5.1
This chapter examines evidence received by the committee on the capacity, suitability and delivery of settlement programs and support services for Afghans who have arrived in Australia. It includes discussion of recent announcements by the government relating to settlement support services, the experiences of settlement service providers in assisting Afghan evacuees, and ongoing supports required.
Overview of settlement services and recent government announcements
Humanitarian Settlement Program support for Afghan evacuees
5.2
Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) informed the committee that as at 9 February 2022, 5,348 evacuees from Afghanistan were receiving assistance under the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP). The HSP provides early support to arrivals, including ‘help to secure housing, referrals to health services, and access to social security’. HSP support for the Afghanistan evacuation cohort has included support provided to a small number of Australian citizens and non-Humanitarian visa holders.
5.3
The HSP is delivered by contracted service providers in different states and territories that have long-standing experience working with new arrivals. These service providers are:
Settlement Services International (NSW);
Australian Red Cross (ACT and WA);
Multicultural Australia (QLD);
AMES Australia (VIC, SA and TAS); and
5.4
Home Affairs stated that, based on their level of assessed need, evacuees may be eligible to continue to receive support from the HSP for up to 18 months, during which time they will be assisted to:
find long term accommodation and be provided with a package of basic household goods to establish their new home;
access mainstream and specialist support services, including family and domestic violence services;
learn English through the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP);
access employment services, education and training;
complete school enrolment for children;
connect to local community groups and activities, and
orientate to Australia, including our values and laws.
5.5
The Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA), the peak body representing settlement agencies across Australia, stated that typically, a HSP case manager ‘meets a newly arrived refugee at the airport, and works closely with them to identify and support their settlement needs over an 18 month period’. SCOA noted that in relation to the Afghan evacuees, ‘HSP providers have had the most engagement with this group and have been responsible for case management of their overall settlement’.
5.6
SCOA noted that other settlement programs funded by the Australian Government are also available, namely:
Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS), which is available to Humanitarian entrants and other eligible visa holders for up to 5 years, and consists of two components:
SETS – Client Services, which provides information and assistance to access mainstream and other relevant services; and
SETS – Community Capacity building, which helps new community groups and organisations support their specific communities towards increasing the social participation, economic and personal well-being of community members;
AMEP, a free service to help eligible migrants and humanitarian entrants with low English levels to improve their English language skills and settle into Australia, with access to unlimited hours of English classes until participants reach the level of vocational English.
Location of Afghan evacuee cohort
5.7
Home Affairs noted that the majority (70 per cent) of Afghan arrivals assisted under the HSP have settled in the major metropolitan locations of Melbourne and Sydney, and that over 40 per cent of arrivals were under the age of 18 years. Additionally:
the Victorian Government indicated that Victoria received more than half of the evacuees arriving in Australia with 2,759 arrivals since August 2021;
Multicultural Australia noted that over 1,400 evacuees were received and supported in Queensland (Brisbane), with approximately 300 evacuees transferring from other State Hotel Quarantine arrangements between August and December 2021’;
the Western Australian Government (WA Government) submitted that 315 evacuees from Afghanistan arrived in Perth during August and September 2021, with over 180 Afghan evacuees now settling in WA; and
the Australian Capital Territory Government (ACT Government) noted that between 20 August 2021 and 24 January 2022, a total of 120 evacuated Afghan people settled in Canberra, including 112 people on subclass 449 visas.
Afghan settlement support package
5.8
As noted in the committee’s interim report, in October 2021 the Australian Government announced an Afghan settlement support package consisting of $27.1 million in new funding to support the settlement and integration of new arrivals from Afghanistan across four areas: $8 million to support community organisations; $6.4 million funding for relevant legal support services; $4.8 million to support economic participation; and $7.9 million to increase mental health support. Home Affairs provided updates on the progress of each of these funding streams in its supplementary submission.
Measures to support community organisations
5.9
A grant selection process is underway to select Afghan Australian and other community and grassroots organisations to deliver community-based settlement support services to new Afghan arrivals. The Migration Council of Australia (MCA) will administer the grants on behalf of the Department.
5.10
Home Affairs stated that the MCA held three information sessions between 30 November and 14 December 2021 to assist organisations with the grant application process, and that as at 4 January 2022, 104 applications have been received. Further:
MCA have finalised a Selection Advisory Panel to review and make recommendations on the applications. MCA have also developed Guidelines for potential providers. Funding for the Afghan-Australian Community and Settlement Support grants program is being run over two rounds. Round 1 commenced on 23 November 2021 and closed on 23 December 2021. The second round is yet to be announced.
Funding for legal support services to support evacuees’ transition to permanent visas
5.11
Home Affairs noted that this funding will be distributed between jurisdictions on a per capita basis, reflecting the proportion of the subclass 449 caseload that has settled in each jurisdiction. It stated that the government ‘is working with relevant state and territory governments to provide funding directly to high calibre legal assistance providers who are supporting the largest numbers of Afghan evacuees’, and noted that ‘[c]ontractual arrangements for the distribution of funding through a third party are progressing’.
5.12
Home Affairs stated that it is holding regular discussions with relevant stakeholders ‘to ensure processes to provide assistance and support are in place before the first tranche of subclass 449 visa holders lodge applications for permanent visas in early 2022’.
Measures to support economic participation
5.13
The Government estimates up to 800 refugees will be provided coaching and mentoring support through this program to assist them in gaining employment, with the program accepting referrals direct from Afghan Australian communities. Home Affairs stated that the government is using an existing contracted provider, HOST International, to fast-track support to those new arrivals wanting to work as soon as possible.
