mobile device in approximately 90 minutes. The content is aimed at supporting direct care workers and covers the following topics: ‘what is culture’, ‘caring for people from culturally diverse backgrounds’, ‘culturally responsive support’, ‘communication’, ‘getting to know your client’, ‘understanding trauma’, and ‘self-care’.
Iggy Pintado, Head of SSI’s Home Care Workforce Support Program, says the learning program will support new and existing workers in providing the highest level of support.
“The feedback from seniors is that they want access to support from carers who understand and have respect for their culture, and we know that culturally responsive care leads to better health outcomes. The sector has been crying out for a practical training program like this,” Mr Pintado said.
The program is available free of charge to participants in the government-funded Home Care Workforce Support Program, with a flexible paid option for aged care providers. A variety of customisable plans are available for small and large teams, organisations, or providers seeking ‘blended’ learning with in-person workshops to further extend learning outcomes.
Inclusive support approach for Australia’s ageing population
Working Future, a 2023 Australian government white paper, identified that migrant workers will be key to filling worker shortages in the aged care sector in the coming decade, with a total of 110,000 additional home care support workers needed by 2030 to meet the unprecedented demand from Australia’s ageing population. Approximately 37 per cent of Australians aged 65 and over were born overseas, further emphasising the need for all workers to learn about navigating cultural contexts and nuances to avoid cultural misunderstandings in a care setting, which is viewed as a key challenge for the aged care sector in the coming years.
Janet Irvine, SSI Diversity Training Manager, says equipping our workforce with the confidence and capability to understand and work inclusively with different cultural perspectives is central to any worker in Australia. “Aged care workers are working in culturally diverse teams and with clients from a range of backgrounds. This e-learning will take people beyond the compliance level training to something more practical and relevant to their everyday work. They will increase their awareness of how culture influences them and their work with clients and equip them with information, tools and resources to tailor the care they provide to all their clients.”
SSI’s new learning program has been informed by their more than 20 years of experience, reaching approximately 60,000 people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds each year. Their workforce of industry-leading experts in multicultural engagement collectively speak more than 100 languages. Preview the program for the aged care sector here.
SSI’s learning management system also includes tailored e-learning solutions for local government, with NGO and corporate diversity training solutions added in early 2024.
Media inquiries
Tom Hines
Phone: 0423 328 050
Email: tom.h@think-hq.com.au
Seven multi-talented female music professionals representing seven cultural backgrounds recently came together as part of SSI’s delegation at Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) culminating in a glamorous ceremony at the heart of Meanjin/Brisbane.
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