Professor Jo Spangaro from UOW’s School of Health and Society is the lead researcher in the project, “Screening and responding to domestic violence experienced by refugee women”, which was awarded $442,364 funding through the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects scheme.

The ARC Linkage Project grants, announced by Federal Education Minister Mr Dan Tehan, are designed to bring university researchers together with industry partners to undertake research collaborations that will deliver benefits to the Australian community.

Refugee and other vulnerable migrant women are at elevated risk of not having domestic and family violence detected or disclosed, leading to significant stress, dangers and serious health effects.

Dr Astrid Perry, SSI’s Manager of Strategic Policy and one of the research investigators on the project, said, “This study will implement a model for identifying and responding to domestic violence with newly arrived refugee women.

“The proposed intervention will adapt and test family and domestic violence screening, risk assessment and safety planning tools along with individual support and case coordination.”

She said the project, over three years, would integrate research evidence on best practice domestic violence responses into service delivery with refugee women, producing results that would be transferable to other vulnerable migrant women who access settlement programs and other health and welfare services across Australia.

“This project has strong potential to support effective early intervention and prevention as well as to reduce death and serious long-term effects from domestic violence among vulnerable and hard-to-reach women and their children,” she said.

Professor Spangaro said, “Domestic violence is the leading contributor to premature death among Australian women, and costs Australia $22 billion each year, with refugee women at heightened risk.”

She said the project’s adaptation and testing of evidence-based intervention should reduce the human and financial cost of domestic violence among refugee and other vulnerable migrant women, providing tools to settlement services to address the complex, hidden problem.

Greg Benson, SSI’s General Manager Client Services and Operations, said, “Partnerships such as this are a useful way for researchers and people on the frontline to test new ways of working and learn from each other so that newly arrived women and children can build a new chapter of their lives in Australia in safety.

“SSI is committed to collaborating with researchers to build the evidence base for the work that we do.”

Other participants in the project include University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, Auckland University of Technology, Settlement Council of Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Australian Institute of Health And Welfare, South Western Sydney Local Health District, the NSW Ministry of Health, Family Planning NSW, and Domestic Violence NSW.

• 62% of individuals on temporary visas who have sought support from SSI during COVID-19 indicated they have gone without meals
• 76% could not pay the rent or a mortgage on time
• 52% have had to forgo their medication and 50% have not accessed the health services they needed
• 79% had to borrow money from friends and family to pay for essential items
• Over 600 people in this situation have sought support from SSI
• SSI has opened up an office two days a week to distribute food packages to individuals and families from asylum seeking backgrounds

Sami* is a middle-aged, tax-paying construction worker who lost his job six weeks ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike many others in his situation, Sami has been left without access to a welfare safety net, forced to rely on support from not-for-profit organisations like Settlement Services International (SSI).

In a pulse survey of temporary residents in NSW carried out by SSI, more that 80% of people on temporary visas had lost their job or had their hours reduced in the past eight weeks. This is far higher than the rate of job losses in the wider NSW economy.

People seeking asylum in Australia who are on bridging or temporary visas have been omitted from the federal government’s COVID-19 emergency stimulus payments for people who have lost their jobs.

State governments around the country have stepped into this gap, but in NSW — without access to emergency relief measures or the recently introduced JobKeeper and JobSeeker initiatives — some of NSW’s most vulnerable residents are falling into poverty, unable to pay their rent or bills and put food on the table.

Last week, SSI launched a public donation campaign to keep food on the table for people like Sami.

“I don’t have money to pay for rent, electricity, for the car, everything. I have no money now. All my savings are gone. I went to my boss [to ask for help] and just nothing. I just have no work now. I don’t know how long this will go for,” Sami said.

Sami’s wife is an Australian citizen and has received federal government assistance. Sami said that, although any form of support was good, the increased emergency payment was not enough to pay bills and buy basic food items for their family.

Like hundreds of other NSW residents on a temporary visa, until Sami receives much needed government support, finding money to pay his bills and put food on the table will be a constant struggle.

In the survey of nearly 500 people on temporary visas carried out by SSI over the past eight weeks, 62% indicated they have gone without meals, 76% could not pay the rent or a mortgage on time, and 52% could not buy the medicines they required.

