The $25.3 million in funding – part of an ongoing commitment from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – will support life-saving assistance, skills development and disaster risk reduction initiatives for Rohingya communities in Cox’s Bazar, where more than one million refugees continue to live in challenging conditions amid declining global humanitarian funding. 

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said the announcement reinforced the importance of sustained international engagement and long-term investment in refugee protection across the Asia-Pacific region. 

“I visited Cox’s Bazar myself earlier this year and it’s hard to put into words the immense challenges facing Rohingya refugees, but also the extraordinary resilience, leadership and strength within the community,” Ms Roumeliotis said. 

“We met women, young people and community leaders who are building opportunities for others despite living in circumstances that most of us can barely imagine. Australia’s continued support sends an important message that the Rohingya people have not been forgotten.” 

For more than a decade, SSI has supported refugee-led initiatives in the region through partnerships that recognise refugees not simply as recipients of assistance, but as leaders, advocates and agents of change.  

Most recently, SSI has supported the Asia-Pacific Refugee Rights Network’s work with Shanti Mohila, a Rohingya women’s network in Cox’s Bazar that is empowering survivors of sexual and gender-based violence through peer support, leadership development, literacy training, advocacy and community organising. 

“Community-led responses are often the most effective and resilient in times of crisis because they are grounded in trust, lived experience and local knowledge,” Ms Roumeliotis said. 

“Our experience in Cox’s Bazar confirmed what we have seen throughout our work across the region: when refugees are supported to lead, communities are stronger, solutions are more sustainable and outcomes are more meaningful.” 

SSI said the announcement should also serve as a reminder that humanitarian assistance alone is not enough. Sustained regional cooperation, refugee participation and long-term solutions remain essential. 

“We commend the Australian government for showing leadership and stepping up its response to the largest displacement crisis in our Asia-Pacific region.” Ms Roumeliotis said. 

“Australia has an opportunity to continue demonstrating leadership by expanding safe and accessible pathways for refugees, including resettlement, education, labour mobility, family reunion and community sponsorship pathways in addition to our existing refugee intake, ensuring that stateless and undocumented refugees are not left behind.” 

SSI also renewed its call for stronger investment in refugee-led organisations and leadership pathways across the region. 

“Durable solutions are most effective when they are shaped by refugees themselves. Governments, donors and international partners should invest directly in refugee leadership, community capacity and refugee-led organisations, not only in service delivery,” Ms Roumeliotis said. 

“No single country can address displacement challenges alone. The future requires collective action, regional collaboration and genuine partnership between governments, civil society, international agencies and refugee communities.” 

Cultural and systemic barriers mean children from CALD backgrounds are currently half as likely to access early intervention supports as other children. This is according to No Child Left Out: Designing Thriving Kids for a Diverse Australia, a report produced by the National Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Disability Reform Committee (NCDRC), a national network of services, peak bodies, and community organisations working with culturally diverse communities.

Unless these barriers are addressed, Thriving Kids risks entrenching existing inequities facing multicultural families rather than reducing them, warns NCDRC Chair Ben Fioramonte.

“Thriving Kids represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to design an early intervention system that works for every child, regardless of their cultural or linguistic background,” said Mr Fioramonte, who is also the General Manager of Children, Families and Disability Support at SSI, the organisation leading NCDRC.

“The design window for this program is closing. Governments must act now to ensure culturally responsive care is built into Thriving Kids instead of trying to retrofit later on- which we know doesn’t work.”

“Too many children are missing out on the support they need because services aren’t designed with culturally diverse families in mind.

When families can’t access services early, children miss critical opportunities to thrive. The cost of inaction is significant – investing in early intervention also avoids increased pressure on health, education and social support systems over time, resulting in lower costs for government and the community.”

“The strategies we’re recommending will enable governments to reach more children, improve equity and access, and deliver better outcomes by ensuring culturally responsive organisations, trusted community networks and diverse families are involved at every stage of program design and delivery.

