The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) welcomes the Federal Government’s commitment today to implement a range of recommendations designed to better support the successful settlement of refugees in Australia.
The commitments are in response to the independent Review into integration, employment and settlement outcomes for refugees and humanitarian entrants, carried out by Professor Peter Shergold AC, Kerrin Benson and Margaret Piper.
FECCA made a submission to the Review and called for a range of improvements in the delivery of services for refugees, including for more flexible English language tuition options for refugees outside the classroom setting, particularly for vulnerable cohorts, such as women and children and those who may have experienced trauma.
FECCA Chairperson Mary Patetsos congratulated the Government for supporting the recommendations from the Shergold Report and committing to implementing those recommendations.
“This Review was important because successful settlement is not only good for refugees, it’s good for our society and economy as a whole,” she said.
“These recommendations are a blueprint for how we can achieve better employment, language proficiency and community cohesion outcomes for refugees in Australia, and the Government deserve recognition for supporting these recommendations.
“FECCA called for a number of improvements to settlement services as part of the review, including for more flexible English language tuition options for refugees outside the classroom setting.
“We are pleased to see that the delivery of more flexible English tuition is one of the recommendations supported by the Government and look forward to following the progress of this trial and the other initiatives announced today.”
