“Peace involves staying in the room with people where you’d much rather walk out. Peace involves saying things to people that you usually say about them when they’re not there. Peace involves taking the risk of opening your imagination to think of a shared future where you and your political other share in a democratic process together. It feels like compromise, and it’s painful, and often you’re hurt by your own, not just ‘the other’. Peace and reconciliation are exhausting and brilliant and changing, but they require a lot of work.”

Pádraig talks about the possibility of relationship while recognising that it can take as long for a conflict to de-escalate as it takes to escalate. He observes that after more than 200 years of dispossession for First Peoples, ‘sorry’ (justice and truth) might require another 200 years, not just a day, week or year. It’s a sobering thought, especially given the year 2024 has been and we continue to witness.

It has also given me pause to consider the role of Welcoming Australia in an increasingly polarised world. Our work has never been more important, but cohesion and belonging should not be reduced to ‘being polite’ or maintaining the status quo. They require an ongoing commitment to a shared future and a lot of work.

Amid the grief of diaspora communities, the pursuit of certainty for people living in limbo, and advocacy for more inclusive government policy, there have been many vital conversations, the development of life-saving resources, beautiful moments, and inspiring stories. This is the work. A daily resolve to include rather than exclude, to take people on a journey and support people of all backgrounds to have a seat at the table.

We’ve shared a small snapshot of some of these activities below. I hope you enjoy them because you share in their success.

Thank you for your support in 2024 and for all you do to make your street, workplace, and community more welcoming, kind, and generous.

On behalf of the Welcoming Australia team, I wish you a safe, refreshing, and peaceful festive season. We will return in 2025 to continue the work of advancing communities where everyone can belong.

Aleem Ali

CEO, Welcoming Australia

The inaugural Welcoming Universities Summit, held on October 22, 2024, at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), brought together 50 key stakeholders to discuss inclusive practices in higher education. The theme for this inaugural summit was From Small Beginnings – building welcoming in Australian universities, and the program featured insightful talks, panel discussions, and roundtable sessions designed to foster meaningful conversations and explore initiatives to support diversity and inclusion in Australian universities.

Read more here

A Welcoming Week to remember!

In September, community members all over Australia embraced the Welcoming Week theme of #WhatBringsUsTogether, celebrating the work of advancing a welcoming Australia.

With over 70 events hosted across Australia, we joined eight countries taking part, with an amazing 2,006 events hosted globally! Welcoming Week is about more than the events and connections during this week alone. It’s a time to showcase the movement of communities striving to be more welcoming places for all, including migrants, refugees, people seeking asylum, international students, and the entire community, as well as the work that happens in your communities every single day.

Read the full 2024 wrap-up here.

The City of Darebin was awarded the first Excelling Accreditation in the Welcoming Cities network.   This successful accreditation acknowledges the significant work of Council and the Darebin community to make the City more welcoming and inclusive.

“Darebin has a long-term approach to this work. They understand that welcoming and inclusion are about continuous engagement and learning, and we congratulate them on their success. Becoming the first council in Australia to be accredited at the Excelling level underlines their role as a leader in welcoming work in Australia.” 

Read more here

2024 was a terrific year for Welcoming Cities

We were joined in the network by 10 new members, continued to connect with our international partners, including setting up peer to peer connections, released two publications, celebrated the City of Darebin achieving Accreditation at the Excelling level and there is strong interest in accreditation in 2025.

Read the full re-cap here

Inclusion Guidelines for Public Aquatic Facilities

These guidelines were developed by Welcoming Australia and The Aqua English Project Ltd, with input from local governments, contractors, aquatic participants and those yet to access a swimming program.

While developed for aquatic facilities, it’s also a blueprint for broader inclusion in our communities – we encourage you to download the guide, share it, examine how you can implement the ideas, strategies and examples shared within.
Genuine change requires work, investment and the right intent. Facilities won’t become more inclusive and welcoming overnight, but it will happen through small increments and culture shifts. Read more and download the guidelines here

A fantastic way to celebrate Welcoming Week 2024, we hosted an incredible event with the award-winning Bloodlines to Country podcast, produced by Jenae Tien and Karina Hogan, featuring Yuggera Elder, Aunty Kerry Charlton. 

In this in-conversation event Aunty Kerry, Karina and Jenae shared the background to making this podcast, more details about the incredible stories it contains, and the impact this podcast has had on both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.  

It was a beautiful event, and the generosity of Aunty Kerry her family’s stories and history, was deeply profound.  

Early in 2024 our Welcoming Cities team in Queensland began working with the newly formed Darling Downs African Communities Council (DDACC), providing support and solidarity as they built their profile and their vision for what the council would focus on. 

Together, DDACC, Ethnic Communities Council Queensland (ECCQ) and Welcoming Australia are now co-hosting a conversation series about racism in schools. The first of these sessions was held in mid-November and began with a presentation by John Bosco of ECCQ on his recent research on this topic, and then a panel discussion with key people working in this space. It was an excellent introductory session, and the first in a conversation series that will continue through 2025, engaging more widely to collaboratively develop effective responses to this issue. 

The Mayoral Alliance for the Pacific was a huge milestone in bringing together 20 Local Government Areas concerned about reforms in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme. Of note too are the other valuable relationships established with the NSW Office of the Antislavery Commissioner; alongside consultations the Alliance has had with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. Our Advocacy efforts are envisaged to grow into 2025, particularly working across respective Departments administering PALM, with the objective of deriving wins for the workers, host communities and businesses.  

Pictured: Welcoming Workplaces Manager Ken Dachi and Campaigns and Communications Manager Kate Leaney with Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Hon Pat Conroy MP

Find out more about the Mayoral Alliance for the Pacific here

We’re delighted to work with the newly formed Welcoming Universities Student Advisory Committee, recognising that a key critical element of advancing welcoming univerisities is a supported, and championed student voice.  

To acknowledge the depth of lived and living experience and expertise, elected students for the committee receive a small yearly stipend to compensate them for time spent on their committee duties, and are also invited to engage a mentor from across the Welcoming Australia network to provide mentoring and advice in their career and life pursuits.  