Greg Benson, SSI’s General Manager of Client Services and Operations, said the economic downturn as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic was having a devastating effect on an already vulnerable group, many of whom lived week to week and had no safety net to fall back on.

Mums and dads are coming to us unable to feed and clothe their children over winter. We’re talking about hard-working, contributing members of our society who, up until this pandemic, have made economic and social contributions to NSW,” he said.

Almost two-thirds of the survey respondents had been resident in NSW for two years or more.

“We urge the NSW government to act now to avoid more families falling into a cycle of poverty,” Mr Benson said.

“Regardless of their visa status, newcomers deserve to enjoy a decent standard of living while they’re on our shores. Temporary migrants deserve, at minimum, a package of support that enables them to access healthcare, feed their families and have a roof over their heads.”

You can support vulnerable people seeking asylum affected by COVID-19 by donating here.

SSI backs the key points in a new report released by ACOSS, which outlines five “job rich” measures to help communities and individuals recover, with a particular focus on at-risk groups and delivering long-term social, economic and environmental benefits.

Of the outlined changes, of particular concern to SSI and its communities is:

• Extending the JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments to the over one million migrants who presently miss out. Read SSI’s full position here.

The report’s rallying cry to “build back better” echoes leading thinking from SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis, who called for changes to how we measure our society’s success in an opinion piece for Women’s Agenda and an interview on Channel 10’s The Project.
 
“The virus doesn’t discriminate but the government is discriminating by visa type,” she said.

“With more than 90,000 people living on bridging visas having no assistance or financial support, if we don’t help this group we will all suffer – health-wise, financially and socially. And it’s the right thing to do.
 
“What we need is a compromise where the value of our society is not just measured by our economic output. We can look to New Zealand’s ‘wellbeing budget’ or the UN’s sustainable development goals for inspiration.
 
“I firmly believe that we can become a productive society with a strong economic output that still looks after its most vulnerable community members. We can invest in healthcare, education and welfare because, through COVID-19, we’ve learned that our society is only as strong as its most vulnerable members.”
 
SSI supports three key measures in working toward a more equitable and sustainable society post-COVID-19:

1. Extending JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments to temporary migrants
   • Temporary migrants make a positive social and economic contribution to Australia. Skilled migrants and international students, who make up the majority of temporary migrants, have high levels of workforce participation and pay income tax and other taxes. However, just like all Australians, temporary migrants are vulnerable to unforeseen events or personal circumstances which may affect their ability to earn an income.
2. Permanently increasing JobSeeker payment and waiving the waiting period for new permanent residents to access income support in times of need
   • The fundamental purpose of Australia’s social security system is to support permanent residents and citizens during times when they are unable to adequately support themselves.
   • SSI supports a permanent increase to the JobSeeker payment to ensure that Australians can be supported in times of need.
   • Since 2019, most new permanent residents (excluding refugees) in Australia have a four-year waiting period to most income support payments irrespective of their circumstances or level of need. These waiting periods have been temporarily waived as part of the Australian Government’s response to COVID-19.
   • SSI recommends that this waiting period be waived or reduced permanently
3.  Measures to improve housing affordability
   • Safe shelter is a basic human right and the national shortage of affordable housing particularly affects new entrants into the housing market including migrants and refugees.
   • The high cost of housing also adversely impacts new permanent residents (excluding refugees) as they are ineligible for Commonwealth Rental Assistance for four years irrespective of their circumstances or need.
   • This means that Commonwealth Rental Assistance, a critical strategy to address housing affordability among low-income households, is not open to this cohort, despite them paying taxes when employed.

Minister Robert was announcing $400 million in grants to The Partners in the Community (PITC) grants program, which identifies organisations to deliver Local Area Coordination (LAC) Services to NDIS participants on behalf of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

The NDIA partners with suitably experienced and qualified organisations, with strong local knowledge and understanding of the needs of people with disability or developmental delay. They deliver LAC services to help people with disability aged 7 and over to access supports in their local communities, and to support participants along their NDIS pathway.

