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:
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.
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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
The report from the University of Technology Sydney and All Together Now shows three newspapers were responsible for 91% of these articles and 96% were authored by people from European or Anglo-Celtic backgrounds. This is simply not good enough in 2019, when one in three Australians is born overseas.
Multiculturalism is part of our national identity. It is time the media got on board with this and began highlighting diverse voices and the positive stories happening in these communities.
At minimum, journalists and commentators must report ethically on race – upholding their own editorial checks and balances. As community members, we should rightly expect all editorial content – even opinion – to adhere to the core tenants of journalism: truth and accuracy.
This is an excerpt from an opinion piece by SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis published on Mumbrella. Click here to read the article in full.
The SSI New Beginnings Festival in Spring, a unique celebration of the creative work of artists, performers and craftspeople from refugee and migrant backgrounds living in New South Wales, will have an Access and Inclusion tent and volunteers briefed to assist people with different levels of ability.
With diversity and inclusion at its core, the New Beginnings Festival strives to be inclusive and accessible for all members of the community.
Mable, the festival’s Accessibility and Inclusion Partner, will host an Access and Inclusion tent, with a quiet space, lived experience educators from the SSI Our Voice program, DIY bag making workshops, sensory tools such as noise-cancelling headphones, sensory toys and communication cards, mindfulness activities and disability and cultural awareness resources.
Mable is an online platform that enables people with disability and older Australians to find and connect with independent support workers in their local area.
Support workers from Mable, who represent diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, will be present to assist attendees to navigate and enjoy the festival.
Mable Chief Executive Officer Peter Scutt said, “We are proud to be invited as the Accessibility and Inclusion Partner for this year’s festival, given the shared values and mission of Mable and SSI New Beginnings to drive awareness of diversity and inclusion in the arts.
With the support of Mable, SSI has developed an Access and Inclusion Guide to welcome and support and attendees of all abilities. The Guide, which includes information about travelling to the venue, location of places of interest and accessible bathrooms and facilities, is downloadable from the New Beginnings website.
The event venue, Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour, is fully accessible for persons with mobility impairments or using a wheelchair.
An initiative of SSI’s Arts & Culture Program, the SSI New Beginnings Festival has been held bi-annually during Refugee Week (June) and Spring (November) since 2015.
Through an innovative and vibrant program staged at inner-city venues, the festival showcases the work of culturally and linguistically diverse artists and makers to Sydney audiences and beyond.
Ultimately, the celebration of hope, unity and new beginnings seeks to counter negative sentiments about refugees and people seeking asylum, and to encourage people to celebrate the creative contributions newcomer artists and communities bring to Australia.
Event details:
When: Saturday, November 16, 2019
Time: 12.00 pm – 8.00 pm
Where: Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour, 11 Harbour Street, Sydney NSW
www.newbeginningsfestival.com.au
Find the Mable Accessibility and Inclusion Tent next to the main stage.
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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.
About Mable:
Mable believes that all individuals should have the choice and control over who supports them. That is why Mable has established an online platform that helps people with disability, older Australians or their families choose and connect with support workers who share their interests and meet their needs best.
Mable wants to increase inclusivity for people with disability and older Australians and is passionate about working with the individuals on its platforms – and broader Australia – to make this happen.
For more information, visit: www.mable.com.au
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Officer, Greg Clennar, 0417 687 064, gclennar@ssi.org.au
Featuring hip hop artist L-Fresh the Lion, Australian-Sudanese music icon Ajak Kwai, and emerging lyricist and saxophonist Jamarz on Marz, the one-day extravaganza that includes dance performances, artisan workshops, and cultural food and markets, is set to be Sydney’s cultural event of the year.
2019 New Beginnings Festival Ambassador Shyamla Eswaran is an accomplished performing artist, choreographer and teacher with three decades of dance experience and a Master’s Degree in International Human Rights Law.
Ms Eswaran has taken centre-stage at previous New Beginnings festivals and is a strong advocate of the creative and cultural vision of the festival.
“Every refugee and migrant represents a valuable thread in the rich tapestry of multicultural Australia, yet their stories and voices are not always represented or heard in the mainstream,” said Ms Eswaran.
“I am deeply honoured to be the New Beginnings Festival Ambassador and wholly support it as a platform that gives artists from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to be seen, heard and appreciated.”
As artistic director of Bindi Bosses, an Urban Indian fusion dance group, Ms Eswaran will be performing again on November 16 in Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour.
“Audiences can expect a colourful program of performers and experiences which will make New Beginnings 2019 a cultural wonderland,” she said.
What started in 2015 as an intimate suburban community event has now evolved into an annual spring festival attracting thousands of Sydneysiders into the heart of the iconic Darling Harbour.
Settlement Services International (SSI)’s New Beginnings Festival is the brainchild of festival founder and SSI Arts and Culture program manager Carolina Triana — the 2017 recipient of the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Community Medal for Arts & Culture, which recognised her work with refugees and people seeking asylum.
Ms Triana said that as the festival’s audience reach broadens, so does its program and overall impact in promoting Australia’s culturally diverse talent to the general public.