The committee is still very new, but the experience so far has been hugely positive, with students sharing incredible insights and knowledge with Welcoming Universities to ensure that the initiative is reflective of student voice, and students benefitting from being included in wide-ranging conversations and programs. 

This year marked another adventurous, challenging, and rewarding chapter for the Welcoming Clubs team. Initially, we anticipated the conclusion of both the Welcome to the Game and Active Inclusion Club Mentor Projects in Melbourne, but due to its success and community value, the team has been successful in securing crucial funding to continue this important program with more programs and education workshops in 2025.

Alongside an exciting reactivation of Welcoming Clubs work and impact in Queensland this year, we’re also looking forward to launching two place-based, community-led programs as part of the Play Our Way program to promote equitable opportunities for women and girls to benefit from sport at all levels and locations.

Read the full Welcoming Clubs 2024 wrap-up here

From 2020 to June 2024, including the challenging COVID-19 years, these programs:   

– Directly supported over 657 children and young people with disabilities.   
– Engaged 416 family members, providing them with meaningful benefits.   
– Enabled 48 staff and volunteers with disabilities to contribute to program delivery.   
– Indirectly benefited over 990 family members through their children’s participation.   

The Active Inclusion Clubs Mentor Project facilitated the creation of seven local inclusion programs in partnership with community clubs. In late June, as we began wrapping up these programs, we received unexpected but welcome news: a 12-month extension for Welcome to the Game. We are immensely grateful to our community partners, councils, and clubs for their unwavering support and look forward to continuing this work into the first half of 2025.   

Queensland Reactivation   

Welcoming Clubs was founded in Queensland in 2016, though recent years have focused more on Victoria and national initiatives. In 2024, we reignited our local Queensland approach through Clubs QLD, supported by a dedicated Queensland Clubs Coordinator. This effort has involved close collaboration with Queensland State Government, the Welcoming Cities team and local stakeholders in Townsville, Toowoomba, and Ipswich   

This reactivation underscores our commitment to fostering inclusive sports and recreation opportunities across Queensland communities.   

University of Melbourne STARS Anti Racism in Sport 

2024 marked the 4^th year of a continued alliance with the University of Melbourne STARS project. To date this partnership has supported the delivery of Active Inclusion and Upstander Anti-Racism Training to over 200 community sports clubs across Australia.  

In 2025 the partnership will announce the launch of the first ever Train the Trainer Upstander Accreditation Program. This groundbreaking program will endorse the first round of Upstander Trainers for sport and will be delivered through a combination of online modules and in person training. If you are interested in being part of this first training cohort connect with us here

Play Our Way Success   

We are thrilled to announce that our application to the Australian Government’s $200 million Play Our Way program was successful!  The Play Our Way program was established to promote equitable opportunities for women and girls to benefit from sport at all levels and locations, by addressing the barriers they experience when participating in sport and physical activity. 

The project focusses on but is not limited to women aged 30–55 from migrant and minority ethnic backgrounds who have had limited access to sports and physical activity. This includes those who may have lacked exposure to physical literacy or remained inactive due to responsibilities like childcare, injury, or illness.   

In April 2025, two place-based, community-led programs will launch in:   

– Dandenong   
– Hume/Brimbank  

Our consortium partnership, which includes eight key partners, is dedicated to increasing access and participation for this group:   

– African Women and Families Network   
– Preston Mosque and the Islamic Society of Victoria   
– Centre for Healing and Justice Through Sport   
– cohealth   
– Brimbank Council   
– Hume City Council   
– Greater Dandenong City   
– The University of Melbourne – STARS Project   

If your organisation is interested in contributing to this 2 year project, please connect with us through the Expression of Interest form here   

Associate Professor Kathomi Gatwiri’s keynote, “I am therefore you are: Fostering Dignity for Minoritised Students in the University,” set the stage. Gatwiri critiqued the contradictory nature of the neoliberal university, which promotes diversity as a selling point yet often fails to enact genuine inclusivity. Drawing on personal experiences, she underscored the importance of “relational micro-practices” that move beyond tokenism toward systemic transformation to dismantle entrenched exclusionary practices.

The summit’s first panel, “Actively Welcoming: Projects, Programs, and Initiatives to Create Belonging,” featured initiatives to foster belonging for underrepresented students. Eliza Basheer from NSW Health described the International Student Health Hub, Leah Subijano highlighted the UTS Multicultural Women’s Network, and Ana Setiu Tuala from Western Sydney University shared the success of the Fast Forward and PATHE programs.

A second panel focused on the experiences of international students in Australian universities. Kathomi Gatwiri moderated a discussion where international students Mark-Louie Racelis, Raghav Motani, and Weihong Liang shared their lived and living experiences. Research by Olga Cherniak and Cate Gilpin from Welcoming Universities underscored the importance of increasing support services, connections, and community and addressing food insecurity and housing instability, critical issues impacting international students’ wellbeing and academic success.

The afternoon roundtable discussions allowed for a deeper dive into specific topics. Aleem Ali, CEO of Welcoming Australia, led a session on transforming universities into welcoming workplaces. Associate Professor Sally Baker from ANU emphasised the need for accessible pathways to education for refugees, discussing initiatives through Refugee Education Australia.

UNSW’s Charlotte Long introduced the “My English Week” and “My English Choir” programs, which help students improve their language skills while fostering community connections. Michaela Turner, alongside colleagues and students from UNSW, outlined the work of the Arts Design and Architecture Faculty called ADA Stories, Reimagining Inclusion on Campus, particularly the critical ‘My Name Is’ activation.

Caitlyn Pyle and Sophie Murray from the University of Wollongong explored collaborative efforts with local government to support student wellbeing, highlighting programs that help students gain essential life skills, such as swimming.

