The Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council (RRAC)
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About RRAC
The Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council (RRAC) was established in 1997 to provide advice to the government on matters relating to refugee and humanitarian settlement. Council members are appointed by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship on the basis of their individual experience, expertise and commitment to settlement issues, in particular relating to humanitarian entrants.
In July 2010 the Australian Government reappointed RRAC for a sixth term. The Council continues to be chaired by the Hon Bruce Baird AM.
RRAC's sixth term priorities include providing advice on:
- improving settlement outcomes, including input into the delivery of Humanitarian Settlement Services
- the settlement needs of refugee youth
- supporting settlement in rural and regional locations
and - improving employment outcomes for refugees and humanitarian entrants.
Council's sixth term runs from 19 July 2010 to 30 June 2013.
Further details are in the Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council Workplan, available in a PDF form.
See: Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council Workplan ( 36KB PDF file)
Membership
The following table lists the members of RRAC.
| Name | Background |
|---|---|
| The Hon Bruce Baird AM, Chair | Awarded Member of the Order of Australia for his commitment to community work. Member of the Australian Parliament, representing the electorate of Cook from 1998-2007. Mr Baird has also been a Member of the NSW Parliament. Mr Baird was first appointed as Chair of RRAC in 2008. |
| Mr Rasoul Ahmady | Afghan Settlement Case Worker, Centacare Catholic Family Services in South Australia. Mr Ahmady is also a Youth and Sports Officer with the Afghan United Association of SA. Mr Ahmady is a keen advocate for the use of sport in assisting newly arrived young people. |
| Mr Paris Aristotle AM | Director of the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture. He has been a member of RRAC since inception, and currently chairs the Council for Immigration Services and Status Resolution (CISSR). In 2002 Mr Aristotle was made a Member of the Order of Australia and in 2003 was awarded an Australian Centenary Medal – both honours recognising his longstanding work with refugees, in particular survivors of torture. |
| Ms Jasmina Bajraktarevic-Hayward | Community Service Coordinator, NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS). Ms Bajraktarevic-Hayward is a Member of the Australian Association of Social Workers, NSW Branch, and since 2001 lectures on refugee health and community development at a number of tertiary institutions in NSW. |
| Ms Carmel Guerra | Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Multicultural Youth, a community-based organisation in Melbourne that advocates for the needs of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Ms Guerra has been a member of RRAC since inception. |
| Ms Arja Keski-Nummi PSM | Former First Assistant Secretary of the then Refugee, Humanitarian and International Division, Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Ms Keski-Nummi retired from the Australian Public Service in 2010 following a 30-year career with the Department. She was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2010 for outstanding public service in the development and delivery of Australia's humanitarian migration policies and programs. |
| Ms Eleri Morgan-Thomas | General Manager Social Advocacy and Public Affairs, Mission Australia. Ms Morgan-Thomas is also a Director of Mission Australia Housing Ltd, and has over 20 years experience in housing and housing policy development. |
| Mr Paul Power | Chief Executive Officer, Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) since April 2006. Mr Power was previously the Manager of the Vincentian Social Action Centre, an arm of the St Vincent de Paul Society and was first appointed to RRAC in 2008. |
| Ms Jenny Semple | Chief Executive Officer of the South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre. Ms Semple is also an Executive member of the Settlement Council of Australia, and a member of the RCOA's Board of Management. Ms Semple has been a member of RRAC since 2008. |
| Mr Daniel Zingifuaboro | President of Queensland African Communities Council. Mr Zingifuaboro is Executive Director of ACCES Services, a major provider of DIAC-funded settlement services in South East Queensland. Mr Zingifuaboro was first appointed to RRAC in 2008. |
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