Profile - Learning for a new life
A new life in an unknown country in another part of the world means facing enormous challenges for about 13 000 humanitarian and refugee entrants who are resettled in Australia each year.
Most have fled trauma in their homelands and spent years in refugee camps. Many child entrants were born in refugee camps and have no knowledge of any other life.
Before 2003, they would arrive in Australia knowing little about the place where they would live. So the department developed the Australian Cultural Orientation (AUSCO) Programme to meet the needs of humanitarian entrants. AUSCO helps entrants become better informed about Australian culture before they arrive.
Topics include:
- an overview of Australia’s government, geography and climate
- cultural adjustment
- travel to Australia and settling in
- healthcare and education
- finding a job
- money management
- housing and transport
- Australian law
- Australian values and citizenship
- access to counselling for survivors of trauma and torture.
AUSCO is the start of a journey from being a refugee to making a new life in Australia and its work is continued by other programmes after refugees and humanitarian entrants arrive in Australia.
The department provides teaching resources such as videos, DVDs, maps, posters, newspapers and books about Australia. The programme has set a benchmark in cultural orientation training with other countries regularly seeking the department’s advice.