Australia has welcomed over one million refugees. But changes to the economy, government policies, and the settlement process have made things more difficult for refugees settling today.
Berhan Ahmed came to Australia from Sudan as a refugee back in the 1980s. He told SBS Examines his settlement process was rather smooth, despite experiencing racism in his new home.
When he arrived, he quickly found work in a factory.
"Australia, at the time I came, was a manufacturing economy ... they need our muscles, they don’t need our mind ... so in that space it was easy to do that," he said.
Now, he believes refugees are set up to fail — thanks to the decline in Australia's manufacturing industries, making the pathway to work much more challenging for those who don’t have a formal education or speak fluent English.
"It is changing, and we are assuming the refugee has also changed, but no – they're the same," said Ahmed.
"I see people going through that ... the system has not been upgraded."
In this episode, we explore Australia's changing relationship to refugees.