Bangladesh-born Shoma has watched her son Amir*, now six, struggle without the support that he needs. Amir has global developmental delay, and the services meant to help him weren’t built with families like his in mind.

“I found it incredibly hard to talk to the providers. I didn’t have any guidelines or understand how to access support, but I was trying my best for my son.”

Six months later, funding came through. Amir started speech pathology and occupational therapy through an early intervention community organisation, and Shoma finally saw him make progress. Within a month, he began talking.

*Name changed to protect privacy

Key facts (AEDC)

• Children from CALD backgrounds are half as likely to access early intervention supports as other children
• Children from CALD backgrounds who did not attend any early childhood education and care were almost 80 per cent more likely to be developmentally vulnerable at school entry
• More than 51 per cent of Australians are first- or second-generation migrants, yet only 10 per cent of NDIS participants are from culturally diverse backgrounds
• When culturally responsive organisations are involved, NDIS access for culturally diverse communities is more than double the national average

Read the full report.

NCDRC: Settlement Services International (SSI), Koorana Child & Family Services, Western Sydney MRC, Playgroup NSW, Queanbeyan Multilingual Centre, IMS Illawarra Multicultural Services, Aman (Asylum Seekers Action Network), Ethnic Community Services, ECCQ Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, Settlement Council of Australia, EYIA, Autism Community Network, NDS National Disability Services, and SydWest Multicultural Services.

While education is a fundamental building block for inclusion and respect, SSI’s CEO Violet Roumeliotis said Australia’s response to rising Islamophobia needs to extend beyond the education system to drive change across all services the government delivers. 

“The government’s response includes important and welcome measures, but tackling Islamophobia requires more than education alone. Every part of government has a role to play in removing the structural barriers and inequities that undermine belonging and social cohesion,” Ms Roumeliotis said. 

“Social cohesion is built on a shared sense of belonging. That belonging grows when people are included, treated respectfully and have genuine opportunities to contribute to the nation’s future. We cannot achieve lasting social cohesion while racism, including Islamophobia, continues to exclude and dehumanise people.”  

SSI strongly supports the government’s education and awareness measures, as well as funding to build community capacity and resilience. It also welcomes the Australian Federal Police’s expanded Community Liaison teams and new Social Cohesion Consultative Board, while noting these initiatives will only succeed if they are backed by sustained engagement and genuine partnership with the Muslim community and their leaders, rather than one-off consultation. 

The announcement of additional investment in the Office for Multicultural Affairs to deliver measures to combat Islamophobia has also been welcomed. However, the Office should be empowered and resourced to advocate for whole of government implementation of the Multicultural Framework Review and National Anti-Racism Framework recommendations. 

SSI notes that several significant recommendations from the Special Envoy’s report remain unaddressed. These include an independent review of counter-terrorism laws, policies and practices to investigate their potential discriminatory impacts on Muslim Australians. There has also been no commitment to the Special Envoy’s recommendation for an inquiry into Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism.  

SSI urges the government to adopt a genuinely system-wide, structural approach to addressing racism, including Islamophobia. 

“The Special Envoy’s report makes recommendations across several federal departments, recognising that real change requires action from the whole of government,” Ms Roumeliotis said.  

“The National Anti-Racism Framework is the vehicle to address the structural and systemic racism that affects all communities. While measures to specifically address Islamophobia are important, they need to be part of an overall commitment to tackling the root causes of racism and hate against all communities.” 

SSI is calling on the government to take two immediate steps to commit to the National Anti-Racism Framework to eliminate racism in Australia, and establish a taskforce to oversee and advise on its implementation, including specific implementation plans to address racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other affected communities. More than 70 civil society organisations have previously backed this call. 

SSI is committed to working alongside the government to address Islamophobia and all forms of hate, and build an Australia where everyone can feel safe, included and a sense of belonging.  