5.14
HOST International is a current SETS service provider, and ‘has a track record in effectively supporting refugees and migrants to establish the resources and confidence required to participate effectively in the labour market’. HOST International is currently conducting information sessions with Afghan community members, HSP, social enterprises and potential employers. Home Affairs stated that a number of professional mentors from a range of fields, including engineering, academia and finance, have also expressed interest in being involved in the program.
5.15
As at 11 January 2022, Home Affairs had received 134 expressions of interest from Afghans for participation in this program.
Measures to increase mental health support
5.16
This funding is being delivered through the Program of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (PASTT) to provide priority delivery of torture and trauma counselling to Afghan evacuees. Home Affairs stated that the Department of Health ‘is working as quickly as possible to ensure funds are distributed to each state and territory member agency under the PASTT, through existing funding mechanisms’.
Additional funding for broader refugee settlement and integration support
5.17
On 17 December 2021, the Government announced $37.3 million in funding for ‘new measures to drive better settlement and integration outcomes for refugees and humanitarian entrants in Australia’, following a review of the Community Support Program conducted by the Commonwealth Coordinator-General for Migrant Services, Ms Alison Larkins.
5.18
Measures announced in the new funding package include:
A lower cost Community Support Program (CSP): From 1 July 2022, the Government will reduce the Visa Application Charge for the CSP to 40 per cent of the current rate for primary applicants and remove it entirely for secondary applicants.
Introduction of a new pilot program to trial community-based sponsorship of refugee and humanitarian entrants with no link to Australia, to be known as the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), commencing in 2022 with $9.2 million in Commonwealth funding.
Social Enterprise Grants to support refugee employment: $24.6 million will be invested in a four year grant program targeted to support social enterprises that create new job opportunities and pathways to employment for refugees.
Improved Refugee and Humanitarian Entrant data tracking and analysis: $3.5 million will be provided over four years to address significant gaps in national outcomes data specific to refugee and humanitarian populations.
5.19
In relation to the new CRISP pilot program, the Minister’s media release stated:
The four year pilot will facilitate community sponsorship of up to 1,500 refugee and humanitarian entrants across Australia, to help refugees resettle with the support of interested community groups, trained volunteers and faith-based groups, who have expressed interest in directly supporting refugees.
The program will draw on elements of the Canadian community sponsorship program and provide an alternative approach to the settlement of refugees, within the Humanitarian program, for those referred to Australia by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or who do not have identified links to Australia. These refugees will continue to have access to Medicare and income support through the CRISP.
The Government will partner closely with Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) in designing the program, given CRSA’s deep community networks and experience with its successful Group Mentorship Program.
The Pilot is an important first step in demonstrating the ongoing community support for refugee and humanitarian sponsorship, and to demonstrate the sustainability of the program, informing any potential consideration of additional humanitarian places in future program years.
Experience of HSP providers assisting Afghan evacuees
5.20
The committee received submissions from a number of the HSP service providers involved in settling Afghan nationals during 2021–22, namely: Multicultural Australia, AMES Australia, and Australian Red Cross.
5.21
These submitters noted the particular difficulties of assisting a large number of Afghan evacuees with settlement services at short notice, particularly when settlement activity had been low for the previous 18 months due to smaller than normal numbers of refugees arriving in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
5.22
The committee heard that supporting the Afghan evacuee cohort arriving in Australia from August 2021 entailed unique challenges for HSP providers, even those with significant prior experience supporting other cohorts from conflict situations, such as those settled as part of Australia’s response to the Syria crisis in 2015. Multicultural Australia submitted:
The Afghan evacuee cohort who arrived in 2021 was a unique intake into the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP). Multicultural Australia, along with other settlement providers, has significant prior experience in providing a crisis and settlement response to humanitarian crises.
…
The support to the Afghan evacuees fleeing the crisis in Afghanistan, was different in its intensity (rapid evacuation from Afghanistan and relocation to Australia) speed, uncertainty of processes and initial supports on offer—as well as the fact that this support was delivered amid a global pandemic.
5.23
SCOA commented that Afghan evacuees who arrived in Australia ‘arrived in circumstances that are unique and different to other refugees’:
Ordinarily, refugees would flee to a third country and then apply for resettlement. Once accepted, they are given detailed information about what to expect, and what life in Australia is like. This provides some preparation for the settlement journey ahead.
In contrast, the Afghan evacuees have come to Australia directly from a state of conflict. In ordinary circumstances, clients would have undertaken health checks overseas, attended a basic program of orientation about what to expect of life in Australia, and had time to pack their belongings. None of this was possible in the circumstances. The journey to Kabul airport and leaving Kabul airport was deeply traumatising, and was immediately preceded by significant fear, anxiety and persecution. On arrival in Australia, the arrivals were isolated for two weeks in hotel quarantine. Upon release from hotel quarantine, many found themselves entering straight into COVID-19 lockdowns. During this time, the arrivals became the focus of intense media attention, and many journalists, members of the public, and others sought to contact them. This experience is distinct from the resettlement experience of most humanitarian entrants who arrive in Australia.
5.24
Ms Vicki Mau, Head, Migration Support Programs, Australian Red Cross, emphasised the collaborative approach taken between settlement agencies, government and the community during the Afghan evacuation response:
While there have been lots of real challenges in this emergency response, I think this collective collaboration that has made people feel like they're at home and that they're okay has made a real difference to people's lives. [I want to emphasise] the importance of collaboration. There's no doubt that the response was as successful as it was because everyone worked together and chipped in. Settlement providers, all levels of government, all services, local communities—in particular, local Afghan communities—came together and did what was needed. We shared volunteers, addressed gaps, pitched in and made sure clients were supported—working through all of these challenges you've heard about as they arose and developing shared ways of working. The group and the support provided to them, of course, is incredibly diverse. We have people who have moved, for example, into employment before quarantine was finished, and then we've got clients who have complex needs requiring a fair bit of support to get them on their feet. So there's a huge diversity within the [evacuee] client group that we're currently working with.