With vital connections made throughout the day and many constructive conversations, the Welcoming Universities Summit succeeded in strengthening university and interpersonal connections among attendees and generating new ideas for a more inclusive and supportive university environment. Through shared experiences and a collaborative spirit, participants left with a renewed commitment to foster diversity, equity, and belonging within the Australian higher education system.

This exciting event is an opportunity for diverse audiences to learn about Yuggera language, heritage, identity, and belonging from respected Yuggera Elder, Aunty Kerry Charlton, and esteemed media makers Karina Hogan and Jenae Tien, who developed and produced the award-winning Bloodlines to Country podcast. 

This event brings together people from diverse backgrounds to reflect on the history of this place, the importance of truth telling and cultural understanding, to create connection and shared understanding.  

Taking place at the Queensland Museum – Kurilpa, at South Bank, a place where significant cultural and historic artefacts are held. This conversation will bring the past into the present, exploring the enduring legacy of language, of country, and of bloodlines in shaping identity. This important conversation is about knowing the story and the history of the place we now call home. 

“We felt so honoured to work with Aunty Kerry on this podcast, and love sharing it with new audiences and communities” explains Jenae Tien. “At a time when our nation is grappling with questions of identity and belonging, ‘Bloodlines to Country’ offers an opportunity to listen, learn, and reflect on the history of this place, and importance of reckoning with the past, telling the truth, and knowing the story of the place where you live”. 

The event reflects the 2024 Welcoming Week theme of #WhatBringsUsTogether, where guests are invited in a time of escalating global uncertainty and division to intentionally carve out moments to explore “What Brings Us Together”- over delicious food from FigJam & Co, shared conversation and deep listening and learning.  

This event will also include a Q&A session, allowing attendees to engage directly with the speakers. Media representatives are encouraged to attend for exclusive interview opportunities and to capture these compelling moments. 

Key Facts:

Welcoming Australia is thrilled to host the “Bloodlines to Country: In Conversation” event on Wednesday 11 September at the Queensland Museum, South Bank, Brisbane. 

This event will officially launch Welcoming Week in Queensland for 2024.

About us:

Welcoming Australia is a non-partisan movement and organisation committed to cultivating a culture of welcome and advancing an Australia where people of all backgrounds have equal opportunity to  belong, contribute and thrive.

Welcoming Week 2024: 13- 22 September
Through Welcoming Week, organisations and communities bring together neighbours of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of building welcoming and inclusive communities – for our shared future.

The 2024 Welcoming Week theme, #WhatBringsUsTogether, is a moment to consider and celebrate the work of advancing a welcoming Australia that happens in communities across the country every single day.

In a time of escalating global uncertainty and division, we believe it’s crucial to intentionally carve out moments to share “What Brings Us Together”.

Whether through shared meals, the camaraderie of sports, vibrant music celebrations, thought-provoking art exhibitions, intimate storytelling circles, enriching cultural exchanges, or meaningful community service projects, we look forward to seeing the creative ways you and your communities celebrate Welcoming Week.  

Let’s embark on a journey of exploration, focusing on what unites rather than divides us as we strive to build a more inclusive and compassionate world for all.

By bringing us together to celebrate our shared humanity, we can advance a more inclusive and welcoming Australia where everyone can belong, contribute, and thrive.

Learn more about Welcoming Cities at www.welcomingcities.org.au/. 

Learn more about Welcoming Week here: www.welcomingweek.org.au 

Learn more about Bloodlines to Country here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/bloodlines-to-country/id1697438861  

Contact details:

For further comment, to arrange a media pass for the event, or further information contact: 
 
Cate Gilpin 
Coordinator (Qld), Welcoming Cities 
Coordinator, Welcoming Universities 
Welcoming Australia 
0411 562 103 
cate@welcoming.org.au  

 
Kate Leaney 
Campaigns & Communications Manager 
Welcoming Australia 
kate@welcoming.org.au | 0411 712 930 
 
Aleem Ali 
CEO 
Welcoming Australia 
aleem@welcoming.org.au | 0400 917 756 

This week, the City of Darebin was awarded the first Excelling Accreditation in the Welcoming Cities network.   

Welcoming Cities accreditation recognises the commitment local government organisations make to advancing inclusion in their community. The recognition of accreditation at the Excelling level highlights Council’s reputation as a sector leader in welcoming and inclusion practice, programs and initiatives. 

The City of Darebin has made that commitment to inclusion through:  

• becoming a member of Welcoming Cities in 2017  

• Key actions and contributions across all of council 

• benchmarking this process and becoming an accredited Welcoming City at the Excelling level, with an overall score of 4.7 out of a possible 5.   
   

This successful accreditation acknowledges the significant work of Council and the Darebin community to make the City more welcoming and inclusive. Achieving Excelling level both reflects and builds on the City’s commitments to being a welcoming city to all. These commitments include equitable access to services and facilities, safe and inclusive neighbourhoods, economic development opportunities, and respect for human rights for all people who live in and visit the city. It also provides an opportunity to plan for further improvement and change. 

Welcoming Australia’s CEO, Aleem Ali, congratulated Darebin City Council, the first to be awarded accreditation at the Excelling level. He said, 

“Darebin has a long-term approach to this work. They understand that welcoming and inclusion are about continuous engagement and learning, and we congratulate them on their success. Becoming the first council in Australia to be accredited at the Excelling level underlines their role as a leader in welcoming work in Australia.” 

Responding to the accreditation, City of Darebin Mayor, Councillor Susanne Newton, said, 

“I am so proud that Darebin is the first Council in Australia to be awarded ‘Excelling’ status in our Welcoming Cities accreditation. This reflects what I see every day in our community: a place where everyone can find their people, a place to call home and connect with community, whatever their background. This award acknowledges the commitment and significant work of Council and the Darebin community to build a truly inclusive and equitable City.  

We are fortunate in Darebin to be home to people from over 112 countries who speak more than 88 languages, and we are always striving to be a city where everyone feels welcome, respected and empowered to contribute to our wonderful community.” 

