Leading refugee resettlement and multicultural services provider SSI has condemned a wave of racist and Islamophobic incidents across Queensland, which have left the community scared for their safety.

A rise in racist attacks has followed two bomb threats on Islamic facilities in the past week, one at an Islamic school in Brisbane and one at a mosque on the Gold Coast.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said the two serious incidents were followed by reports of individuals from Queensland’s multicultural communities being followed and abused in the wake of the anti-immigration rallies held around Australia on August 31.

Ms Roumeliotis said the recent attacks and rallies point to an urgent need for the implementation of all 63 recommendations from the Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Anti-Racism Framework.

“SSI roundly and wholly condemns these attacks, and stands strongly with our multicultural communities, who are highly valued and very much supported by the vast majority of the Australian community,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

“These types of attacks have a serious impact on our communities , which is very distressing and totally unacceptable. There is absolutely no place for racism or Islamophobia in this country, and SSI is fully committed to helping address the issue not just in Queensland, but right across Australia.”

Ms Roumeliotis said it is incumbent on all Australians to nurture a positive climate around cultural diversity and debates around migration must be respectful and free from inflammatory language, scapegoating and stereotypes.

“The Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Anti-Racism Framework recommendations will go a long way to help affect change on this issue and nurturing a climate where cultural diversity, migrants and refugees are wholly welcomed into the broader Australian community.” 

The framework seeks to address the interpersonal, institutional, structural and systemic racism that occurs in Australia by providing a roadmap for governments, business and community organisations to address all forms of racism.

The framework, funded by the Australian government and released in November last year, includes 63 recommendations with proposed reforms across the legal, justice, health, education, media and arts sectors.

Social isolation and a lack of digital inclusion are barriers to a smoother settlement for refugees with disability, according to new SSI research.

The latest phase of SSI’s signature research Foundations for Belonging (FFB) 2025: insights on refugees with disability in Australia, released this week, recommends the Australian government provide much greater support to build social connections during their settlement period, and improve access to important digital services.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said FFB 2025 also found that stronger policy settings around integrated support were needed across the settlement and disability sectors to ensure greater coordination when helping refugees with disability settle into their new country.

“Foundations for Belonging 2025 has identified that disability support in Australia is not truly inclusive,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

“To be accessible and effective, Australia’s disability services need to factor in the needs of refugees with disability. These people are currently being left behind due to a misalignment between refugee settlement policy and program delivery, and Australian disability policies and strategies.”

Ms Roumeliotis said FFB 2025 reported that while refugees with disability felt positive about their settlement experiences in Australia, they also faced significant challenges accessing suitable and affordable housing and finding employment due to a lack of specialised support.

The research also recommended governments review their digital services to ensure they were accessible for refugees with disability.

“The findings of FFB 2025 confirms just how important it is to take an intersectional approach when providing disability services in our country so that not one person is left behind,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

The Foundations for Belonging 2025 report is available on the SSI website.

New economic modelling shows enabling underutilised migrants to work in their regulated profession could deliver an average annual productivity boost of $42,580 per worker impacted, putting Australia on the ‘productivity fast track’.

The modelling by Precision Economics, commissioned by the Activate Australia’s Skills campaign, also shows doing so would boost industries suffering from chronic skill shortages, enabling up to 20,000 teachers, 50,000 engineers, 16,000 nurses, 5,000 psychologists and 1,320 electricians to quickly get to work.

Precision Economics’ work shows that:

• One-third of all occupations in Australia are in shortage, and two-thirds of these are in regulated or semi-regulated professions.
• Around 253,000 permanent migrants in Australia with qualifications in regulated professions are working below their skill level, despite chronic skills shortages.
• Enabling underutilised migrants to work in their regulated professions would deliver an average productivity boost of $42,580 per worker each year.
• If underutilised migrants worked in their fields, it would substantially reduce shortages in critical services and industries. Australia would benefit from adding up to 20,000 teachers, 50,000 engineers, 16,000 nurses, 5,000 psychologists and 1,320 electricians.
• Harnessing the skills of this untapped workforce would reduce class sizes, shorten waiting lists and improve services, with additional nursing staff alone enabling care for 22,800 additional hospital patients.