Need to scale up settlement sector to meet the Afghanistan response
5.25
It was emphasised that that the Afghanistan evacuation response required significant and rapid scaling up of capacity within HSP providers, after nearly 18 months of low activity in the program during the COVID-19 pandemic. SCOA submitted:
Since March 2020, the HSP providers had been forced to scale back their capacity significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program previously received approximately 18,750 clients annually, however between April 2020 and June 2021 only approximately 700 clients arrived. This profoundly affected the baseline capacity of the program, as the program operates on a fee for service model where the majority of funding is paid per service provided to individual client or family.
Due to substantially reduced funding for the program, many staff employed in the HSP had to be let go. Other staff found work elsewhere due to the uncertainty…The effects were particularly acute for providers of the HSP program, compared to other settlement programs that did not operate on a fee for service model.
5.26
SCOA noted that it was against this backdrop when in August 2021, HSP providers ‘were faced with one of the largest and most sudden intakes of clients in the history of the program’ to help settle Afghan evacuees:
The providers had incredibly short notice of new arrivals. In some cases, they were notified of arrivals just 2 hours before they were set to arrive. Providers had little notice to allow them to source short term accommodation, furnishings, groceries, clothing, arrange airport pickups, interpreters, and other immediate needs. This would be a challenge even when the program was operating at regular capacity and was made all the more challenging by the program having been weakened in the months prior to the evacuation.
5.27
Multicultural Australia submitted similarly:
At the time of the emergency evacuations from Afghanistan in August 2021, the settlement sector in Australia was in abeyance because of international border closures during the pandemic. There had been limited numbers of arrivals into the HSP between March 2020 and July 2021. While Multicultural Australia had retained sufficient specialist settlement Case Managers to provide an immediate and appropriate settlement response for Afghan evacuees, the scale of evacuation meant that additional surge capacity was immediately required. This was addressed effectively (but not easily) by mobilising existing staff from other programs and teams within the organization, mobilising our recruitment processes to appoint and onboard new staff, and utilising Multicultural Australia’s casual pool of Cultural Support Workers.
5.28
Ms Catherine Scarth, Chief Executive Officer, AMES Australia, commented on the scale of work the Afghan evacuation response necessitated on the part of the HSP:
While Australia's humanitarian settlement program is sophisticated and comprehensive, it was not designed to cater for this kind of emergency intake that was triggered by the airlift. However, we responded quickly and scaled up. Organisations, volunteers, all levels of government, forged strong partnerships and worked tirelessly to welcome people. To illustrate the scale of this effort: AMES in Victoria and South Australia have supported over 3,000 refugees from Afghanistan since August, 2,000 of whom arrived in a 15-day period in September. Typically we would see these numbers over a year.
5.29
AMES Australia submitted that settlement services providers have faced difficulties scaling up at speed after 18 months of scaling down operations during the pandemic:
Most providers had reduced numbers of case workers at a time when providers suddenly had more clients than ever before. As an example, AMES had limited information about the large cohort on arrival, and many times refugees were transferred from one state to another, arriving with less than 24 hours’ notice. While all were able to be housed, typically providers prepare for the healthcare and other needs based on a good understanding of family and cultural composition prior to their arrival.
5.30
Providers also noted that additional challenges were created by COVID-19 lockdowns in place in NSW and Victoria during the time evacuees were arriving, with restrictions on face-to-face contact, difficulties in procuring necessary goods, and diminished access for volunteers and other forms of social support.
Need to adapt the HSP for different circumstances
5.31
HSP providers that gave evidence to the committee emphasised the unique nature of the Afghan evacuation, and that it did not readily fit within the normal framework of the HSP. Multicultural Australia submitted:
Over years, entry into [the HSP] has been based on established eligibility and visa criteria, processes, and support frameworks that are initiated while the humanitarian entrant is offshore. Those identified for resettlement in Australia undergo necessary identity and security checks; health checks and are provided an ‘Australian Cultural Orientation’ prior to their arrival in Australia…
With the Afghanistan crisis and evacuation response, this framework did not readily apply, as the evacuees were not in possession of the usual humanitarian visa grants; nor was there any time for people to undergo any preparation for their removal to Australia or any understanding of resettlement in Australia.
5.32
It was noted that evacuees arriving on a temporary subclass 449 visa were not initially eligible for the same supports as someone entering on a permanent visa, with the Australian Red Cross stating that recognition of 449 visas ‘varied across many state and Commonwealth services which impacted access to individual and social benefits’, which have taken time to be resolved. The Australian Red Cross recommended that the supports available for people on Subclass 449 or other visas that may be used in similar emergency situations be reviewed, ‘to ensure the visas provide access to enhanced supports in line with permanent humanitarian protection visas’.