Welcoming Cities is a national network of cities, shires, towns and municipalities who are committed to an Australia where everyone can belong and participate in social, cultural, economic and civic life. Currently, 87 Local Councils are members of the Welcoming Cities network across Australia, representing almost 50% of Australia’s population.   

 Ends — 

Learn more about Welcoming Cities at www.welcomingcities.org.au/. 

Learn more about Welcoming Cities Accreditation here:  www.welcomingcities.org.au/accreditation/  

For further comment or information contact: 
 
Shannon Reid 
Corporate Communications Officer 
City of Darebin  
Shannon.Reid@darebin.vic.gov.au l 03 8470 8888  
 
Kate Leaney 
Campaigns & Communications Manager 
Welcoming Australia 
kate@welcoming.org.au | 0411 712 930 
 
Aleem Ali 
CEO 
Welcoming Australia 
aleem@welcoming.org.au | 0400 917 756 

As the Welcoming Universities network reaches 11 members across four states, we are also pleased to announce the official launch of the Welcoming Universities Standard, marking a significant milestone in its mission to foster inclusivity and belonging within the higher education sector. Alongside this achievement, Welcoming Universities proudly welcomes four new members over the last six months: the University of Wollongong, Bond University, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and Curtin University. 

The Welcoming Universities Standard represents a comprehensive framework designed to guide universities in creating welcoming, inclusive, and supportive campuses for all students and staff. It sets benchmarks and best practices across various aspects of university life, including admissions, curriculum, student support services, and community engagement. 

“We are thrilled to launch the Welcoming Universities Standard and to welcome our newest members,” said Welcoming Australia CEO Aleem Ali. “These universities have demonstrated a commitment to fostering a culture of inclusivity and belonging, and we are excited to collaborate with them to further enhance belonging in Australian universities.” 

Welcoming Universities now boasts a network of 11 member institutions committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. The collective efforts of these universities through the Welcoming Universities initiative are poised to make a lasting impact on the educational landscape, ensuring that every student and staff member feels valued and supported. On recently joining Welcoming Universities, Jo Tilly (Director, UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion) shared that.  

“UTS are proud to join Welcoming Universities! Joining with like-minded colleagues offers a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our efforts in enhancing cultural diversity and anti-racism in our campus community.” 

 
Dr Elaine Laforteza (Cultural Diversity Project Officer, UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion) added, “Consulting on the Welcoming Universities Standard has already proved very helpful for shaping our thinking for our Cultural Diversity and Anti-Racism Action Plan, which is currently under development.” 

In conjunction with the launch, Welcoming Universities also announces the inaugural Welcoming Universities Summit, scheduled for October 22 at the University of Technology Sydney. This summit will bring together the higher education sector to engage in meaningful discussions about creating welcoming environments, promoting diversity, and enhancing community engagement within universities. 

“The Welcoming Universities Summit will provide a platform for universities to share insights, strategies, and innovations in fostering inclusive campuses,” added Cate Gilpin. “We look forward to productive conversations that will drive positive change and promote a sense of belonging for all”, said Cate Gilpin, Coordinator of Welcoming Universities. 

For more information about Welcoming Universities, the Welcoming Universities Standard, or the upcoming Welcoming Universities Summit, please visit www.welcominguniversities.org.au.  

About Welcoming Universities: Welcoming Universities is a collaborative initiative promoting inclusivity and belonging in higher education. By setting standards and fostering collaboration among member institutions, Welcoming Universities aims to create supportive environments where all students and staff thrive. 

______________________________________ENDS________________________________________________________ 

For further comment or information contact: 

 
Kate Leaney 
Campaigns & Communications Manager 
Welcoming Australia 
kate@welcoming.org.au | 0411 712 930 

 
Aleem Ali 
CEO 
Welcoming Australia 
aleem@welcoming.org.au | 0400 917 756 

We welcome the opportunity to provide a submission to the Review of Regional Migration Settings ‘Supporting Strong and Sustainable Regions’ Discussion Paper. Australia’s migration policies are crucial for regional development. This submission offers practical recommendations to enhance visa systems and support regional communities, focusing on harmonising skill shortage lists and involving local governments and businesses in planning. By leveraging real-world examples and case studies, we aim to contribute to a responsive, supportive migration system that meets regional economic needs and promotes social cohesion and thriving communities.

About Welcoming Australia

Welcoming Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation committed to cultivating a culture of welcome and advancing an Australia where people of all backgrounds have equal opportunity to belong, contribute and thrive. Welcoming Australia operates through several networks, including Welcoming Cities, Welcoming Clubs, Welcoming Universities, and Welcoming Workplaces.

Q1: How can the various temporary and permanent visas available to the regions work together to better meet skills needs? For example, Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs) and regional employer sponsored visas.

To meet regional skills needs effectively, the various temporary and permanent visa programs must work cohesively and efficiently. The following actions will help to achieve this:

1. Harmonise Skill Shortage Lists Across Visa Types/Classes
A unified approach to skill shortage lists will ensure consistency and clarity for businesses and migrants. Aligning the skill shortage lists used in different visa programs, such as DAMAs and regional employer-sponsored visas, can streamline the recruitment process. This harmonisation will also facilitate better planning for businesses looking to fill specific roles.

2. Focus DAMA Skill Shortage Lists on Niche Occupation
DAMA skill shortage lists should cater to niche occupations critical to regional business expansion. These lists need to be dynamic and responsive to changing business needs. By updating the DAMA skill shortage lists every three months, we can provide businesses with the flexibility to recruit for emerging roles and fill vacancies promptly. This regular updating process ensures the lists remain relevant and reflect the evolving labour market demands.

3. Simplify the Application Process
The application process should be simplified to make it easier for businesses to recruit and for migrants to apply. Merging the Nomination and Visa applications into a single, streamlined process can significantly reduce administrative burdens. Providing explicit guidance on waiting times will allow businesses to plan more effectively around recruiting and onboarding new employees. This clarity and efficiency in the application process will enhance the overall experience for both employers and migrants.