The report captures early findings from the RISE Project (Realise. Inspire. Support. Energise.), a four-year initiative working with 25 organisations across Australia to break down systemic barriers and expand leadership pathways for CARM women. The project was led by Diversity Council Australia (DCA), Settlement Services International (SSI) and Chief Executive Women (CEW), with funding from the Australian government Office for Women.

The RISE Project: an Insights Report draws on organisational diagnostics, lived experience insights and emerging evidence from participating organisations to explore what drives sustainable and inclusive change.

Early findings from the report highlight that organisations made the strongest progress when they focused on building racial literacy, centring CARM women’s voices in organisational decision-making, improving access to sponsorship and influential networks, and strengthening the data and metrics needed to track equity outcomes.

Key highlights from the report:
• 360 CARM women took part in the RISE Project across 25 participating organisations
• 623 mentoring or coaching sessions were delivered with 157 participants
• 269 participants took at least one step towards their career goals
• 63 women participating in the project secured a new role.

The report provides an initial set of descriptive learnings from the project. While further analyses are still underway, the Insights Report focuses on how organisations engage with the process of eliminating gendered racism in practice, providing insights into the steps organisations can take to move from intent to implementation.

“In 2023, DCA’s landmark CARM Women in Leadership report identified the entrenched systemic barriers CARM women face in Australian workplaces. That same year, we launched RISE alongside our consortium partners SSI and CEW to address those barriers and help create more equitable pathways to leadership,” said Dr Virginia Mapedzahama, DCA’s Racial Equity and Intersectionality Director and Project Lead, RISE.

“As this project comes to an end, our hope is that these findings will inform and strengthen ongoing efforts to drive systemic change so that more CARM women can access the leadership opportunities they deserve.

“If organisations want different leadership outcomes, they need to ask different questions, listen more carefully to the women most affected, and be willing to change the systems that hold inequity in place.”

“In many organisations, the higher you move up the leadership pipeline, the less diverse it becomes. That pattern reflects the structural and attitudinal barriers that CARM women continue to face in Australian workplaces — barriers that cannot be addressed through one-size-fits-all approaches,” said SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis.

“This report is essential reading for any organisation seeking to dismantle those barriers and build more fair and inclusive workplaces. The findings show the profound impact when employers take the time to listen and create environments where CARM women can thrive. When we invest in and support CARM women to succeed on their own terms, we create stronger, more inclusive organisations that are better equipped for the future.”

“Efforts to advance women that treat all women as one group will always overlook those who face the greatest obstacles. CARM women are capable, ambitious and ready to lead; what holds them back is a system built around a narrow idea of who a leader is, not any lack of talent,” said Lisa Annese, CEO of Chief Executive Women.

“This report gives organisations a practical place to begin, and Chief Executive Women urges them to take it. Real progress means redesigning the pathways into leadership, not asking women to fit a mould that was never made for them.”

Access the RISE Project: an Insights Report via DCA’s website.

List of RISE participating organisations
Accenture Australia Pty Ltd
ACON Health Limited
Anglicare Victoria
ANU College of Systems and Society
Arup
Aurecon
Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)
BHP
Crown Resorts
Deloitte
EnergyAustralia
Gilbert + Tobin
HCF – Hospital Contributions Fund of Australia
Jesuit Social Services
Navitas Pty Ltd
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)
Russell Kennedy
Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre
Telstra
The Star Entertainment Group
Uniting NSW.ACT
University of Sydney
University of Technology Sydney
Westpac Group
Woolworths Group

A delegation of Australian advocates on the ground at the world’s largest refugee camp has called for desperate action to address the unprecedented growth in people displaced by war and persecution, on the eve of the release of UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report.

Australian representatives from SSI and Amnesty International Australia joined the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) in Cox’s Bazar to warn that no single country or organisation can address the scale of what is unfolding, calling for regional collaboration, collective action and refugee-led solutions across the Asia-Pacific.