5.33
Multicultural Australia explained further:
[T]he use of the Humanitarian Stay (Temporary) (subclass 449) ensured that people could be evacuated urgently. However, existing systems in Australia did not immediately have the requisite functionality and flexibility to recognize the subclass 449 visas. The usual HSP processes to support individuals with immediate referrals into Services Australia (i.e. Centrelink and Medicare) were significantly delayed. This was compounded by communication challenges with Services Australia centralising processes to their National office in lieu of established relationships and processes with local-based Services Australia offices. These referrals, significant in-of-themselves for financial and health supports on arrival, are also essential identity requirements for living in Australia. Centrelink and Medicare registration delays also had a cascading effect on other services such as banking, housing, school enrolment, and registration into English language program through the AMEP. Established processes for bulk registration of new arrivals with key services such as banking could not be used in this instance. These challenges placed significant stress on clients and on settlement workers who were under considerable pressure to respond to the needs of the clients in their care.
5.34
AMES Australia submitted that the experience assisting with settlement for Afghan evacuees shows that ‘institutions require more agility to adequately respond in future’, and commented further:
Ideally, visa processing capacity would improve to provide greater certainty and stability for arrivals and those who remain in Afghanistan. A national approach to coordinating the arrivals would also have benefitted settlement providers who had limited ability to plan ahead more than a few days during the first weeks of significant arrivals. Banks and income support services also were unable to scale up at a rate necessary to meet demand in those first weeks and months.
5.35
SCOA argued that a number of changes are required to the HSP program in order to help providers meet unexpected challenges that arise, such as the Afghan evacuation. It submitted that ‘a lack of emergency preparedness in the program, fluctuating funding reliant on client numbers, and limited flexibility inhibit the extent to which the program can easily adapt to these circumstances’. In relation to emergency planning, SCOA submitted:
[T]he HSP model and contract does not provide a clear plan that could be activated in a state of crisis or emergency. Embedding clearer emergency management plans within the program would ensure the HSP is better placed to respond to any future emergencies of a similar nature. Such a plan would provide clear roles and responsibilities, and a clearer authorising environment for HSP contractors to operate beyond the usual scope of the contract to respond to extraordinary circumstances... [I]n the current global climate, crises such as these are likely to increase in frequency and it is therefore necessary that relevant programs and stakeholders are prepared.
5.36
The Australian Red Cross highlighted that many of these unique feature arose because this use of the HSP was as part of the Australian Government Plan for the Reception of Australian Citizens and Approved Foreign Nationals Evacuated from Overseas (AUSRECEPLAN), which was activated in response to the Afghanistan crisis. It identified several areas that could be improved within the AUSRECEPLAN based on the Afghanistan experience, including:
identification of the role of the HSP or other government funded services which may be relied upon within the AUSRECEPLAN;
clarifying the responsibilities of States and Territories in circumstances where HSP services are activated as part of the AUSRECEPLAN;
coordinating the work of the HSP with other service provision; and
improving media and public communications.
5.37
The Australian Red Cross recommended that DFAT update the AUSRECEPLAN based on the successes and lessons learnt from the Afghan evacuation experience (including service provider and community feedback), in order to strengthen responses to future humanitarian emergencies requiring a rapid evacuation response. As an example, the Australian Red Cross pointed to the need to update paragraph 1.4.13 of AUSRECEPLAN ‘with a supporting Annex outlining contingency plans for the HSP and other government funded programs which may be relied on in an activation’.
5.38
When asked whether there are any plans to update the AUSRECEPLAN as suggested by the Australian Red Cross, Home Affairs advised the committee:
Emergency Management Australia who administers and activates the plan will work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and other government departments to consider and incorporate lessons from the Afghanistan repatriation operation including the recommendation from the Australian Red Cross.
Comments on the HSP contract and funding model
5.39
The Australian Red Cross stated in its submission that there has been a need to ‘go above and beyond’ to assist in providing adequate services for the Afghan evacuee cohort, and that the design of the HSP has needed to be adapted to the needs of this cohort.
5.40
SCOA also noted the need for HSP contractors to operate beyond the usual scope of the HSP contract to respond. SCOA commented that efforts to support newly arrived Afghan evacuees ‘have been extraordinary, particularly from HSP providers who have primary responsibility for supporting their settlement’. It elaborated further:
Thousands, upon thousands of extra hours of work beyond what is required in funding contracts have been invested by staff working in the HSP program across Australia since the arrival of Afghan evacuees. In NSW, which received approximately a quarter of the arrivals, staff in the program recorded 14,000 hours of additional work above and beyond what was required in the funding contract within 3 months of commencing settlement of the evacuees. Staff nationally were working at all hours of the night—some staff were arriving at Hotel Quarantine to meet clients at 3:30am. In Melbourne, three additional short term accommodation facilities were utilised to house up to nearly 3000 individuals and 300 long term properties have been sourced—the equivalent of finding housing for an entire small country town. Tens of thousands of items of clothing were purchased for clients who had left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. All of the providers have expended substantial funds servicing needs of clients that have been out of the ordinary course of business and beyond the scope of contracted services.
These achievements are all the more phenomenal when considering the circumstances—a largely scaled back program due to COVID-19; and operating within quarantine and lockdown rules.
HSP funding model
5.41
SCOA argued that the funding model of the HSP should be reviewed to ensure greater stability and flexibility in the program. This call was echoed by other stakeholders including the Refugee Council of Australia (RCA).
5.42
SCOA submitted that ongoing funding allowing a greater level of baseline capacity in the HSP ‘is essential to better enable the HSP to respond to changing needs within the program, and emergency circumstances’. SCOA noted in particular the importance of adequate funding that allows providers to maintain appropriate permanent staff:
Settlement work is a specialised skill set. It requires a high level of cultural responsiveness and understanding of the refugee journey, among other skills. However, it is not an occupation for which there is any established university or vocational qualification. Rather, it takes time and investment in employees to develop the expertise and skill required to perform the job. The loss of these employees greatly impacts the capacity to deliver high quality settlement support. The constantly fluctuating levels of funding limit the extent to which providers can recruit and retain permanent, skilled, staff. Ideally, there would be greater capacity within the program to retain permanent skilled staff. In addition, there should be capacity to retain and manage a pool of casual staff who receive regular training and can support unusual surges in service delivery.
