CURRENT ISSUES - NATIONAL SETTLEMENT POLICY NETWORK

INTRODUCTION

The National Settlement Policy Network is a joint initiative of the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) and the Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) to enable our members (organisational and individual) to participate in planning joint advocacy on settlement issues.

RCOA and SCOA will be co-hosting a quarterly National Settlement Policy Network teleconference that will focus on specific themes. Teleconferences will provide an opportunity for members to hear from guest speakers with expertise in particular areas of settlement policy as well as raise issues of concern and ways forward.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Please note that the National Settlement Policy Teleconference is organised by the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) and the Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) to enable our members (organisational and individual) to participate in planning joint advocacy on settlement issues.

Any non-member who wishes to participate should contact either the RCOA national office on (02) 9211 9333 or SCOA on (02) 8065 5225 prior to a teleconference to make arrangements to reimburse RCOA/SCOA for the cost of their participation in the teleconference.

To check if your organisation is a current member of RCOA, see the list of organisational members on the RCOA website: www.refugeecouncil.org.au/resources/links.html

To check if your organisation is a current member of SCOA, see the list of organisational members on the SCOA website: www.scoa.org.au/contacts.htm

TELECONFERENCE - 1 JUNE 2010

The June Settlement Policy Network Teleconference will focus on the topic of Getting on the right track: Sustainable employment pathways for refugee and humanitarian entrants in Australia.

To coincide with the teleconference, RCOA is releasing a draft version of our research report on sustainable emloyment pathways, entitled What Works: Employment strategies for refugees and humanitarian entrants. Principal researcher Louise Olliff will deliver a presentation on the research at the teleconference. Click here to download the report.

Other presentations will focus on current employment support programs for refugees. Presenters will include:

• Jo Tabit, Brotherhood of St Laurence: Given the Chance Coordinator
• Michael Krafft, ACCES Services Inc: Director, Economic Participation and Development
• Evan Dukas, AMES Employment: senior manager (working on a number of employment projects within JSA and also other employment initiatives)
  

Discussion points will include:

The Teleconference will be held on Tuesday 1st June at the following times:

3.30-4.45pm ACT, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria time
3.00-4.15pm SA, NT time
1.30-2.45pm WA time

To register your interest in participating in this teleconference, contact info@refugeecouncil.org.au or call (02) 9211 9333.

RESEARCH AND RESOURCES

Refugee Council of Australia (2010). What Works: Employment strategies for refugees and humanitarian entrants. Click here to download the report.

Berman, G and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (2008). Harnessing Diversity: Addressing racial and religious discrimination in employment, VEOHRC, Melbourne. www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/pdf/Harnessing%20Diversity%20report.pdf

Brotherhood of St Laurence (2007). Introduction to Community Enterprise: Stronger communities – making it our business, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Brunswick.
http://www.communityenterprise.org.au/resources/CEDI_INTRO_BOOKLET.pdf

Carr, J (2005). Refugee Employment Programs, in particular those using mentoring, Churchill Study Tour Report. Victoria, Australia.
http://www.churchilltrust.com.au/res/File/Fellow_Reports/Carr%20Jill%202004.pdf

Colic-Peisker, V and Tilbury, F (2007a). Integration into the Australian Labour Market: The Experience of Three 'Visibly Different' Groups of Recently Arrived Refugees. International Migration, 45(1), 59-72.
http://jrs.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/19/2/203

Colic-Peisker, V and Tilbury, F (2007b). Refugees and Employment: The Effect of Visible Difference on Discrimination. Final Report. Murdoch University, Western Australia.
http://www.cscr.murdoch.edu.au/refugees_and_employment.pdf

Dunlop, J (2005). Part of Society? Refugees in the Australian Labour Market. Hopes Fulfilled or Dreams Shattered? From Resettlement to Settlement Conference, 23-28 November 2005. UNSW Centre for Refugee Research, Sydney.
http://www.crr.unsw.edu.au/documents/Refugees%20and%20Economic%20Contributions.pdf

Kyle, L, Macdonald, F, Doughney, J and Pyke, J (2004). Refugees in the labour market: Looking for cost-effective models of assistance. Ecumenical Migration Centre, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Melbourne.
http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/refugees_in_labour_market.pdf

Mestan, K (2008). Given the Chance: an evaluation of an employment and education pathways program for refugees, Brotherhood of St Laurence Research and Policy Centre, Fitzroy.
http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/Mestan_GivenTheChance_evaluation.pdf

Refugee Council of Australia (2010). Economic, Civic and Social Contributions of Refugees and Humanitarian Entrants. http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/docs/resources/Contributions_of_refugees.pdf

Targeted employment programs of the Brotherhood of St Laurence:

Given the Chance
http://www.bsl.org.au/Services/Refugees-and-migrants/Given-the-Chance.aspx

Building Bridges
http://www.bsl.org.au/Services/Refugees-and-settlement/Building-Bridges.aspx

Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES) Employment Services and Research:

www.ames.net.au

Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES) (2008). Review of Employment Services, Prepared for: Minister for Employment Participation, February 2008, AMES Research and Policy.
http://www.workplace.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/A0232A93-4D8C-4DC2-904A-28DA595047C7/0/104AustralianMigrantEducationServices.pdf

PAST TELECONFERENCES