SSI will deliver services to 16,000 participants in the South West Sydney and Sydney areas, covering 14 local government areas, from Fairfield to Bundanoon, and between Rhodes, Punchbowl and Glebe.

During a three year contract, SSI will work with participants to build and pursue their goals, exercise choice and control, and engage with the NDIS.

SSI will also support people with disability, and their families and carers, by working with communities and mainstream services to build awareness and to become more inclusive of the range of needs and aspirations of people with disability.

Minister Robert said, “The PITC grant rounds allow the NDIA to seek out the most suitable organisations to deliver these important services for our participants to ensure they continue to have a positive experience with the Scheme.”

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis welcomed the announcement.

She said, “SSI as a values-driven organisation, with a strong focus on access and equity, is a perfect fit with the NDIS approach of  supporting people with disability early in life to improve opportunity and outcomes across their lifetime.

“In partnership with the NDIA, we seek to assist people with a disability to improve their lives by increasing support and facilitating opportunities to participate in all aspects of social and economic life. I am confident, with our diversity lens and client-centred approach, we will offer innovative and new approaches with strong support for NDIS participants.”

Current LAC agreements for NSW cease on June 30. 

SSI will commence transition activities immediately with full operations scheduled for October 1.

A handover arrangement for participants will be put in place between SSI and the outgoing partner, St Vincent de Paul, to ensure continuity of support.

Changes to existing partner arrangements will not affect participant plans, funding or level of service provided.

For more information visit www.ndis.gov.au.

The historic scheme will support the health and welfare of Australians trying to manage COVID-19 while helping businesses stay standing to serve the community and employ people.

However, SSI believes that everyone in our community should be able to access real support during a public health emergency and is extremely disappointed that visa workers, many casual workers, people seeking asylum and undocumented workers are excluded.

Two million people now facing destitution will turn to community centres, charities, mosques and churches, already overwhelmed by demand for their welfare services.

The impact on already struggling skill shortage areas like aged care, disability care and individual support will also be significant. Those roles, classed as essential services during this crisis, are not typically taken up by residents and citizens.

If temporary visa holders, excluded from Jobseeker and largely excluded from the social security system, are left in situations where they are impoverished, homeless and unable to access affordable health care, there will be serious consequences for public health across Australia.

SSI is grateful to the Government for important steps taken to keep people connected to their workplaces and to keep communities going at a time of crisis. The JobKeeper scheme will make a huge difference to people who would otherwise have lost connection to their place of employment.

SSI works with people from all backgrounds, including migrants, refugees and other newcomers to Australia.

We know how integral employment is in the settlement journey for newly arrived Australians, migrants and other vulnerable people in our community. It provides a valuable pathway to achieving independence and economic security.

But we have already seen in our JobActive and Refugee Employment Support Program people who are finding the lack of connection to employment extremely isolating, making their longer term re-integration more challenging.

That is why SSI applauds those continuing to push for expanded eligibility for JobKeeper payments to include everyone who had a job, regardless of visa status.

We hope to work with the Government to see how funded settlement services can assist with people who will not have access to JobKeeper.

And we urge the Federal Government to:

• provide a safety net for those temporary visa holders who cannot return to their country of origin
• allow access to Medicare to all people in Australia affected by COVID-19 who need healthcare as a matter of public health
• provide a safety net for refugees and people seeking asylum on bridging visas who do not have access to SRSS

Access to a welfare safety net is now more vital than ever. It would bring food security, help maintain social distancing and therefore reduce the public health risk.

Without a safety net, the many migrants who contribute to our society will be trapped in Australia and living in poverty.

It will also make it harder for Australia to recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

SSI believes in the social and economic dividend of our diversity. We believe that should include everyone. No-one should be left behind.

Settlement Services International (SSI) hosted the event in the lead-up to International Women’s Day. It brought together nearly 200 women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, community leaders, and representatives from the corporate world.

Minister Payne said the economy as a whole, and women themselves, were better off with greater female participation.

“There are significant social, health and wellbeing benefits for women when they work. In the case of migrant women, it is good for their integration and their social wellbeing and that of their families,” she said.

“Our Government recognises these trends and truths. It’s why we’re supporting more women to work.”

Minister Cash said migrant women faced particular challenges when it came to economic participation and financial security.