“To have artists of L-Fresh the Lion’s calibre perform and share the festival’s vision is a testament to how far New Beginnings has come since its inception, and how we continue to attract a wider and more diverse audience year-on-year,” she said.
Ms Triana said that the festival is fertile ground for launching innovative and high-quality arts experiences that promote a deeper understanding across many communities.
“With so much creative talent and cultural vibrancy among newcomer communities, this year’s milestone event rings true to the festival’s vision of building a creative platform for newly arrived artists and makers, while simultaneously creating a space for community building and cohesion.”
Event details:
When: Saturday, November 16, 2019
Time: 12.00 pm – 8.00 pm
Where: Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour
11 Harbour Street,
Sydney NSW
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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 Senior Communications Officer
Rebeka Selmeczki
M: 0468 998 300
Despite family members being highly educated and professionally equipped with civil engineering degrees, each individual had to start their lives from scratch and embark on entirely new employment pathways.
Ms Shahoud arrived in Australia with zero English language proficiency and sought a role that enables her to develop her language skills without a multiple-year, qualification recognition process.
“In the first one-and-half years of living in Australia, I was just learning English,” Ms Shahoud said.
Thanks to the NSW Government’s Refugee Employment Support Program (RESP), Ms Shahoud is now employed by social enterprise bakery The Bread and Butter Project.
The Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said that when the NSW Government took an additional intake of refugees during the Syrian crisis, there was an acknowledgement that this undertaking required more supports in increasing capacity to create employment and economic independence pathways for new arrivals.
“Today, NSW is leading the country in responding specifically to the needs of refugees for tailored employment programs.”
Delivered by community organisation Settlement Services International (SSI) and partners, RESP is a four-year program that supports refugees and asylum seekers into sustainable employment and addresses employment as an integrated part of the whole refugee settlement journey.
NSW Coordinator General for Refugee Resettlement Professor Peter Shergold said that RESP had been designed to enable the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to work together while focusing on its area of expertise.
“Expertise ranges from tailored case management support, education and training, or job creation – and brings each of these elements together to deliver better employment outcomes for refugees.”
Through tailored employment pathway plans, participants’ barriers to employment are addressed to support and achieve individual career goals. Offering extensive support to low and high-skilled refugee job seekers, RESP is making a genuine difference to the employment outcomes of new arrivals.
Ms Shahoud’s job success has had a trickle-down effect on the rest of the family. Like his mother, Fawzi Shahoud also engaged with the program for tailored employment support and as a direct result now works with Transport NSW.
“My son Fawzi is also civil engineer and, with the help of RESP, he has a good job,” Ms Shahoud said.
“The RESP has helped my family find jobs and be part of the community, and we are very happy.”
Since its inauguration two years ago, RESP has helped to secure employment for almost 25% of people that engage with the program, a figure that exceeds other mainstream employment programs that generally report refugee employment rates below 20%.
According to Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA): The Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants, an ongoing study conducted by the Department of Social Services (DSS) from 2013, after 18 months in Australia, only 17 per cent of refugees are in paid employment.
With RESP, however, from the moment that a refugee participant makes contact with the program, it takes a refugee job seeker who has found employment on average 6.5 months to secure a job.
The program is designed to counteract “occupational skidding” — a phenomenon whereby refugees are unable to find work that matches their skills and qualifications — by avoiding a “one-size-fits-all” approach and developing custom-built employment pathways, designed for the long-term.
As a wrap-around refugee employment program, RESP participants have wider access to a range of activities than those supported by mainstream employment providers. Those activities aim at securing longer-term employment in a variety of industries, including transport and education.
Andrew McRae, General Manager of Eastern Region Construction at Fulton Hogan, an employer partner of the project, said bringing refugees into work has been a positive process.
“As an industry, we’re facing a shortage of people available for careers in construction, so Fulton Hogan is keen to support pathways that bring more people into skilled roles.
“Partnering with SSI on RESP not only provides jobs for refugees, but it also helps create pathways for a whole new generation of people to build rewarding careers in construction.”
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said that RESP recognised that humanitarian migrants were not a homogenous group and that they had varying levels of education and skills.
“Some individuals may arrive with more significant barriers and require a longer employment pathway journey and more supports,” Ms Roumeliotis said.
She said the “secret sauce” to the success of RESP was a potent partnership between government, a highly regarded community sector, existing migrant communities and socially-minded businesses.
“At SSI, partnerships are in our DNA and, ultimately, it is the power of partnerships across industries that underpin RESP’s success,” she said.
Ms Roumeliotis said that although Australia had a successful settlement record built on the cross-collaboration between industries, she warned that it was important not to get stuck on past achievements and to look to the future.
“The time is now ripe for harvesting better long-term outcomes for refugees, businesses, and the Australian economy through continued cross-sector collaboration,” she said.
Event details:
When: Thursday 24 October 2019
Time: 5:30pm – 8:00 pm
Official Proceedings: 6:15 – 7:15pm
Where: NSW Parliament House – Theatrette
6 Macquarie St,
Sydney NSW
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Officer Rebeka Selmeczki
M: 0468 998 300