Settlement Services International (SSI) and the Usman Khawaja Foundation (UKF) have joined forces to launch a dynamic new partnership using the power of cricket to support children and young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

The initiative kicked off on 22 April 2025 at Woodridge North State School in Queensland, where students were treated to a special cricket clinic led by Usman Khawaja himself, alongside trained coaches. The school oval was awash in green and gold as students practiced batting, bowling and fielding — for many, their first introduction to the game.

This innovative collaboration aims to use sport as a bridge to connection, wellbeing and community inclusion. Through a series of joint cricket clinics across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, young people will develop skills both on and off the field — fostering resilience, physical and mental wellbeing, and a sense of belonging.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to inclusion and opportunity.

“Both SSI and UKF are strongly aligned in their values of empowering youth from refugee and migrant backgrounds to fulfil their aspirations and help shape a more socially cohesive Australia,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

“Sport has always been a powerful way to bring people together. Initiatives like this transform lives by creating pathways for children to connect, grow and thrive.”

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja knows first-hand the power of sport to unite and inspire. Having arrived in Australia from Pakistan at the age of four, he became the first player of Pakistani descent to represent Australia in cricket.

“Cricket has long been an iconic Australian sport and an integral part of our culture,” Mr Khawaja said.

“Education and community sport play an important role in helping young people from migrant backgrounds engage and connect with Australian life and feel a true sense of belonging. Cricket is not just a game — it’s a bridge to new beginnings.”

The new partnership will also extend beyond the pitch. Over time, it will expand to include youth mentoring programs, community events such as Multicultural Cups, and an innovation hub where young people from refugee backgrounds can co-design solutions to the unique challenges faced by their communities.

The program builds on the successful work of the Logan-based SSI Multicultural Sports Club which provides accessible sporting opportunities for diverse communities and promotes inclusion through structured physical activity.

Ms Roumeliotis said: “The values and dedication shown by the Usman Khawaja Foundation perfectly align with our vision of a unified, thriving Australia where every newcomer feels at home.”

Mr Khawaja added: “I’m thrilled to be part of a partnership that not only inspires children to play cricket but gives them confidence, resilience, and hope for the future.”

By combining SSI’s community-based programs with UKF’s leadership in sport-led inclusion, the partnership sets the stage for a new era of youth empowerment and cultural connection — one cricket clinic at a time.

Settlement Services International (SSI) welcomes the Albanese Government’s 2025-26 Federal Budget and continuing measures to address cost of living pressures and promote social cohesion which goes some way to delivering stronger inclusion and integration for multicultural communities.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said, “SSI commends the government’s investment of $178.4 million over five years to support social cohesion, which includes vital funding for multicultural organisations to deliver tailored programs and services to the communities they serve and continuing to address the recommendations of the Multicultural Framework Review.  

SSI welcomes $3.5 million over three years (and $1.2 million per year ongoing) to embed the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement program following the conclusion of a pilot. We recommend this critical stream to Australia’s humanitarian response is in addition the current overall humanitarian intake.   

SSI acknowledges the extension of the Economic Pathways to Refugee Integration program to boost refugee employment and a raft of sector-specific measures to address skills shortages in health, construction and energy. However, SSI is disappointed at the lack of action by the Government for urgent reforms to unlock the skills of 620,000 permanent migrants already in Australia as one in three professions face critical skills shortages.  

“Since the launch of the Activate Australia’s Skills campaign, over 100 organisations and fourteen of Australia’s most influential leaders have called for urgent reforms to the skills and qualification recognition system” says SSI CEO, Ms Violet Roumeliotis AM. “Our campaign has provided costed, ready to go solutions for systemic reforms and place-based employment hubs to remove persistent barriers impacting refugees and migrants which could inject $9 billion annually into Australia’s economy. A piecemeal and sector-specific approach to skills shortages is not the most meaningful investment to unlock the skills of migrants.”  

SSI also cautiously welcomes the announcement of $364.5 million for foundational supports for people with disability and the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building program. We know that people with disabilities from multicultural backgrounds are significantly under-represented in the NDIS and we also know that they also struggle to access mainstream services, like health, delivered by states and territories. SSI is calling for more detail on how a long-term agreement for foundational supports to access mainstream services will be struck with states and territories.  

In terms of cost of living, SSI welcomes the government’s measures to increase bulk-billing incentives for GPs, establish more urgent care clinics, make PBS medications cheaper, provide energy bill relief and subsidise certain medications and treatments under a new women’s health package.  

SSI also welcomes the commitment of the Albanese government to increase funding for public schools, cut student debts by 20% to address intergenerational unfairness and build a universal system of early childhood education and care ensuring that every child has the right to three days of subsidised early education to ensure they don’t start school behind.  

While this moves Australia closer to universal access to early childhood education, SSI sees that it will not address the financial and non-financial barriers we see multicultural families face in accessing early childhood education.  

SSI’s and UniSA research, Stronger Starts, Brighter Futures II (2024), found that children from multicultural backgrounds in Australia are much less likely to participate in early childhood education and start school behind. SSI calls for governments at all levels to improve access by multicultural children and families through a mix of targeted and place-based interventions that complement universal approaches like those announced in this budget.  

Ms Roumeliotis added, “This Budget represents meaningful progress towards building stronger, cohesive communities across Australia, but we urge the government to act decisively on unlocking migrant skills, improving employment pathways, and progressing disability and early childhood education reforms in ways that ensure greater equity. True social cohesion can only be achieved when every Australian – regardless of their background – has the opportunity and support to fully participate in our society and economy.” 

Media enquiries:
Sharon Lanyon, Group Head Strategic Communications & Engagement
M: 0413 595 946 E: slanyon@ssi.org.au

Sandy Fitter, Group Head Stakeholder Relations, Research & Policy
M: 0402 771 390  E: sfitter@ssi.org.au