“Australia’s success as a multicultural and inclusive nation depends on the economic participation and contribution of migrants. That’s why the Morrison Government has a strong focus on ensuring we provide the support services to facilitate English language proficiency, employment and education when providing settlement assistance to migrants and humanitarian entrants to Australia,” Minister Cash said.

“Women from diverse backgrounds are skilled, courageous and resourceful. What is often missing is the opportunity to fully participate and share that skill and knowledge. This is why the Government continues to ensure its mainstream employment services feature a range of interventions, activities and complementary programs to help assist CALD and refugee job seekers, including women.”

Zena Habib, Head of People & Culture at the Australian National Maritime Museum, said her organisation was working hard to improve the cultural diversity of its workforce and today’s session offered invaluable insights and tips.

“Hearing first hand some of the challenges women from diverse backgrounds face and then being able to focus on solutions with two key ministers and corporates has given me not only inspiration to change things but some tools for how,” she said.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said IWD was about celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness against bias, and taking action for equality.

“Gender equity is not just a women’s issue, it’s an issue for everyone,” she said. “We know that when women do well, their families, businesses and whole communities prosper.”

She said “Empowering Women through Employment” recognised that women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds were at a unique intersection of gender and culture that could limit employment opportunities and career progression.

“In order to drive change on a larger scale, we need to ensure the voices of women from CALD backgrounds are front and centre. Let’s be #EachforEqual.

For more information:

press@ssi.org.au 

Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge this morning announced a raft of changes to Australia’s refugee settlement programs to lower refugee unemployment rates, which sit at around 77% in the first year of arrival before dropping to 38% after three years and 22% after 10, according to comments reported in The Australian.

Settlement Services International (SSI) CEO Violet Roumeliotis said she welcomed efforts to increase refugees’ economic independence but cautioned against conflating Australia’s humanitarian settlement program with its skilled migration streams.

“Refugees are not granted residency in Australia because of their potential economic contribution. They are not assessed for their skills and experience. They are assessed for their vulnerability – for their exposure to persecution or war. Australia welcomes refugees because we are cognisant of our international protection obligations, not because of what benefit they might bring us,” she said.

“Nonetheless, refugees can and do make significant contributions to Australia’s economy. Researchers consistently agree that any study of the economic contributions of refugees needs to take a long-term perspective. It takes many years for new arrivals to reach their full economic contribution.”

Modelling from Deloitte Access Economics suggests an increase in Australia’s humanitarian intake would actually result in a net economic output of $37.7 billion over the next 50 years and our economy would sustain an average of 35,000 additional jobs.

“SSI supports nearly 10,000 refugees in early settlement in any given year, including close to 5,000 new arrivals. I can tell you that no set of circumstances is alike,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

“Refugees face many unique barriers to employment including lack of local work experience, limited local networks and limited English language proficiency. Some are overcoming complex trauma. Even refugees with strong professional backgrounds like dentists and accountants face a long process of requalification in order to avoid underemployment and realise their full potential in Australia.”

Historic refugee employment data is also influenced by the fact that Australia’s settlement programs have traditionally been skewed towards meeting basic settlement needs, where they now take an integrated approach to independence that focuses on the three Es: education, employment and English, Ms Roumeliotis said.

SSI welcomes today’s commitment from the government for more targeted access to English language courses and encourage greater engagement with the corporate sector through a Refugee and Migrant Services Advisory Council.

“We also commend the decision to establish an alternative employment service model for refugees. The fact of the matter is that Jobactive has not delivered for many participants – even those job seekers who were born in Australia and aren’t dealing with the additional challenges facing refugees,” said Ms Roumeliotis.

“Refugees need a bespoke, local approach that is tailored for their individual circumstances. It’s something the NSW government has trialled with great success in our state, where the Refugee Employment Support Program (RESP) helps nearly one in every four participants secure employment.”

Over the last two and a half years, RESP has engaged with more than 6,800 refugees and placed 1,600 into employment. From the moment a refugee participant makes contact with the program, it takes on average six-and-a-half months to secure a job.