CEO of campaign convenor SSI, Violet Roumelioitis said the modelling builds on the consensus for overseas skills recognition reform achieved at last week’s Economic Reform Roundtable.

“This is yet more evidence of the significant benefits available for all Australians if we make our overseas skills recognition system faster and fairer,” Ms Roumelioitis said.

“Right now, there are more than 250,000 permanent migrants here in Australia who have skills and qualifications in regulated professions, most of which have severe workforce shortages.

“But Australia’s complex, overly bureaucratic and expensive overseas skills recognition system means they are working in jobs below their skill and qualification level.

“We need skilled workers for our future to tackle stagnating productivity, care for an ageing population, move through the energy transition and stay healthy.

“Enabling more people to fully participate in the economy would result in fewer skills shortages, shorter waiting lists, better services and a more productive nation.

“This modelling shows the industries that would benefit from the most additional workers would be professional services, education and healthcare – areas with key shortages.

“By fixing the system for recognising overseas skills and qualifications, we can put Australia on the productivity fast track,” Ms Roumelioitis said.

The Activate Australia’s Skills campaign is calling for four practical solutions to reform skills recognition and boost national productivity:

• Establish one national governance system for all overseas skills and qualifications recognition, including an Ombudsman with regulatory power to provide independent oversight and transparency.
• Create a more joined-up system that links skills recognition for migration purposes with licensing and accreditation for employment purposes.
• Provide financial support for individuals to remove cost barriers and an online portal with all the information so people know what they need to do.
• Set up Migrant Employment Pathway Hubs, or career gateways, with skills recognition navigators to get qualified people working in their professions again.

The campaign is supported by more than 100 organisations across business, unions, community organisations and civil society.

The Productivity Fast Track report is available on the Activate Australia’s Skills website.

Leading refugee resettlement and multicultural services provider SSI has welcomed the announcement of the new Thriving Kids program but encouraged the government to ensure culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) children with disability and their families were included in the program’s design, implementation and monitoring. 

SSI Executive General Manager Service Delivery Eric Harper said it was critical to include CALD children with disability to ensure no child was left behind.

Mr Harper said SSI’s A Strong Start Policy Brief – based on joint SSI/UniSA Stronger Starts Brighter Futures II research – found that Australian children from CALD backgrounds were already disadvantaged in relation to early interventions for developmental delays and autism.

“This research shows that CALD children in the pre-school age group are around half as likely to access early support such as speech or occupational therapy as other Australian children,” he said.

“As a result, these children miss out on important early interventions that address developmental issues from an early age. Socio-economic disadvantage and English language proficiency contribute to this, meaning it’s very important to include the voices of CALD parents and children in all phases of the new program.”

Mr Harper said SSI, which provides Local Area Coordination services under the NDIS, welcomed the federal government’s focus on ensuring the long-term sustainability of the scheme including measures to address fraud, early health checks for children, and strengthening support for children and families in the early years.

“These reforms have the potential to deliver more appropriate, accessible and evidence-based support for children and their families.

“But the principle of ‘nothing about us without us’ must extend to all Australians with disability, regardless of their cultural or linguistic background. SSI looks forward to working with government, community organisations and families to help shape a system that is inclusive, sustainable and responsive to the diverse needs of all Australian children and families.”

Leading refugee and multicultural services provider SSI is establishing a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) family-based care program for children and young people in out-of-home care in Logan, funded by the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety.

SSI General Manager Children, Families and Disability Ben Fioramonte said the program would deliver 26 culturally informed family-based care placements for children and young people aged under 18 and in the department’s care.

Mr Fioramonte said this is an important step towards realising more positive outcomes for CALD and multicultural children and young people, backed by recent research from the Australian Journal of Social Issues. [1]

“The Multicultural Family Based Care Program aims to encourage and strengthen cultural identity by placing children in culturally responsive family-based care homes that also have strong connections to their communities of origin,” he said.

“This approach is validated by a large body of research, linking culturally appropriate care with stronger childhood outcomes.”

