Australia is celebrating Refugee Week from June 16 to 22, promoting greater awareness of issues refugees face and their contributions to Australia. The 2024 theme is Finding Freedom: Family.
The national event, coordinated by the Refugee Council of Australia, encourages community groups and individuals to do something positive for refugees, people seeking asylum and displaced people.
Amalin Sundaravej, a settlement worker with Mosaic Multicultural Connections based in Tamworth, previously known as Northern Settlement Services Limited, says the event is a great way to create awareness and combat negative stigmas.
“It helps create awareness for everybody that refugees are not people to be shunned or feared,” she said.
“They’re so willing to have a new life and improve their life in Australia; they have a lot of drive and ambition; many are just looking for a chance to prove themselves; you just have to give them a go.”
Armidale was chosen as a regional settlement location for Australia’s refugee program under the Turnbull government, and the success of the Ezidi community is inspiring many other communities around the nation. On Tuesday, a new project in Wagga Wagga was launched seeking to recruit skilled refugees to help address regional Australia’s chronic skill shortages.
Between 2018 and 2022, at least 650 refugees were resettled in the area. Amalin says Tamworth has also welcomed refugees to the region, and they have become an essential part of the community, contributing to “the economy” and becoming “great citizens.”
“Refugees help Australia grow as a nation; they bring their cultures and introduce everyone to a whole new way of thinking; they are the spice in the flavour that is Australia,” Amalin said.
Mosaic Multicultural Connections is one of the services geared toward helping refugees who come to the New England. It provides programs, support, and assistance to support culturally diverse people and communities.
Amalin says the organisation has been operating for more than 40 years “helping migrants and refugees settle in Australia,” but the main “target group is really within the first five years of their settlement in Australia, which is the most critical or crucial part of a settlement in a new country.”
“A lot of my work is based on casework, helping refugees with any problems like access to education, transportation, health, finance, English language classes, and community engagement,” Amalin said.
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