“The way the RESP service delivery model has been designed is the reason for the achievement of such great outcomes. Unlike Jobactive, RESP takes into consideration the key barriers to employment for refugees, including English language proficiency, work experience, recognition of overseas qualifications and education (including pre-employment and employability skills training),” said Ms Roumeliotis.

A particular deficiency in the current Jobactive program is the lack of specialist providers for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds – something that existed under the previous iteration, Job Services Australia.

“Future employment service providers should be required to demonstrate capacity to be culturally responsive to job seekers from diverse backgrounds, including newly arrived migrants and refugees,” she said.

In SSI’s experience, the key ingredients to support individuals to navigate, enter and remain in the workforce long term are individualised employment pathways, job readiness support, pre-employment training and work experience, effective job-matching and post-employment support.

In regard to the government’s target to increase regional settlement to 50% by 2022, SSI supports this in theory, provided it is done with sufficient community consultation.

The Human Rights Awards acknowledge and celebrate the work done in communities by ordinary Australians, organisations, businesses and community groups to further human rights and freedoms in Australia.

The Government Award recognises a local, state, territory or federal government body that has contributed to the advancement and protection of human rights in the Australian community.

Armidale Regional Council was chosen for championing the integration and wellbeing of Ezidi refugees in its community.

The council’s approach was said to be proactive, innovative and culturally sensitive, including initiatives such as volunteering opportunities, the promotion of cultural rights through spaces for traditional cultural practices, and raising awareness about refugees in the wider Armidale community.

The awards ceremony was told since mid-2018 Armidale had welcomed around 450 Ezidi people who had fled their country, fearful of the war with ISIS and the risk of persecution.

“That number has already risen to around 600 people,” Armidale Regional Council Mayor Simon Murray said.

“Their arrival in Armidale has further enhanced the city’s vast multiculturalism, which is a source of great pride for our region and is boosted by the large number of international students at the Armidale-based University of New England.

“Similarly, it fills me with pride to be Mayor of a community that consistently proves itself to be very welcoming and supportive.”

Councillor Murray said the council was quick to assist with the Ezidi settlement program, to help ensure a smooth transition and to make them feel welcome.

SSI nominated Armidale Regional Council for the award because the council had gone above and beyond in its dedication to refugee resettlement and the needs of newly arrived community members.

SSI said the council’s innovation and commitment to the needs of newly arrived refugees had made substantial contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights in the Armidale regional area.

During the process of resettlement, the council’s Community Services team had been supportive, culturally sensitive and transparent when working alongside settlement providers.

Community Services worked closely with SSI on a number of innovative projects that supported the refugee community to not just settle but also thrive, building the lives they wanted.

SSI said the council had displayed compassion, understanding and a pragmatic approach in welcoming Iraqi and Syrian refugees, resulting in increased access to resources, services and educational opportunities for the newly arrived community.

It had consistently ensured that its actions, policies and services facilitated the needs of the refugee community and advanced its right to cultural and religious freedom and community engagement.

Councillor Murray said, “Really, the community has to get full praise for this, not just the Armidale Regional Council.

“We’ve got a very multicultural community and it has been advocating for refugees for a very long time.”

He said, “We cannot take any of this award away from the Ezidis themselves … They want to be part of the community and that in itself is one of the major reasons they have really been adopted by the Armidale community.”

See also: Armidale community shows the way for regional settlement

The whole-of-community approach also addresses a recommendation in the Federal Government’s recently released Investing in Refugees, Investing in Australia review regarding the promotion of opportunities for regional settlement.

Community organisation and social business Settlement Services International (SSI) has overseen the settlement of over 300 refugees from Iraq and Syria in Armidale since February 2018 under the Federal Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP).

Two documents to be launched by SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis in Armidale on November 29 demonstrate how a whole-of-community approach to refugee settlement that accommodates the needs of refugees and host communities leads to a high retention of new arrivals.

Ms Roumeliotis said that approach could be instrumental in the success of regional settlement strategies across Australia.

SSI provides new arrivals with contracted HSP services, such as housing, orientation to community, links to education programs, training and employment assistance.

In tandem with those services, SSI has implemented an integrated model of community engagement that activates the involvement of the wider community in settlement.