[1] Rebekah Grace et al, The Right to Cultural Connection for Children in Out-of-Home Care: Does Australian Policy and Practice Adequately Support Cultural Identity for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children? 2025, Australian Journal of Social Issues

Prioritising reform of Australia’s broken overseas skills recognition system at this week’s Economic Reform Roundtable would help kickstart Australia’s productivity project, according to a number of prominent participants.

Right now, there are 620,000 permanent migrants in Australia working below their skill level, despite widespread workforce shortages impeding productivity. This mismatch is dragging down productivity and holding back our economy.

A key driver of this problem is Australia’s costly system for recognising overseas-acquired skills and qualifications which locks people out of the jobs they’re qualified for through excessive fees, unnecessary red tape, slow and confusing processes, and lack of accountability.

In its submission to the Economic Reform Roundtable, the Activate Australia’s Skills campaign is calling for four practical solutions to reform skills recognition and boost national productivity:

• Establish one national governance system for all overseas skills and qualifications recognition, including an Ombudsman with regulatory power to provide independent oversight and transparency.
• Create a more joined-up system that links skills recognition for migration purposes with licensing and accreditation for employment purposes.
• Provide financial support for individuals to remove cost barriers and an online portal with all the information so people know what they need to do.
• Set up Migrant Employment Pathway Hubs, or career gateways, with skills recognition navigators to get qualified people working in their professions again.

In addition to key roundtable participants, more than 100 organisations are supporting these proposals as a shovel ready solution to deliver immediate productivity gains, fill skills gaps and grow the economy.

Comments attributable to Dr Martin Parkinson AC PSM, Former Secretary of Treasury and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; Chair of the Migration System Review:

“This is a political and economic no-brainer. Everyone here, citizen, resident or new migrant, should have the opportunity to contribute to their maximum ability. Fixing the skills recognition system would improve labour market outcomes for everyone, but better matching would significantly increase the benefits of our migration program. Addressing this issue would provide an almost immediate boost to Australia’s economy and improve the impact of the migration program on an ongoing basis.”

Comments attributable to Allegra Spender MP, Member for Wentworth:

“Fixing Australia’s skills recognition regime is not just about fairness. It is an essential part of boosting economic productivity and growth. It is about harnessing the talent of migrants already in Australia whose skills are being wasted.”

Comments attributable to Liam O’Brien, Assistant Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions:

“Tacking the unnecessary barriers to skills recognition while maintaining our existing high standards for skills will unlock a better future for all workers here in Australia.”

Comments attributable to Cass Goldie, CEO, Australian Council of Social Service:

“The Treasurer and Prime Minister are calling for consensus on big productivity solutions, and this is one of them backed by industry, unions, economists and the community sector. Fixing our overseas skills recognition system will boost our economy, improve services, reduce waiting lists and allow skilled people to work in their professions again. It’s a win-win for us all.”

Leading refugee resettlement and multicultural services provider SSI will deliver the Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) program in areas of NSW, Queensland and Victoria after being awarded a multi-year contract by the Federal Department of Social Services (DSS). 

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said as a refugee and migrant services provider with 25 years’ experience, the organisation is well placed to provide specialist IEA services given our rich history in working with refugees across multiple service streams. 

SSI will provide tailored employment services from November 2025 for at least five years under the IEA program, which aims to improve workforce participation and social inclusion for people with disability, Ms Roumeliotis said.

“The program will support individuals with disability, injury or health conditions to prepare for, secure and sustain meaningful employment, while also helping employers adopt inclusive recruitment and workplace practices,” she said.

“As a refugee and migrant services provider, SSI brings a unique and culturally responsive approach to employment services. We understand the complex barriers faced by priority groups and we are proud to be leading this national effort to create fairer, more accessible pathways to employment.” 

Ms Roumeliotis said the contract built on SSI’s experience delivering the Disability Employment Services (DES) program since 2018 and reinforces its leadership in driving social and economic inclusion. 

The IEA program sets a new benchmark for inclusive employment services in Australia, with a strong emphasis on participant rights and service quality. SSI will deliver services through a network of Employment Service Areas (ESAs), including key regions such as Canterbury / Bankstown and Fairfield in NSW, Logan and South Brisbane in Queensland, and Bayside and Westgate in Victoria.