The visit comes on the eve of the UNHCR Global Trends report, which is expected to show a region at breaking point, where resettlement pathways are shrinking, funding is being cut and political resistance to refugee protection is growing.

For Rohingya refugees, among the world’s most protracted displaced populations, conditions are worsening and there is no clear path home. Since early 2024, 150,000 Rohingya people have arrived in Cox’s Bazar, straining already depleted resources and pushing overcrowded camps to their limits with more than 1.2 million residents.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said there is no quick-fix solution to a crisis of this scale, but the Australian Government has clear levers it can pull, demonstrating regional leadership by increasing the humanitarian intake, expanding complementary pathways and advancing responsibility-sharing.

“At a time when displacement is reaching record levels and international support is under pressure, countries like Australia have an opportunity to step up with regional actors and help shape a more coordinated and compassionate regional response.

“After ten years of partnership with APRRN, we’ve seen firsthand the importance of refugee networks as the social infrastructure increasingly holding refugee protection together, filling the gaps left by retreating institutions and creating the conditions for collective advocacy that no single organisation can achieve alone,” she said.

Hafsar Tameesuddin, a Rohingya refugee and APRRN’s Co-Secretary General, said displaced communities in the region are not waiting for international actors to solve the crises affecting their lives, but are already organising, advocating, and building the case for accountability themselves.

“I have long believed, and my recent visit reinforced, that refugee-led organisations are among the most needs-based, practical, and community-centred actors in humanitarian response. They understand their communities best and consistently deliver meaningful impact.

“APRRN has been facilitating and will continue to support the decentralisation of funding, localisation of decision-making, and redistribution of power towards refugee-led organisations. Lasting systems change will only be achieved through genuine partnerships that recognise them as equal partners,” she said.

Amnesty International Australia Refugee Rights Campaigner Zaki Hairari said what he saw in Cox’s Bazar was confronting and heartbreaking. These people are living in limbo, having fled genocide in Myanmar, yet the world is slowly forgetting them.

“I met children learning on concrete floors with no carpet, families living in overcrowded shelters, and young people whose only request was the chance to have a future. Their resilience is extraordinary, but resilience alone cannot replace action.

“The Rohingya people cannot remain trapped in refugee camps forever. The international community must increase humanitarian support, expand resettlement pathways, and invest in education and livelihoods. The Rohingya deserve more than a life of waiting; they deserve hope, dignity, and a future,” he said.

Photo credits:

Ro Maung Hla Myint (@ro_maung_hla_myint)
Ro Yassin Abdumonab (@ro_yassin_abdumonab)

Students at Sacred Heart Primary School in Fitzroy joined cricketer Fawad Ahmed for a special Refugee Week event that brought together cricket and community, while marking a historic national milestone.

The event, delivered in partnership with the Usman Khawaja Foundation and SSI, Australia’s largest refugee resettlement organisation, recognised that Australia has now welcomed one million refugees since the end of World War II.

The milestone resonated strongly with the school community, with many students and families having their own lived experience of displacement and resettlement.

Ahmed, who sought asylum in Australia himself, shared his story with students and used cricket as a way to connect, inspire and build confidence among young people.

Multicultural Affairs Minister the Hon. Dr Anne Aly MP, Sarah Witty MP, Member for Melbourne, and SSI Chair Peter van Vliet also joined the event, which formed part of Refugee Week 2026 ― an annual celebration highlighting stories of courage, resilience and belonging across Australia.

Usman Khawaja, cricketer and founder of the Usman Khawaja Foundation: 

“I am excited to have the Usman Khawaja Foundation here today at Sacred Heart Primary School, joining forces with SSI. Our two organisations share common goals and purposes and a belief that every young person deserves the opportunity to belong, to contribute and to thrive.”

Hon. Dr Anne Aly MP, Minister for Multicultural Affairs: 

“Every person deserves to feel safe, included and proud of who they are. Refugee Week is a reminder that belonging is built in places just like this, in classrooms, playgrounds, local clubs and communities that welcome people in.”