5.43
SCOA stated that constantly fluctuating funding for HSP providers ‘further affects the depth and breadth of relationships that providers can maintain’, which are essential in mobilising assistance during crises like the Afghan evacuation:
Investing in maintaining networks and relationships is resource intensive, and a resource burden that is generally not well recognised in funding agreements as it often cannot be directly tied to any particular achievement, but indirectly enables a range of achievements across programs. The need for deep relationship building is not adequately recognised in the existing HSP program, as the funding model is mostly focused on payment for services delivered to individual clients or cases. This, like other activities in the program, is not an activity that takes place in relation to any individual client, but for the benefit of clients as a collective.
Need for flexibility in the HSP contract
5.44
SCOA argued that the HSP funding model is ‘highly rigid’, with providers delivering services in accordance with a set schedule of payments which is highly prescriptive and does not account for individual needs:
This includes specific payments for certain appointments, sourcing housing, enrolments in essential services, meeting clients at the airport and others. The nature of client work however, is that it is impossible to capture the possibilities of what may be useful to a client at a particular point in time within a set schedule of payments. HSP clients come from a diverse range of contexts, cultural backgrounds, and life circumstances and their settlement needs are equally diverse.
5.45
SCOA noted that within the Afghan evacuee cohort, there have been a number of unique needs that are not well captured by those anticipated in the HSP contract’s schedule of payments, and argued for greater flexibility:
While there is scope to negotiate additional services with the Department, greater flexibility should be embedded into the contracts so that providers have the authority to act to meet the needs of clients, without needing to consider whether the cost will be accepted by the Department, or whether the organisation has the resources to bear the cost outside of the contract.
5.46
Multicultural Australia recommended that the Australian Government review the existing HSP contract used with service providers, with a view to:
rebuilding the settlement sector capacity (reduced as a result of prolonged international border closures); and
embedding greater flexibility into contract arrangements to enable the settlement sector in Australia to make itself available to respond to varying emergency and crisis situations as may arise in the future.
State and Territory funding and settlement services
5.47
The committee received several submissions from state and territory governments discussing their role in humanitarian settlement services, including for Afghan evacuees.
5.48
The WA Government noted that in addition to Commonwealth-funded services, state-based and funded initiatives have supported settlement related activities and other support, including: legal and mental health support; community association grants; jobs and skills training programs; and scholarships for interpreter programs.
5.49
The WA Government highlighted examples of collaboration with the Commonwealth on issues relating to settlement for the Afghan evacuees, including in relation to housing needs and in transferring driving credentials to a local State license in Western Australia.
5.50
The WA Government made also specific comments in relation to how decisions are made nationally around settlement allocations and services. It noted that the proportion of Australia’s humanitarian entrants to WA has decreased in recent years, from approximately 10 per cent to under five per cent. It stated that WA based settlement service providers ‘face business continuity challenges due to their size and the impacts of temporary reductions in settlement funding’, and that service providers ‘also face the additional challenge of delivering cost effective services to regional WA where the cost of remote services is sometimes prohibitively expensive’. The WA Government recommended that the Australian Government:
increase the allocation of humanitarian settlement in WA in proportion to its population—that is, 10 per cent—to support the ongoing issues of capacity for WA service providers and produce better outcomes for Afghan communities;
distribute settlement funding across jurisdictions based not just on number of clients alone, but also their current and proposed locations (metropolitan or regional and remote) and comparative costs of providing and planning for services and in anticipation of future settlement allocations;
allocate funding to address some of the known settlement issues for Afghan communities, including mental health, legal aid, employment and family and domestic violence services, on an ongoing and long-term basis;
increase consultation and information sharing with States and Territories, local communities and service providers when planning crisis response and settlement programs such as the Settlement Support Package for Afghan evacuees; and
ensure that WA Afghan communities are represented in advisory groups such as the Advisory Panel on Australia’s Resettlement of Afghan Nationals.
5.51
The Victorian Government outlined the role of Victorian settlement services, which needed to scale up operations following the international border closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also noted a number of issues which have arisen from the sudden arrival of over 2,700 Afghan refugees in areas including health services and support, mental health services and access to Centrelink and related concession benefits. The Victorian Government recommended that the Australian Government:
reassess the mental health need of Afghan refugees, following the current Mental Health Support to Afghan Refugees and Communities two-year grant round, and, if required, consider additional investment to ensure the long-term mental health needs of these evacuees continue to be addressed appropriately;
take action to improve access to primary care services for recently arrived migrants, including through resolving Medicare processing issues;
consider increased resourcing to settlement providers to deliver capacity building activities to mainstream service providers;
develop a direct referral process to refer Temporary Humanitarian Stay (subclass 449) visa holders to Refugee Legal and extend the seven-day application window, noting that AMES would be well placed to facilitate direct referrals;
invest in social cohesion initiatives targeted to this cohort of Afghan arrivals, including funding settlement providers and community organisations to support the successful settlement of new arrivals and actively address any emerging community tensions;
provide a pathway to permanency to Afghan temporary visa holders currently in Australia seeking protection; and
formalise and streamline existing data sharing arrangements across state and territory agencies to support more effective, timely and targeted planning of state and local services.