The Armidale community has welcomed Ezidi refugees with open arms. Connections have been forged through community events, volunteerism, newcomer-driven initiatives, engagement through the Arts and connections with sporting groups. At the same time, positive community attitudes toward the Ezidi refugees have strengthened.

The Government panel reviewing Integration, Employment and Settlement Outcomes for Refugees and Humanitarian Entrants in Australia said in order to support and assist regional communities to develop locally led approaches the Government should encourage communities to explore the potential of regional settlement and bring together all levels of government, community, and business to facilitate stronger planning, coordination and evaluation of regional settlement.

“SSI’s success in Armidale shows the benefits settlement brings for both regional host communities and those on humanitarian visas,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

“Welcoming newcomers to regional sites can stimulate local regional economies, boost workforces and offset population decline. For the newcomers, a regional environment can offer a warmer, less confronting settlement experience than that available in cities.”

Ms Roumeliotis said to realise the full potential of regional settlement arrangements it was essential that the host community found meaningful ways to welcome and support newcomers and that the newcomers felt empowered, welcomed and at home in their new environment.

All in for Armidale: A whole-of-community approach to Ezidi settlement explored how SSI’s whole-of-community approach was doing just that, she said.

While All in for Armidale illustrates how the Armidale community has mobilised around the new arrivals, another paper contains research revealing increasingly positive attitudes towards refugees settling in Armidale across clusters of the local community.

The monograph, Monitoring community attitudes toward refugee settlement in Armidale, NSW, was written by Sue Watts from the University of New England and Tadgh McMahon and Trina Soulos from SSI.

Through a series of three pulse surveys, they assessed host community attitudes, concerns and responses to the arrival of refugees in the first 12 months of settlement.

Positive attitudes were tempered by a decreasing minority who felt negatively about the arrival of refugees. The main concerns were perceptions of the effect on local jobs, the adequacy of local services to support refugees and concern that refugees might not integrate.

Ms Roumeliotis said, “This is the first time a researcher in Australia has looked at the attitudes and social conditions of the host community. Understanding the host community is fundamental to delivering services in regional Australia.”

The independent review commissioned by the Australian Government outlines recommendations on how to better support refugees to set them up for success in Australia, optimising the valuable talents and experience they bring and contribute to our social fabric and economy.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis is available for interview on these key issues:

1. Regional resettlement…50% target by 2022…we need to start planning now

SSI welcomes the report’s recommendations on regional settlement targets and cites its experience in the settlement of refugee communities in Armidale and Coffs Harbour as a model of the integrated and long-term planning, community activation and coordination with government required for success.

– For the government to meet this ambitious target they need to start working with settlement agencies, local communities and civic institutions straight away.
– SSI is in Canberra next week meeting with the Department of Home Affairs to discuss options as part of its Regional Settlement Strategy.

2. Employment….we propose a model based on experience in refugee employment

The report validates SSI’s experience that it’s targeted and tailored employment initiatives that are most effective and more focus and funding should be allocated to these.

– SSI is the key service provider of the NSW Government’s Refugee Employment Support Program (RESP) which has led to thousands of job outcomes.
– SSI is one of the few refugee settlement agencies that also delivers a range of government employment programs as well as self-funded start-up initiatives, such as Ignite.
– SSI’s Regional Settlement Strategy has an employment model as a key component.

3. Coordinator General…a great initiative, need to ensure they stay close to community

SSI welcomes a national Coordinator General. Having worked in partnership with the NSW Coordinator General Peter Shergold, SSI sees the benefits of this approach and the potential for national amplification of the many benefits refugee settlement brings to communities.

This appointment will allow for a stronger narrative around the contribution of refugees to Australian society and social cohesion.

Additional resources / information available:

– Today’s report
– ‘All in for Armidale’ – a case study on SSI’s settlement of over 300 members of the Ezidi community in Armidale
– UNE research report – ‘Monitoring Community Attitudes Toward Refugee Settlement – Armidale’

– Refugee Employment Support Program 2019 Report Card

SSI will put out a more detailed review of the report in the coming days.

…END…

About SSI:
Settlement Services International is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.

Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Alicia Chapple: 0432 807 816 OR Shannon Kliendienst: 0488 680 240