From overlooked skills to Admiralty House: refugee woman’s design worn by Governor-General 

But behind this remarkable achievement is a story shared by hundreds of thousands of migrant and refugee women whose skills and qualifications are going untapped in Australia. Despite her business and accounting qualifications and professional experience, Farukh has faced barriers to rebuilding her career in Australia. 

Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC hosted the evening as part of Activate Her Skills, an initiative by SSI and the Australian Multicultural Women’s Alliance to harness the economic potential of migrant and refugee women through better skills recognition.  The event brought together government, business and community leaders and women with lived experience to highlight the barriers preventing skilled migrant and refugee women from contributing their full expertise to Australia’s workforce and economy. 

Speaking at the event, Her Excellency said it was important to back women like Farukh as they seek to have their skills recognised, so they can bring their full expertise to Australian communities and workplaces. 

“We need qualified people right across our country, schools, health services, businesses everywhere. [This] is actually about pushing forward and seeking a pathway for women we should never have forgotten.” 

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said Farukh’s story reflected the experience of more than 340,000 skilled migrant and refugee women across the country who are working below their level of skill and qualification. 

“Farukh came to Australia with a business and accounting degree and years of experience. Women like her don’t lack skills, ambition or experience, but they confront a slow, costly and confusing process to get their skills recognised which wastes talent at an industrial scale. 

“That’s a huge missed opportunity for these women and their families, but also for an economy crying out for skilled workers. 

“This system wasn’t designed with women in mind. Women are more likely to arrive as the partner on someone else’s visa, which can mean their qualifications aren’t independently assessed as part of the migration process and they get less support to continue their careers,” Ms Roumeliotis said. 

Fashion had always been an interest for Farukh, and after arriving in Australia she got the opportunity to pursue that passion with The Social Outfit, a Sydney ethical fashion brand and registered charity that employs and trains people from refugee and migrant communities. 

“I was excited to get involved in fashion. I loved that The Social Outfit understood my abilities, and I’ve had the opportunity to combine my love for fashion with my financial skills. 

“But I loved being an accountant. It’s what I’ve trained for. For me, it’s joyful, I love working with numbers, this is what I want to do and what I know how to do. It’s really hard that I can’t get back into this,” Farukh said. 

Australian Multicultural Women’s Alliance (AMWA) Executive Director Malini Raj said many women are balancing caring responsibilities with settling into a new country and rebuilding their careers. 

“Migrant women are more likely than men to end up in survival jobs: low-paid, insecure care and service work that fits around raising children and navigating a new country. A psychologist becomes a childcare worker. An engineer becomes a cleaner. Over time, that work wears down a woman’s confidence, her financial security and her independence, and for some it leaves them more exposed to economic dependence and abuse,” Ms Raj said. 

When migrant women can work in their professions, families are stronger, incomes rise, services improve and businesses gain the talent they need. That’s a win for women, a win for our communities and a win for the economy. 

The event was held as part of Activate Her Skills: Harnessing the economic potential of migrant women through better skills recognition.