4. Optimise the Business Industry Regional Outreach (BIRO)
BIRO can play a crucial role in keeping businesses informed about visa policy changes and updates. By planning in-person sessions throughout the calendar year, BIRO can directly engage with regional businesses, offering them the latest information and guidance. These sessions can help businesses stay up-to-date with visa policies, understand the available options, and plan their recruitment strategies accordingly.

Q2: Should there be a regional occupation list? How should regional occupation lists work alongside the Core Skills Occupation List? What should be considered in compiling the regional occupation list?

There is a significant need for a better definition of “regional,” ideally categorised by both remoteness and economic type, such as mining, tourism, and agriculture. This nuanced categorisation would enhance the accuracy of regional migration assessments and allow for more effective policy measures tailored to the specific needs of different regions.

Businesses should lead the conversation around regional occupation lists. Workforce planning driven by business insights will ensure that the regional occupation list accurately reflects the demands of the local labour market. For example, in our Welcoming Workplaces initiative, a business needed to recruit a camel farm caretaker but could not fill the position for two years. This role did not fit under any existing skills shortage lists, highlighting the need for a more contextually relevant regional list.

Another example from the initiative involves a business servicing the mining sector, which required new occupations not listed on the Core Skills Occupation List or the DAMA occupation list. Similarly, an arborist in regional NSW faced challenges recruiting for a niche role not covered by these lists. These cases demonstrate that a regional occupation list can complement the Core Skills Occupation List by addressing specific local needs and ensuring that regional businesses can access the required skilled workers.

In compiling the regional occupation list, input from businesses, local governments, and service providers must be considered. This collaborative approach will ensure the list is relevant and comprehensive, effectively addressing regional areas’ unique skills shortages.

Q3: Could the definitions of regional be aligned across the various regional visas? How can definitions be structured to better account for the unique circumstances of regions?

Aligning the definitions of “regional” across various regional visas is essential for more effectively addressing the unique circumstances of different regions. A better definition of “regional” should categorise areas based on remoteness and economic type, such as mining, tourism, and agriculture. This categorisation would allow for a more accurate assessment of regional migration and enable policymakers to implement targeted measures that address the specific needs of these areas.

For instance, a region primarily dependent on a specific type of agriculture might face different labour market challenges compared to a region centred around mining or tourism. By understanding and defining these distinctions, regional visa policies can be tailored to attract the appropriate workforce required for each area’s economic activities. This approach will help pull the appropriate levers to mitigate skill shortages and promote sustainable regional development.

Our research provides anecdotal evidence indicating that the current definition of “regional” is inadequate for addressing skill shortages, particularly in healthcare, home support, and aged care. Consultations with representatives from medical and nursing bodies have revealed that the shortage of nurses in regional and rural areas is partly due to the broad and inconsistent definitions of “regional.” For example, nurses are less likely to move to rural Australia if they can work in a city like Canberra, which is classified as “regional” under current definitions. This inconsistency undermines efforts to distribute skilled labour more evenly across remote and underserved areas.

Therefore, a more refined and context-specific definition of “regional” is necessary. Such definitions should consider factors like distance from major cities, population density, and economic reliance on specific industries. By doing so, regional visa policies can more effectively address different regions’ unique challenges and ensure that skilled workers are incentivised to move to and remain where they are most needed.

Q4: How can we reform Working Holiday Maker program visa settings to limit exploitation, while still ensuring regional Australia can access the workers it needs? For example, are there innovative strategies to incentivise Working Holiday Makers to choose regional Australia as their preferred destination, without tying the incentives to specified work visa requirements?

Reforming the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program is essential to limit exploitation and ensure that regional Australia can access the workers it needs. One critical reform is increasing employment longevity by addressing the existing visa rules. This includes revising the hours of work allowed under the visa and providing flexibility for workers to change employers. Given the seasonal nature of regional and rural work, allowing visa holders the working right to change employers without jeopardising their visa status is crucial.

In 2016, the Fair Work Ombudsman released findings from an inquiry into the experiences of 417 visa holders, highlighting significant exploitation. Many workers felt taken advantage of, especially those completing their 88 days of rural work, to qualify for a second-year visa. The inquiry revealed that workers were often reluctant to report underpayment, unsafe conditions, and sexual harassment due to fear that their employers would refuse to provide the necessary Employment Verification Form.[1]

A survey by the Migrant Justice Institute found that nearly half of all working holidaymakers reported being paid well below the minimum wage.[2] Although visa holders theoretically have the same working rights as Australian citizens, this is not the case. Factors contributing to this discrepancy include limited knowledge of Australian working rights, fear of unemployment or visa repercussions, manipulative employer tactics, unlawful practices by employers, and a lack of support services and networks.

Stories from rural work highlight the severity of the issue: visa holders have reported being paid next to nothing, having to pay their employers, handing over their passports, living in dilapidated accommodation, and being forced to work beyond the required three months because employers refused to sign off on their paperwork. These exploitative practices are particularly concerning for young women who have stayed in dangerous situations due to reliance on employer sign- off.[3]

Besides addressing apparent breaches of Australian laws by employers in regional and rural areas, several changes can be made from the perspective of visa rules. Businesses should be required to report hours worked on the Single Touch Payroll system to help detect underpayment. Additionally, all temporary visa-holders with work rights should be issued a tax file number upon arrival to facilitate better tracking and enforcement of fair labour practices. Furthermore, creating a special visa to empower workers to report exploitation and stay in Australia to pursue outstanding claims would provide significant protection and recourse for those affected.

To address these issues, it is crucial to implement simple background checks for employers approved to sign off on Working Holiday visas and have a simple exploitation reporting procedure for the program. Additionally, innovative strategies to incentivise WHMs to choose regional Australia could include ensuring better accommodation, providing more straightforward information about worker rights, establishing more robust support networks and investing in welcoming practices in the areas. By improving the overall experience and safety of WHMs, regional Australia can attract and retain the workers it needs without tying incentives to specific work visa requirements.

Q5: How can we ensure a more consistent approach to lower paid migration across various visa products, as well as reflect our commitment to maintain the primacy of our relationships with the Pacific?