5.52
The Tasmanian Government’s submission highlighted its state-based funding for services delivered to Afghan evacuees and other humanitarian arrivals, including in the areas of primary healthcare, education (including English language programs in schools and vocational education centres), job readiness and employment pathway programs, and community support services.
Service gaps and ongoing support required for the Afghan community
5.53
Submitters highlighted the ongoing stress experienced by recently arrived Afghan evacuees, as well as the broader Afghan diaspora community in Australia, and commented on the level and type of ongoing support required for that community.
5.54
The WA Government submitted:
Local Afghan community associations and WA service providers working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse…backgrounds have indicated that Afghan communities experienced high levels of mental stress and trauma arising from the fear and desperation in the context of the current crisis in Afghanistan. This was further exasperated by COVID‑19 related anxiety. The State Government continues to work with the Commonwealth, Afghan communities, and local service providers to ensure safe, adequate, timely and culturally appropriate supports are made available to both recent evacuees and Afghan Western Australians who have resided in the State for many years.
5.55
When asked what gaps exist in relation to funding for settlement services for the Afghan evacuee cohort, AMES Australia highlighted several areas relating to health and safety:
Additional funding could help reduce instances of domestic/family violence. In the immediate the need is more around funding for crisis situations/intervention responses. In the short to medium term, funding for promoting healthy family relationships and prevention of violence will be important – early intervention with education around Australian cultural…norms.
Because of the emergency evacuation context, settlement providers have had less information than usual about the profile and needs of the cohort. Additional trained and funded specialist refugee health nurses would facilitate better quality screening and triaging of health and disability issues.
There is need for disability funding to improve awareness, diagnosis, support, and connection with NDIS-like services (as most are not likely to be eligible for some time):
To facilitate social and economic participation for new arrivals with a disability, early identification and intervention is key
Additionally, education is needed to address cultural viewpoints that sometimes stigmatise disability.
Finally, further clarity about which organisations are [recipients] of this funding and the mechanisms for referral into services would assist service providers in leveraging the newly funded services.
5.56
The Victorian Government commented on services that have been put under strain, noting that ‘[m]ental health services across Victoria reported sustained surge in demand for support from evacuees and existing Afghan communities, placing mental health services, already experiencing significantly increased demand due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, under strain’.
5.57
The Victorian Government added that the developments in Afghanistan in August 2021:
…saw a significant and sustained surge in demand for legal advice relating to Australian visa options for individuals still in Afghanistan seeking urgent evacuation, and people in Australia seeking support to evacuate family and other close connections from Afghanistan.
Importance of community supports and volunteer assistance adjacent to the HSP
5.58
The committee heard evidence on the importance of leveraging broader support for Afghan evacuees across community organisations, in addition to the formal support offered by the HSP.
5.59
Settlement Services International (SSI) commented that voluntary and unfunded assistance ‘is essential in settling and integrating refugees and humanitarian entrants in Australia’, and stated further:
SSI has always collaborated with civil society organisations including diaspora organisations as part of a whole-of-community response to settlement, social cohesion, and economic and social participation. SSI recognises the work it does would not be as impactful if there was no collaboration, partnership or planning with community.
5.60
AMES Australia observed:
Volunteers can offer critical linkages into community (i.e. the concept of ‘bridging’ social capital – helping to build networks outside one’s own community). Evidence shows that a range of diverse volunteer groups working to support new arrivals will support social cohesion.
However, while volunteer work is important, it works to enhance and add value to existing services. Adequate funding is essential to ensure coordination, training and adequate support for volunteers to ensure good settlement outcomes can be realised.
Volunteer/unfunded community work should work alongside and not replace the work of trained, trauma-informed, expert practitioners who work closely with new refugee arrivals. The strengths-based approaches of settlement workers builds independence to ultimately rely less on social supports.
5.61
Ms Lisa Button, CEO of Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA), spoke to the committee of work done by refugee mentoring groups as part of a program which aims to demonstrate the viability of a community refugee sponsorship program in Australia. Ms Button stated that CRSA is now working with approximately 80 mentor groups across seven states and territories, providing community support to refugee families as an adjunct to the formal services provided by the HSP:
That's approximately 600 individual volunteers who have come onto our books, so to speak, since August last year, who we've trained, who we've screened, and we are in the process of matching all of those groups up with refugee households who are in need of additional settlement support. Many of those groups are already matched and are off and running, and we have about 200 refugee newcomers, across 35 family groups, receiving support through this model, with more coming on board every day.
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Ms Button highlighted examples of the work being undertaken by these volunteer groups:
We're seeing these groups working alongside HSP case managers to support individual family units. We're seeing them help the evacuees navigate housing, Centrelink and Medicare systems and overcome some of the structural challenges that were encountered by virtue of the 449 visa being used as part of this evacuation effort…They've helped evacuees make informed choices about where they might wish to live in a particular city—what's the character of different neighbourhoods and what's going to suit their family given their employment prospects and needs or other factors. They've helped them inspect and secure that housing in some cases, negotiating discounts with landlords or finding properties that perhaps weren't otherwise visible in the market. They have secured donations of additional household goods to supplement the goods that the HSP provides, for example. I know of one group who took their mentees to the deceased estate of a family member and said: 'Here's a household; take what you need,' and then helped them transport it all back to the home that they'd rented 20 kilometres away.
They've also provided continuity of support when there have been disruptions or challenges in the case management services, which are inevitable at a time when HSP services have had to rapidly scale up. They help with local orientation, showing people what's what in their community, where to find things, how to get around and how to navigate public transport. They're helped some evacuees, who are ready to work, to identify and explore suitable opportunities, with some having already told us how they've helped their mentees, as we call them, find employment even at this early stage. They're providing opportunities for informal English language practice, just naturally on a day-to-day basis. They're providing driving lessons and access to community services. They are facilitating enrolments in sports.
