A range of services is provided to help migrants and refugees settle successfully in Australia

Overview

This group has five outputs:

2.1.1 Settlement planning and information delivery

2.1.2 Humanitarian settlement services

2.1.3 Support for community services

2.1.4 Adult Migrant English Program administration

2.1.5 Free translating and interpreting services

There are six administered items under this output group:

• Adult Migrant English Program
• Assistance for former child migrants
• Grants for migrant community services
• Humanitarian settlement services
• National Accreditation for Translators and Interpreters Ltd—Contribution
• Supervision and welfare support for unaccompanied humanitarian minors.

Highlights

In 2008–09, the department continued to support and increase humanitarian settlement in regional areas as a way of achieving a more balanced geographic distribution of refugees. Pilot projects where 10 families were settled in Ballarat in Victoria and Mount Gambier in South Australia within a 12-month period were completed. Independent evaluations of these projects and an earlier one in Shepparton in Victoria indicated that the settlement process has been successful for both the entrants and the towns.

Under the Sustainable Regional Settlement Program, the department funded projects in the Lockyer Valley in Queensland, and Orange in New South Wales to help humanitarian entrants to settle by providing information, skills training and other workshops.

In August 2008, the department launched the Settlement Services Locator on its website as an easy-to-use way for clients to find their nearest Adult Migrant English and Settlement Grants Program service providers. By clicking on a map and the service required, clients can get contact details and driving directions to service providers.

The department provided funding in 2008–09 to the newly formed Settlement Council of Australia (SCoA), a national peak body representing the settlement service sector. SCoA was formed from the former National Council of Migrant Resource and Settlement Agencies, and has been asked by the department to broaden its membership base to incorporate the wider settlement services sector. This body will support dialogue within the settlement sector and with the department to further settlement outcomes. The department also provided financial support for SCoA’s first national conference held on 28 and 29 May 2009. The objectives of the conference included the development of the strategic directions for SCoA and the promotion of good practice in settlement service delivery.

Free access to interpreting services for pharmacies was extended on a permanent basis on 8 December 2008 following an initial pilot in 2007. This initiative recognises the importance of clear communication in dispensing medicines to non-English speakers. More than 1200 pharmacies around Australia have registered for free interpreting services (about 25 per cent of all pharmacies).

The department conducted an open tender process to establish a panel of providers to deliver Complex Case Support (CCS) services. CCS services started in October 2008 and the program was fully operational nationally by December 2008. CCS services are tailored to meet the needs of individual cases and complement existing departmental settlement services.

The provision of Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS) services was extended to include all clients granted a Protection visa onshore (including Resolution of Status visas) following the abolition of the Temporary Protection regime. As is the case with offshore entrants, any services provided through the IHSS are based on a needs assessment.

A review of the accommodation services pricing schedule under the IHSS contracts was undertaken, resulting in an increase to the pricing unit to reflect increased rents nationally.

In May 2008, Australia welcomed the first Bhutanese family to be resettled under the Australian Government’s commitment to resettle 5000 Bhutanese in Australia over the next five years. A total of 763 Bhutanese were resettled in 2008–09, primarily in South Australia, Tasmania, and regional New South Wales.

The department also welcomed other new groups of humanitarian entrants into Australia in 2008–09, including the arrival of the first Rohingya refugees. The department began resettling 100 Rohingya refugees living in refugee camps in the Cox’s Bazaar district in Bangladesh. The Rohingya people have been living in these camps in difficult conditions for almost two decades. As of 30 June 2009, 66 Rohingya people have been resettled in Australia, mostly in Brisbane.

The department commenced a procurement process to replace the current IHSS contract due to expire in June 2010. The department will release a request for tender to the market in late 2009–10. Extensive consultation has commenced with stakeholders and clients to inform development of the new tender.