To reflect the commitment to maintaining the primacy of Australia’s relationships with the Pacific, reforming the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is crucial. This program has the potential to significantly contribute to the Australian workforce while also benefiting Pacific nations through remittances and skills development. However, to achieve these mutual benefits, the scheme must be improved to better align with Australian labour standards and the needs of Pacific workers. It is imperative that the PALM scheme fully respects and enforces Australian labour laws, particularly regarding leave entitlements, payment, and the ability to change employers.

Q6: Noting the limitations of visa settings, what factors encourage more migrants to choose to settle in the regions and improve retention?

To encourage more migrants to settle in regional areas and improve retention, it is crucial to address various factors beyond visa settings. The story of Mingoola, a small township on the border of New South Wales and Queensland, serves as an illustrative case study. A resident observed the town’s decline, marked by decreasing population, lower school enrolments, and a lack of farm labourers. Simultaneously, a refugee advocate in Sydney noticed that many refugees from central Africa who had rural backgrounds were keen to reconnect with agricultural life in Australia.

The initiative to settle African refugees in Mingoola saw community members volunteering to renovate houses and provide practical support. This included welcoming events, English language classes, and consistent communication to manage expectations and address language barriers. Despite the initial success, a lack of adequate healthcare services and the impact of drought forced the refugee families to move closer to specialist medical services, putting the settlement program on hold. This case highlights that successful regional settlement requires comprehensive and holistic support to sustain the population.

Our research in regional NSW revealed that communities often felt inadequate in attracting a workforce due to the inability to provide basic necessities. This sentiment underscores the importance of essential infrastructure in making regions attractive to migrants. Furthermore, local government involvement is crucial in this process. Negative sentiments towards migrants, fuelled by political agents and disinformation, necessitate community education and welcoming initiatives. Programs like Welcoming Cities, which support 87 local governments across Australia (over 60% in regional and rural areas), play a vital role in fostering inclusive communities. A notable example of successful regional integration is the City of Greater Bendigo. Becoming the first local government in Australia to be accredited as a Welcoming City in 2020, Greater Bendigo is recognised as a leader in the inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds. This reputation as an attractive destination has increased migration, bringing the required skills and knowledge while enhancing the city’s cultural vibrancy. The City of Greater Bendigo, in collaboration with Welcoming Cities, has implemented multiple initiatives to address community needs.

These include providing in-language information on starting businesses, understanding regulatory frameworks, and funding a driving program for refugee women. Additionally, the council supports culturally diverse partnerships through grant funding, capacity building, and promoting greater communication and access to local government services. Specific actions supported by the Welcoming City Standard ensure everyone has a chance to participate, belong and thrive in this local area.

In 2022, the Ararat Rural City Council, another member of the Welcoming Cities Network, launched the Workforce Pilot New Settlement Program to address labour shortages in key industries such as abattoirs, manufacturing, aged care, and agriculture. Recognising the potential of diversity and community integration, the program aimed to fill employment gaps and showcase Ararat as an inclusive and welcoming community. A pivotal component of this approach involved community engagement through sports, specifically targeting young participants. This initiative earned the Welcoming Cities – Award for Change in 2024, demonstrating Ararat’s commitment to inclusivity and community integration. Through innovative programs and community engagement initiatives, they have addressed labour shortages and fostered a welcoming environment for newcomers.

Consultations with local government representatives in regional NSW indicated that retaining migrants is challenging due to the lack of family-friendly amenities such as childcare and essential services. Additionally, the scarcity of educational opportunities, including university hubs and trade courses, contributes to the outmigration of families. To counter this, there needs to be significant investment in education and training facilities in regional areas.

Moreover, improving workplace practices is essential. Stories of worker exploitation, racism, and abuse in regional workplaces highlight the need for better practices. Initiatives like Welcoming Workplaces, where businesses undergo accreditation, learn best practices, and access training opportunities, can create more welcoming and supportive work environments.

Recommendations to Improve Incentives and Retention:

– Comprehensive Support Services: Ensure adequate healthcare, childcare, and other essential services to meet the needs of migrant families.

– Educational Opportunities: Invest in university hubs and trade courses in regional and rural areas.

– Public Transportation: Develop reliable public transportation systems to reduce the dependency on personal vehicles.

– Community Education and Integration Programs: Implement initiatives like Welcoming Cities to promote inclusive and educated communities.

– Improved Workplace Practices: Support programs like Welcoming Workplaces to foster fair and supportive working environments.

– Increased   Local   Government   Involvement:   Engage    local   governments    in developing and sustaining migrant retention strategies.

By addressing these factors, regional Australia can create an environment that attracts migrants and encourages them to stay and contribute to the community’s growth and development.

Q7: Do provisional visas successfully encourage large scale retention of migrants in the regions? Is the length of a provisional visa the right length? Should both the regional employer sponsored visa and the regional nominated visa have the same provisional visa arrangements?

Provisional visas are intended to provide temporary residence while waiting for permanent visa status. However, the current system often leaves migrants in prolonged uncertainty, with some individuals remaining on provisional visas for as long as 13 years. This extended period of provisional status can undermine the stability and sense of belonging crucial for long-term retention.

While visa settings are essential in encouraging migrants to settle in regional areas, they are only part of the solution. These “stick” measures must be complemented by the “carrot” of safe, welcoming communities that actively support and integrate new residents. Migrants are more likely to stay if they feel valued and integrated into their new communities. This means providing not only adequate services and infrastructure but also fostering inclusive and supportive social environments.

It is essential to strike a balance regarding the length of provisional visas. The visa period should be long enough to allow migrants to establish themselves and demonstrate their commitment to the region but not so long that it becomes an indefinite state of limbo. A more reasonable and fixed duration for provisional visas and clear pathways to permanent residency would likely improve retention by providing migrants with greater certainty about their future.

