People with purpose: Laying out the welcome mat downunder

When did you join Settlement Services International and what is your current role?

I have been with SSI for nearly 13 years, and my current role is general manager – newcomers, settlement and integration, where I provide strategic leadership to all settlement related programs and initiatives at SSI.

What motivated you to become involved in helping refugees and members of migrant communities new to Australia?

I’ve always believed deeply in social justice and equality, but growing up in a country without a strong welfare system – Lebanon – gave me a different kind of understanding and appreciation of the support we have here in Australia.

My professional background is in teaching and sociology, so when I came over to Australia, I initially volunteered with migrant resource centres and saw how I could use my skills to influence systems and services for people who really needed it.

Not many people are aware, but Australia is now known globally for the quality of its humanitarian settlement program.

I’ve worked in the sector for some decades, and when I started we had a strong compliance, “tick the box” focused system, so I saw an opportunity to add value and do my part to ensure our settlement services were holistic and centred on the strengths – and needs – of the individual.

What are the biggest issues faced by refugees and vulnerable groups in need?

It’s hard to narrow it down to a singular issue.

Refugees must overcome many obstacles in beginning new lives in Australia, ranging from simple things like setting up a Centrelink account to the more complex tasks of learning a new language and re-establishing a community of support.

A particularly prevalent issue is achieving meaningful economic participation.

This has a flow-on effect in so many other areas of their lives. Ask almost any former refugee about the best job they’ve had in Australia; they’ll often tell you it was the first one.

That isn’t necessarily because of the job itself – it’s because it gave them the opportunity to more meaningful socially and economically participate in the community, which enhances their sense of belonging and inclusion.

So economic participation is an important building block that helps individuals on the pathway to achieving their full potential.

Australia has a very complex skills and qualifications recognition scheme.

So we have engineers and doctors who are driving Ubers instead of using their professional skillsets – many of which are skills in short supply in Australian industries too, so as a country we’re missing out.

Similarly, some industries have prohibitive English language requirements that don’t reflect the language levels required to fulfil the functions of those roles.