“Fawad’s story shows that where you start in life does not define where you can go. Sport has a special way of bringing communities together, and today was a beautiful example of multicultural Australia in action.”

“The Albanese Government will always back communities that help people feel at home, participate fully and contribute to the country we share.”

Violet Roumeliotis AM, SSI CEO: 

“Reaching one million refugees welcomed to Australia is a powerful reminder of who we are as a country. This milestone is not just about numbers — it’s about the kind of country we choose to be. What we saw on the pitch today is what real opportunity looks like: young people being supported to thrive and to see themselves as part of Australia’s story. Sport has a unique ability to bring people together. Whether on the cricket pitch or local sports field, it creates friendships and helps people from different backgrounds see each other as teammates and neighbours.”

Fawad Ahmed, cricketer: 

“Since World War II, Australia has welcomed more than one million refugees. We are celebrating their courage, resilience, and contribution to our nation, and reaffirm our commitment to a future built on compassion, dignity and opportunity for all.”

Since World War Two, one million people who fled war and persecution have been permanently resettled in Australia, a milestone that coincides with the start of Refugee Week and reflects nearly eight decades of resettlement.

These newcomers are at the heart of organisations like refugee resettlement provider SSI which, over its 25-year history, has settled 25,000 people through the federal government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program.

Today, one in four SSI staff are former refugees, like Iraqi-born Tamara Sabri. Tamara fled Iraq as a child with her family after her father, a newspaper illustrator, was threatened after drawing a political caricature.

On the flight to Australia, her parents memorised English phrases, preparing for a new country and a new life. When they landed, an SSI staff member greeted them in Arabic.

“I still remember the warmth of the airport staff. It felt like being welcomed by family. In that moment the fear lifted. I realised we weren’t alone,” she said.

Watching SSI workers support her own family, Tamara made herself a quiet promise: one day she would do the same.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said Australia’s refugee story is too often framed only by hardship.

“We see people defined by the moment they escape war or persecution, rather than everything that comes after. Being a refugee is not someone’s whole story. It’s a moment in time,” she said.

“When people arrive in Australia, they bring skills, resilience and a deep commitment to contribute. Over time, their story grows far beyond their refugee experience. They are Australians, shaping our communities and helping others find their place, just as they once did.”

Assistant Secretary, Settlement Branch, Department of Home Affairs said: “Australia has a long, proud and generous tradition of resettling refugees and vulnerable people in humanitarian need. Refugees have brought vibrancy to our cities, suburbs and towns through their economic and social contribution that has shaped the Australia that we know today.”

For more stories like Tamara click here.

Key facts

• One million refugees permanently resettled in Australia since 1947
• SSI supports approximately 4,000 refugees each year through the Humanitarian Settlement Program
• SSI supports 67,000 people annually across 59 programs
• 71 per cent of SSI staff were born outside Australia
• SSI staff come from 76 countries and speak over 42 languages

Figures refer to refugees supported by SSI settlement programs (FY20/21–FY25/26).

SSI welcomed the government’s $200 million Inclusive Communities Fund but said the investment must be culturally responsive. 

“The NDIS belongs to every Australian with disability, regardless of where they were born or what language they speak at home. Any reimagining of this scheme must start from that premise, or it will only deepen existing inequities” said SSI Executive General Manager of Service Delivery Eric Harper. 

“We know that when the NDIS works as intended, it returns $2.25 back into the economy for every dollar invested. Ensuring the scheme works properly for multicultural communities is not a competing priority to economic responsibility,” he said.  

Echoing Minister Butler’s calls for the scheme to provide genuine connection and community support, Mr Harper said the focus must be on how to spend well. 

“A scheme that is truly fit for purpose for a diverse Australia must prioritise culturally responsive care — and right now, that means addressing why people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds make up only 9 to 10 per cent of participants when they should represent closer to 22 per cent,” he said. 