Additionally, aligning the arrangements for regional employer-sponsored and regional nominated visas would create a more consistent and fair system. Both types of visas should have the same provisional arrangements to ensure that all migrants have equal opportunities and responsibilities, regardless of the specific pathway they choose. This alignment would simplify the visa system, making it more transparent and more accessible for both migrants and employers to navigate.

Q8: How can we improve planning for regional migration, especially given the return of migrants to regional Australia post-pandemic? Should there be more flexibility provided to states and territories in planning for regional migration?

Improving regional migration planning requires a comprehensive approach that integrates economic and social principles. This approach should be driven by stakeholders within the regions, including local governments, businesses, and community organisations. Effective regional migration planning needs to address each region’s unique needs and capacities, ensuring that migrants are supported and integrated into their new communities.

One illustrative example is the situation in Townsville, which has a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA). Despite an increasing community of migrants, Townsville has faced challenges in finding translators for specific languages, as the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) does not always have translators available for all languages needed. The Welcoming Cities network has discussed these issues with the local council and possible solutions during the network meetings.

Local governments are vital as leaders, facilitators, and brokers in the regional migration process. They are essential in ensuring that migrants are effectively integrated into the community and their needs are met. However, local governments need to be supported and involved from the start of the planning process. They require adequate resources, information, and collaboration with other stakeholders to manage and support regional migration effectively.

The Welcoming Cities initiative provides a valuable framework and community of practice for local governments. This initiative offers bespoke support to councils and communities, helping them prepare to welcome migrants effectively. By leveraging such frameworks, local governments can create more inclusive and supportive environments for migrants, essential for their successful settlement and retention.

• https://www.people2people.com.au/blog/8-important-things-to-know-to-avoid-workplace-exploitation
• https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/labor-could-ignore-calls-for-limits-on-working-holiday-visas-20230921-   p5e6ho
• https://aboutregional.com.au/dear-prime-minister-who-is-safeguarding-working-holiday-visa-holders-from-  exploitation/375806/

Download the full submission here

Community hubs are welcoming places where families from diverse backgrounds, particularly mothers with pre-school children, come to connect, share, and learn. They play a vital role in fostering social cohesion and inclusion in Australia.

Welcoming Week

Welcoming Week is an annual campaign and celebration showcasing communities striving to be more welcoming places for all, including migrants, refugees, people seeking asylum, international students, and the entire community. We acknowledge that Welcoming Week events in Australia will be hosted on the unceded lands of First Nations and recognize the generosity and important role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the work of Welcoming Australia and Welcoming Week.

Through Welcoming Week, organizations and communities bring together neighbours of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of building welcoming and inclusive communities for our shared future.

The 2024 Welcoming Week theme, #WhatBringsUsTogether, invites us to celebrate the work of advancing a welcoming Australia happening across communities every day. Whether through shared meals, sports, music celebrations, art exhibitions, storytelling circles, cultural exchanges, or community service projects, we look forward to seeing the creative ways communities celebrate Welcoming Week. By celebrating our shared humanity, we can advance a more inclusive and welcoming Australia where everyone can belong, contribute, and thrive.

Synergy Between Community Hubs and Welcoming Week

There is a natural connection between the goals of Community Hubs and the values of Welcoming Week. Both aim to create welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environments for all community members. In 2023, St Brigid’s School Community Hub in SA and St Brendan’s Community Hub in Queensland hosted successful Welcoming Week events – they’ve shared their experience and to help other Community Hubs host their own events this year!

We’re delighted to share our Welcoming Week Community Hubs Resource to help Community Hubs join the Welcoming Week movement in 2024.

Download it here and share with your Community Hub – we’d love for you to be part of Welcoming Week this year! You can host an event just for your Hub community members, or open it out to the public! Register your event here.

Australia’s international education sector stands at a critical crossroads, facing challenges that threaten its viability and integrity. Long celebrated as a cornerstone of economic growth and cultural diversity for the sector, international education now finds itself constrained by governmental policies, economic imperatives, and societal misconceptions.

In recent years, international education has burgeoned into Australia’s largest services export industry, contributing a staggering $48 billion annually. This sector not only cushions the national economy but also underwrites the research capacity of universities nationally. Yet, despite its economic importance, the sector faces systemic issues.

International students are critical for their economic contributions to universities, and to the wider economy, plus their workforce participation is needed to sustain key industries. Despite this, international students and international education, is regularly treated as a tap that can be turned on and off, creating a dynamic in which students feel at best unsupported and misunderstood, and at worst, marginalised and exploited.

The Australian government’s recent proposal to cap international student numbers has sparked widespread concern from the sector. Citing strain on housing and social services, policymakers aim to stabilise student inflows temporarily. But this short-sighted approach ignores the significance of international education to the sustainability of key aspects of Australia’s economy and to the viability of higher education in this country. This approach again seems to be based on the belief that international students can be turned off for a while and turned on again at some future point.

To safeguard the future of international education a multifaceted approach that transcends economic metrics is needed. First and foremost, international students must be valued beyond their financial contributions. Their voices should be integral to policy formulation, ensuring that their needs and experiences are central to decision-making processes, and that they are treated as more than a financial resource.

Moreover, universities and government bodies must collaborate to enhance support structures for international students. Clear pathways to employment and fair working conditions are essential to mitigate exploitation. Addressing discrimination and fostering inclusivity are equally critical steps toward building a supportive environment for all students, regardless of nationality.

The narrative surrounding international education must shift from mere economic benefit to encompass its profound cultural and diplomatic contributions. Emphasising cross-cultural learning and global citizenship will enrich the educational experience and bolster Australia’s reputation as a welcoming destination for students worldwide.

Moving forward, urgent action is needed from both the university sector and governmental bodies. Collaboration is key: universities must lead efforts to integrate international student perspectives into policy development. This entails not only amplifying their voices but also implementing inclusive practices that foster a sense of belonging within the broader community.

Furthermore, there is a pressing need to innovate in how international students are engaged and supported. Regional universities, often overlooked in favour of their metropolitan counterparts, can play a pivotal role by developing unique, community-driven initiatives that cater to diverse student needs.