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Ms Button noted that CRSA is working with Home Affairs in developing the CRISP, which will trial community-based sponsorship of refugee and humanitarian entrants with no link to Australia. Ms Button commented that ‘we do see enormous capacity for this framework of community sponsorship and support to grow the scale of refugee resettlement and the response to the Afghan crisis over time’.
Comments on the government’s Afghan settlement support package
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Submitters and witnesses commented on the government’s Afghan settlement support package, which allocated $27.1 million in new funding to support community organisations, provide relevant legal support services, support economic participation and increase mental health support.
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AMES Australia stated that it ‘welcomes the additional funding and the support for community, legal and mental health’, adding:
AMES believes the community organisations funding is best directed to Afghan community organisations and will work with community to support delivery of projects and promote them to new arrivals. A number of support letters have been provided and discussions held with community organisations to provide support for future projects.
AMES is working with refugee legal services to support access to this enhanced service and welcomes the additional support, [as] this is a significant area of concern for the evacuees.
Additionally, AMES has been approached by a number of grassroots community organisations concerned about their lack of capacity and experience to write up applications for funding. A co design approach could be considered for future funding rounds.
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SSI welcomed the new Commonwealth funding, and stated that the focus of the new funding has merit and is warranted. In relation to the $4.8 million in funding to support economic participation, which is being delivered initially by HOST International, SSI commented:
Supporting the economic participation of refugees is critical. SSI sees merit in reviewing innovative approaches towards economic participation for Afghan evacuees and welcomes the $4million allocation. SSI and other settlement providers are well-placed to deliver this innovation given our long-standing connection to refugee communities and experience in supporting thousands of refugees into work and career pathways. SSI is an employment provider with separate state and federal government contracts. SSI delivers the outcome-based Refugee Employment Services Program.
SSI would have preferred a procurement process based on merit, and one in which proposed innovative employment models would have been competitively tendered, rather than a direct allocation. Whilst we understand the speed in which this initiative was required, a selective tender could have been turned around within a relatively short timeframe.
Further, it is expected an independent evaluation into the effectiveness and impact of all the initiatives funded will be undertaken.
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The WA Government commented on the reception of the Commonwealth funding, and ongoing challenges to meet needs within Afghan communities in the state:
The Australian Government’s Settlement Support Package for Afghans was well received by local services. The mental health, torture and trauma and legal support allocated in the package focused on recent Afghan evacuees. However, settlement providers reported that demand for these services had significantly increased from the wider Afghan communities—many of whom fall outside of the five-year settlement period—who were also heavily impacted by the recent crisis. The high demand for these services could not be managed within current settlement funding agreements, and service providers instead sought support from State Government and other funding sources.
Capacity building and service delivery are often hampered due to on-going challenges of funding for service providers. The funding is often based on clients who arrived in Australia within a certain period, however, the needs of these clients still exist beyond that time, as aspects like mental health and trauma often becomes apparent years from the actual experience.
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The WA Government commented on the process for allocating the additional Commonwealth funding:
To ensure equitable and effective distribution of this funding within WA, the State Government has been engaging with the local Afghan community and relevant service providers to identify organisations that can apply for funding and support delivery of appropriate services to the Afghan community. The State Government was specifically requested by [the] Commonwealth to identify and nominate a specialist legal service provider based in WA to deliver funded support to evacuees on subclass 449 Temporary Humanitarian Stay visas to transition to permanent visas.
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The Victorian Government welcomed the Commonwealth funding particularly in the areas of mental health and legal services but reported on issues with delayed access to Medicare and Centrelink benefits as well as concerns about lack of access to the NDIS while visa processing is underway.
Housing needs for Afghan arrivals
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SCOA commented that assisting Afghan arrivals to secure appropriate, long‑term housing is a significant challenge:
The majority of those arriving will be on income support payments, at least initially. The inaccessibility of housing for those reliant on income support has been extensively documented. This is an ongoing challenge for some providers, depending on their location and the availability of affordable housing in the relevant settlement location.
Compounding the general unaffordability of housing for those on low incomes, has been the fact that, at the time of writing, those arriving on 449 visas are not eligible for bond assistance loans in some jurisdictions. Ordinarily, clients of the HSP program would be eligible, however as they are not permanent residents, some jurisdictions preclude access to some of their services and supports. Paying for bonds and advance rentals is a significant expense and not realistic for those who have arrived in Australia with few (if any) financial resources.
Another key issue for this cohort of new arrivals has been the ability to find affordable housing, especially as COVID-19 has created a housing crisis throughout the entire community. Regional areas that were previously cheaper than metropolitan areas have had prices skyrocket due to people moving out from the city. This has meant that many new arrivals have faced significant difficulty in securing long-term affordable accommodation—which they are expected to fund themselves. This is especially difficult given the fact that other Australians in the market have received higher rates of income support during the pandemic[.]
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SCOA recommended that mechanisms to support increased access to affordable housing for Afghan refugees should be explored, ‘including through considering how offers of community goodwill can be leveraged, and engaging in more comprehensive settlement planning for future settlement’.
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The RCA recommended that a 12-month rental subsidy be provided by the Federal Government to new arrivals, to support people to find long-term private accommodation while they settle in Australia.
Education
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SCOA noted Afghan evacuees on subclass 449 visas are currently treated as international students for the purposes of university education, which ‘effectively precludes them from engaging in tertiary education unless they can obtain a scholarship’. It submitted that amending the rules to allow subclass 449 visa holders to access FEE-HELP loans and Commonwealth supported tertiary education places ‘would allow them to move forward with their settlement journeys sooner’.