“Our National Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Disability Reform Committee is bringing together a wide network of services, peak bodies and community organisations to provide collaborative input into disability reform. A key focus is the Thriving Kids program — multicultural children are currently half as likely to access early intervention supports as other children. 

“For Thriving Kids to achieve its objectives, culturally responsive care cannot be an add-on; it must be built in,” Mr Harper said. 

Mr Harper also said mainstream community supports — delivered by trusted, locally connected and culturally informed organisations — must be rebuilt for multicultural people with disability, particularly those who will no longer be eligible for the scheme. 

Abrahim Darouiche, accessibility and inclusion advocate and member of SSI’s CALD Disability Reference Group, said that “support from the scheme allows me to work, stay connected to my community and protect my mental health.” 

“Without it, I would face serious isolation and depression, with no one to turn to. It would really impact my mental health and ability to participate socially and economically.” 

Nidhi Shekaran, another member of the Reference Group and lived experience consultant and advocate, added that, “people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities living with disability face a significant gap in understanding how to access support, navigate the system, and connect with the right services. Lower rates and access reflect the lack of culturally responsive services, not a lower level of need.  

“Cutting this funding would only deepen existing barriers for people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities living with disability, making an already difficult situation unmanageable,” Ms Shekaran said.

 About SSI

Settlement Services International (SSI) delivers a range of human services that connect individuals, families, and children from diverse backgrounds with opportunities – including settlement support, disability programs, community engagement initiatives and training and employment pathways. At the heart of everything we do is a drive for equality, empathy, and celebration of every individual. 

Media enquiries

Jordan Wise | Senior Communications Officer 

M: 0481 484 761 | press@ssi.org.au 

Proposed immigration changes announced by Opposition Leader Angus Taylor today would undermine the fairness, equal opportunity and the belief in a fair go that underpin Australia’s already robust migration system, according to national non-profit SSI.

The Opposition’s newly released immigration platform would embed discrimination into a system that has, for decades, been deliberately designed to be non‑discriminatory and values‑based, said Violet Roumeliotis, the CEO of SSI, which supports migrants and refugees beginning new lives in Australia.

“Australians do not want to import poor and polarising practices we’ve seen in the US, like ICE-style enforcement and pre-arrival social media screening. We don’t want overseas immigration tactics that rely on fear, punishment and division,” she said.

“Social cohesion is under pressure in Australia, and this rhetoric only worsens it.”

Australia’s migration framework already includes strong values expectations, rigorous security screening and clear requirements around law‑abiding conduct.

“This system has been operating for a long time, under both Coalition and Labor governments. We can and should improve it, but only by building on its strong foundations.

“A fair, non‑discriminatory system is non‑negotiable. Every person should be assessed on their individual merit. It should not matter where someone comes from, what language they speak or which country they were born in.”

Proposals to introduce subjective ‘values tests’ or expand enforcement through ICE‑style taskforces fundamentally miss the mark on where reform could genuinely benefit Australians.

“For example, one of the most pressing issues we’re seeing in our migration settings is about responding to skills shortages. Addressing this issue should be the focus of our migration debate, not stoking culture wars,” she said.

Ms Roumeliotis said SSI strongly condemns the targeting of vulnerable cohorts, including people arriving from Gaza, who have already been subjected to extensive security screening and unique vetting processes.

“It is a stain on our social conscience that any sitting parliamentarian would single out people fleeing conflict for further scrutiny,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

What would genuinely strengthen Australia’s system, she said, is not harsher enforcement but a coordinated emergency settlement response, ensuring people arriving through humanitarian pathways are supported to settle well, work and contribute.

“Australians want a migration system that reflects our national identity — fairness, opportunity and dignity — not one that imports division from overseas.”

Media enquiries:

Hannah Gartrell
Head of Executive Communications and Media
M: 0423 965 956
E: press@ssi.org.au