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• Target participants: Yazidi, Burmese and Congolese communities in the Murray-Riverina.
• Aim: To enable participation and resilience through community-led initiatives to increase understanding of good hygiene and social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19 in refugee and migrant communities in regional Australia.
• Organisations involved: Australian Red Cross, community members
• Location: Albury, Wagga Wagga and Griffith
• Funding: Humanitarian Settlement Program (Dept. of Home Affairs) and Mental Health Community Living Supports for Refugees (Dept. Health NSW).

In the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health information in emerging languages was not readily accessible to refugee and migrant communities living in Murray-Riverina region of NSW.

A new report which documents research into the experiences of migrants settling in the regional towns of Naracoorte, Murray Bridge and Bordertown has been launched by the Australian Migrant Resource Centre (AMRC).

The Refugee Child Outreach program works with children and their families to assist them in meeting their needs in their new home.

Drive Safe in WA is designed to provide refugees and migrants with an overview of WA road rules, purchasing a safe vehicle and child restraints.

Settlement Services International (SSI) supports new arrivals to understand the local train system in Coffs Harbour.

Refugees experience traumatic life events with impacts amplified in regional and rura lareas due to barriers accessing services. This study examined the factors influencing the lived experience of resettlement for former refugees in regional Launceston, Australia, including environmental, social, and health-related factors. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with adult and youth community members from Burma, Bhutan, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Iran, and Sudan, and essential service providers (n = 31). Thematic analysis revealed four factors as primarily influencing resettlement: English language proficiency; employment, education and housing environments and opportunities; health status and service access; and broader social factors and experiences. Participants suggested strategies to overcome barriers associated with these factors and improve overall quality of life throughout resettlement. These included flexible English language program delivery and employment support, including industry-specific language courses; the provision of interpreters; community events fostering cultural sharing, inclusivity and promoting well-being;and routine inclusion of nondiscriminatory,culturally sensitive,trauma-informed practices throughout a former refugee’s environment, including within education, employment, housing and service settings.

The Northern Territory is in the northern part of Australia. It covers 1,350,000 square kilometres – a vast area – with a small population of about 250,000 people. It has a broad and unique cultural mix, with a rich and distinctly diverse Aboriginal history and population, as well as people from many different countries and different parts of Australia. The coast brings tropical weather to the northern parts while the central areas are much drier and recognised as the desert centre of Australia. Its landscapes are immense and its wildlife abundant.