Accessible Government Services for All Annual Report
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Reporting analysis: Inter-agency cooperation
In 2006 the Interdepartmental Committee (IDC) on Humanitarian Settlement developed a whole-of-government strategy to improve settlement outcomes for recently arrived humanitarian entrants. The IDC was a significant example of interagency cooperation in consultation with stakeholders to identify service needs for newly arrived humanitarian entrants and develop services responsive to those needs. The IDC developed a range of recommendations with a focus on successful integration through learning English, getting a job, committing to Australian values and participating in mainstream activities. It developed proposals to address recommendations in the areas of improving the financial capacity of humanitarian entrants on arrival and improving budgeting and financial literacy.
Centrelink worked with the ATO on the provision of access to Tax File Numbers so that refugee families could access family assistance payments in a timely manner on arrival in Australia. Centrelink has centralised refugee servicing in several areas, as a result of consultations with Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Services (IHSS) providers and local community groups.