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Home Affairs provided a further response on notice in relation to the supports available to subclass 449 visa holders, including in relation to education:
A wide range of support is available to Afghan evacuees in Australia who hold a subclass 449 visa. They are eligible for certain payments and concession cards including, Special Benefit, Family Tax Benefit, Dad and Partner Pay, and Parental Leave Pay, Medicare and the Health Care Card.
…
To assist this cohort to learn English, the Australian Government expanded eligibility for the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) to subclass 449 visa holders. As at 8 February 2022, 1173 subclass 449 visa holders (41% of adults) have registered for AMEP tuition.
The Department is also working with the Department of Education, Skills and Employment to explore various types of access and support for university and vocational education and training courses for subclass 449 visa holders.
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The Afghan Australian Development Organisation (AADO) submitted that more should have been done to provide prompt English language classes to all Afghan evacuees, noting:
[d]elays in providing supports to come to grips with the Australian language. Some arrivals know/can read English having been taught at schools or have picked up the language through internet use. However, there are difficulties with the Australian accent and lingo with [the] need to practice speaking in social settings as soon as possible.
Classes for all refugees should have been arranged more expeditiously following arrival at hotels/hostels. Understandably, attendance of staff and volunteers required double vaccination; however, language classes could still have been arranged on-site before awaiting permanent accommodation with instructors attending hotel/hostels for a few hours each day providing Australian/English lessons. It is understood that on-line adult migration education was available and case workers provided orientation advice and assistance. Yet early face-to-face language lessons would have been instrumental for learning. These could have supplemented on-line courses, refreshed orientation advice, and provided practice in English, on how to obtain travel passes, use public transport, access internet, phone, banking, health care, and other matters such as getting around by bike, key questions in shopping, and getting directions.
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At recent additional estimates hearings, Mr David Wilden, First Assistant Secretary, Refugee, Humanitarian and Settlement, Home Affairs, noted the Government’s provision of an additional $4.8 million to support economic participation as part of the Afghan settlement support package, ‘for these new arrivals, for skills recognition, education pathways and employment’, and explained:
This is a slightly different cohort than many of the refugees that arrive. We have a lot of highly skilled people, and a lot of people with very good English language skills. We want them to be able to leverage off the capabilities they have. A lot of them want to start their own businesses or get straight into employment, so we want to accelerate that where we can by setting up this bespoke service and not let them take the slower route for people who've come with lower English and lower education levels.
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Mr Wilden also indicated that they have ‘been through processes to look at access to what we would call the extended services, such as NDIS [National Disability Insurance Scheme], and to HECS [Higher Education Contribution Scheme], which comes when someone becomes a permanent resident’ and:
We're talking to the universities and to agencies about access to services for someone on a temporary visa, given it might be a little while till they get a permanent visa. It's been a fairly comprehensive effort to get these people in place with the normal services…
Planning for further Afghan arrivals
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Submitters noted the need for further coordinated planning in relation to future Afghan arrivals, and particularly if Australia increases its humanitarian intake further from Afghanistan, as many stakeholders are calling for.
To further support the effective settlement of such an intake, we recommend the arrival of refugees be preceded, insofar as is practical, by comprehensive settlement planning. This would involve not only engaging with HSP providers, but also allied services, other government agencies (such as Services Australia), state and territory jurisdictions, local governments and local community groups. Such a process allows government to identify which locations have infrastructure, including affordable housing, that best supports new arrivals. It would also allow the goodwill of community groups to be fruitfully directed to gaps and ensures these groups add value to the settlement journey. Finally, it ensures various stakeholders can more smoothly scale up their operations. While none of this was possible for the Afghan evacuees, there is an opportunity to do this for a future large and planned intake of Afghan refugees.
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SCOA recommended that the government should ‘conduct comprehensive settlement planning for a future large intake of Afghan refugees’, including:
considering the extent to which allied services need to scale their operations, and supporting them to do so; and
identifying suitable settlement locations, and any steps that need to be taken to prepare those locations for settlement.
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Multicultural Australia recommended that the Australian Government ‘engage in a planning process with settlement providers and relevant agencies to ensure the successful settlement of recently arrived evacuees and future arrivals from Afghanistan’.
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AADO highlighted the importance of planning efforts to upskill recent arrivals, and take a strategic approach to matching refugees with areas experiencing skills shortages, describing this as a weakness in the settlement process to date for Afghan evacuees:
Greater immediate efforts [should have been made] to upskill young Afghan women, girls, and young men into hospitality could have been combined with helping to alleviate the current crisis in securing sufficient numbers of young people in cafes, restaurants, and other venues across Melbourne, and in coastal and regional areas where businesses have not been able to operate due to staff shortages. Refugees have been concentrated in Melbourne and other capital cities rather than being assigned to towns and cities throughout Victoria and Australia.
…
The settlement of Afghan refugees could have been integrated with the agricultural visa program, to alleviate the desperation of so many businesses for assistance in regions. With appropriate screening, this could also have been arranged for asylum seekers in detention to alleviate the shortage of labour such that businesses have been forced to close or open reduced hours because of severe staffing shortages. Working through States and Regions would have spread the task far more evenly rather than overburdening a fewer number of organisations and volunteers suffering burnout taking on so much in Melbourne, especially with depleted numbers due to COVID.
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AADO contrasted Australia’s approach with a more strategic and holistic coordination and integration program put in place in Germany as part of its refugee settlement program.