In response to the Syrian refugee crisis, a number of regional councils are putting their hands up to help.
Australia is set to take in 12,000 Syrian refugees next year and across the country, local governments are getting ready. A total of 124 councils are declared Refugee Welcome Zones, a public commitment to accepting refugees into the community.
A number of regional New South Wales councils have recently voiced their support, including Wagga Wagga City Council, Wollongong City Council, Shellharbour City Council, Coffs Harbour City Council, Armidale Dumsresq Council, Newcastle City Council, and Liverpool Plains Shire Council.
Wollongong City Council is preparing to welcome a significant number of Syrian and Iraqi refugees as part of the intake, and the city hosted four information kiosks to raise awareness of the value refugees bring to the city.
The kiosks were held during Social Inclusion Week, during 21 November to 29 November.
Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery OAM said refugees have consistently provided benefits to the city over many years.
“During the biggest growth period of Wollongong from the 1940s to the 1970s Wollongong saw many waves of refugees come into the city, from the Eastern and Southern European refugees in the 1940s and 1950s through to the Indo-Chinese refugees in the 1970s and Bosnian refugees in the 1990s.
“Wollongong has been long regarded as a friendly city towards refugees and because of this we have been a Refugee Welcome Zone since 2002. I look forward to welcoming refugees from Syria and Iraq. These people and their families will bring further benefits to our vibrant city.”
Council plays a direct role in supporting the TAFE-run English language program for young refugees, as well as a variety of other youth activities through Wollongong Youth Services. Council also supports local settlement services in hosting the bi-monthly Illawarra Refugee Issues Forum.
Armidale Dumaresq Mayor Herman Beyersdorf has also announced his Council’s support of incoming Syrian refugees.
“We will now seek support from our Federal Member Barnaby Joyce and our State Member Adam Marshall to look at bringing a sustainable number of refugee families to Armidale as an initial commitment, and then seek to accept further groups of refugees over the next two years to allow the community to establish housing, build new houses, invest in job creation, develop educational and social networks and to integrate the Syrian community into our community and peaceful democratic lifestyle.”
Council has also been asked by the Sanctuary Group to support and participate in the Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV) scheme. SHEV is a new temporary visa for asylum seekers who have been assessed as meeting the requirements for refugee status, but are not eligible for a permanent protection visa. These SHEVs are valid for five years, and require the holders to live and work or study in a designated regional area for at least 3.5 years. Participants would be eligible for Medicare, social security benefits through Centrelink, and a range of other support services.
“The Armidale and New England Region can support many thousands of people from all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds,” said Cr Beyersdorf.
“We have land, we can create jobs and we can support the people that need a hand up from their tragic past.”
