A Tale of Two Communities: Refugee Relocation in Australia

Refugees are forced to leave their homes and countries to start anew in a different place. This paper outlines the key challenges and issues facing those Australian regional communities focussing on refugee relocation projects as a labour and population renewal strategy. This discussion arises from...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Australian journal of social issues 2007-06, Vol.42 (4), p.581-601
Main Authors: Broadbent, Robyn, Cacciattolo, Marcelle, Carpenter, Cathryn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Action research
Australia
Case studies
Community
Data collection
Employment
Evaluation
Federal government
Feedback
Homes and haunts
Humanitarianism
Interviews
Mental Health
Municipal government
Participation
Participatory research
Policy
Refugee camps
Refugees
Relocation
Relocation (Housing)
Risk
Social aspects
Social service
Social services
Support groups
Unemployment
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Refugees are forced to leave their homes and countries to start anew in a different place. This paper outlines the key challenges and issues facing those Australian regional communities focussing on refugee relocation projects as a labour and population renewal strategy. This discussion arises from a two year evaluation project which examined two refugee relocation projects in the communities of Swan Hill and Warrnambool situated in different regional areas of Victoria, Australia. The project was supported with funds from VicHealth, a statutory body funded by the Victorian State Government with a particular focus on groups in society who are likely to be at greater risk. Refugee communities have a higher risk of mental health problems and higher rates of unemployment and as such, the importance of relocation programs is commensurate with the opportunity and risk they present. Governments, communities and service providers all need to acknowledge the potential benefits refugee relocation programs may bring as well as recognising that the consequences of failure can be ominous for all concerned.
ISSN:0157-6321
1839-4655
DOI:10.1002/j.1839-4655.2007.tb00079.x