Humanitarian settlement in regional Australia
In January 2004, the Australian Government announced its intention to increase immigrant and humanitarian settlement in regional Australia. The announcement followed a recommendation of the May 2003 'Report of the Review of Settlement Services for Migrants and Humanitarian Entrants' to seek further opportunities to settle humanitarian entrants in regional locations where employment opportunities, housing, health and education services, and community support exist or could be developed. This fact sheet discusses issues in regional settlement of humanitarian entrants and outlines the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs' (DIMIA) strategies to address these. It is difficult to direct new entrants away from family, friends or existing communities, which provide necessary settlement support. However, DIMIA has for some time been encouraging new entrants without existing links in Australia to settle in selected regional centres with increased funding for community services, and plans to more actively link entrants with regional employment opportunities.