The reality is that the future of Australia’s international education sector hinges on a paradigm shift—one that prioritizes inclusivity, support, and dialogue. By championing these principles, stakeholders can uphold the sector’s integrity while harnessing its full potential as a global leader in education and cultural exchange.

Cate Gilpin is the Welcoming Universities Coordinator at Welcoming Australia. Welcoming Universities is an initiative to inspire and support Australian universities to embed welcoming, inclusion and belonging for students, staff and community members from all backgrounds.

This article was originally published on the Koala, International Education News, here and is republished with permission.

I grew up thinking universities were magical places.

My mum was an academic and a hugely passionate one. Consequently, I spent most of my holidays, many evenings, and countless weekends perched beside her at her desk at the Queensland University of Technology Gardens Point campus.

Like any child of a shopkeeper or restauranteur, I spent holidays, weekends and evenings either helping in the family business or doing homework at the corner table. Our family business was academia.

My parents grew up in rural western Queensland, and are the first in their families to attend university. It was a slog for them to get there, and a slog for them to complete their degrees. But both did. They met each other during their years at the University of Queensland, and supported each other to complete their undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications, so they could each go on to build solid careers.

They’ve been divorced for 20 years, so it’s not an idyllic romantic tale. But, it is a love story about university. University was the making of both of their lives. It let them dream bigger and opened doors. For my dad, it was his ticket off the land. For my mum, it was her everything.

My mum’s profound appreciation for the transformative impact that university education had on her life led her into academia. This also meant that in her work as an academic, she was deeply committed to helping others have the kind of transformational university experience she’d had.

During my early years and into young adulthood, I would’ve met close to 100 students and colleagues my mum championed and for whom university unequivocally changed their lives. Higher education pulled them out of difficult circumstances and gave them social mobility, cultural capital, diverse connections, and opportunities that wouldn’t have been available to them if they had not undertaken higher education.

This is why I thought universities were so magical. I saw first hand how life changing and truly transformative they could be.

I understood that accessing university was more challenging for some people. Still, I believed, for a long time, well into my university career, that once the barriers to access were removed, then the transformation could begin. I didn’t understand that for many people, opening the door to university is just the first barrier, and there are multiple other hurdles from there.

It won’t surprise you to learn that, to date, most of my career has been in universities. I worked for over 10 years in professional staff roles – positions focused on student support, international development, engagement, and events. I then into the academic space for several years as a casual research assistant and tutor.

Looking back now, I am deeply embarrassed at my naiveté and my blinkered, privileged perspective. I always existed in university culture, and tertiary study was just a given, natural next step in my life. I could live at home, work casually and study whatever I was interested in. For many of the early years of my career, even while working directly with students, I still knew very little about the complex, intersectional barriers people face in seeking the educational opportunities that were so readily available to me.

This doesn’t mean that studying at university was easy for me. It was just hard in the right way.

University is meant to be challenging. The content should stretch and provoke minds, expand knowledge, skills, and abilities. University often involves long hours, an annoying commute, and juggling study and work. But these are ‘normal’ challenges – the difficulty and complexity everyone faces when pursuing higher education.

This is not the inequity and systemic exclusion that equity groups – Indigenous Australians, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and people living with disabilities – face, that is intersectional inequity and systemic exclusion.

Universities are aware of inequity and exclusion. Most have substantial equity, diversity, and inclusion policies and committees. Many develop research on migration, social cohesion, economic participation, diversity, and inclusion. And most universities would argue that they exist for the public good.

However, students, staff, and communities from equity groups are not seeing changes from these policies, nor the beneficiaries of this research. They are still struggling to overcome barriers that go further than juggling a casual job and an annoying commute.

Paraphrasing Sally Patfield’s excellent article in The Conversation – access to higher education study is vital, the growing parity of equity groups numbers is ambitious, and developing policies and programs to connect with those equity groups is essential. Those connections might even open the door to a few more prospective students from underrepresented groups. Still, more policies and programs will have little to no impact on equity if the sector is not listening and responding to the needs of these cohorts. It’s time to take appropriate action to remove barriers, address inequity, and change the university system.

Welcoming Universities Coordinator Cate Gilpin

I will further discuss this at HEDx’s ‘Changing Higher Education for Good’ conference in Melbourne on Thursday, alongside my colleague, former University of Melbourne People of Colour Committee officer Mohamed Omer. We are appearing on a panel called ‘Accelerating in our pursuit of social justice and equity’ with several other excellent speakers, thinkers, and innovators who advocate for access and equity across different spaces.

Mohamed and I will speak on issues of systemic racism and exclusion that culturally diverse people (including international students) experience in university education; whether that be accessing uni, balancing studying or seeking post- study support and opportunities.

Former University of Melbourne People of Colour Committee officer Mohamed Omer. 

As universities and the broader higher education sector explore the recommendations of the inclusion-focused Australian Universities Accord, Welcoming Universities recommends that a culture of welcoming all students and cultivating a sense of belonging for disadvantaged cohorts is placed at the centre of all Accord reform efforts.

Welcoming opens the door, invites students in, and helps them overcome hurdles. Belonging is the next step. Belonging ensures that everyone “feels valued, connected and able to be their authentic self”¹.

Through extensive consultation with students and communities facing barriers to accessing, completing, and working in university education, the Welcoming Universities network offers actionable ideas, approaches, and measures of success that puts inclusion at the centre of universities.

My hope is that conversations like the one happening at HEDx next week, along with the work of Welcoming Universities, along with other equity work such as the disability-advocating Universities Enable initiative, will restore the magical possibility of universities I saw as a young person.

I truly believe that university and higher education can be even more transformative if people from all backgrounds and communities are welcomed and allowed to belong.

Cate Gilpin is the Coordinator of the Welcoming Universities initiative, a network to inspire and support Australian universities to develop a culture and practice of welcome, inclusion and belonging within their institutions, in the community, and across the higher education sector.

This piece was currently published on Campus Review here and is republished with permission.