SBS is set to launch a new 24-hour, Arabic-language radio channel.
Those behind the new service say they hope it will promote social cohesion and be an important source of information for Arabic-speaking migrants settling in Australia.
Arabic is one of the most widely spoken languages in Australia, rivalling Mandarin and Cantonese.
It is also one of the fastest-growing.
Another 12,000 asylum seekers from Syria and Iraq will be settled in Australia over the coming years, in addition to the regular humanitarian intake.
To cater to this growing audience, SBS will launch a new 24/7 Arabic-language radio service next week.
Heba Kassoua will host the new Drive program in the afternoons.
She herself moved to Australia from Syria when she was 16 years old.
"I had to learn English from scratch, which was the biggest challenge. I feel I know what those newcomers will be feeling and going through, because I went through it myself."
The service aims to give newly arrived asylum seekers from conflict zones in Iraq and Syria access to high quality news about developments back home.
Other Arabic-language news services are often controlled by governments and can be prejudiced against particular sides in the conflict.
Heba Kassoua says she knows how it feels to long for the news of what is happening back home.
"When I came from Syria, Syria was a very peaceful country. There wasn't much happening at all. We had a stable political situation. No war, no ISIS, nothing. It was a country that was actually experiencing peace. And I still was very interested in knowing what's going on back in Syria when I first arrived. So I imagine those newcomers will have a lot more need to know what's going on there."
The channel will feature five hours of Australian content every day: Breakfast in the morning, then Drive in the afternoon.
The BBC's Arabic service will fill out the gaps in the schedule.
Ms Kassoua says her afternoon show will not be all hard news.
"People who have come from Syria and Iraq, especially, are sick of the news, in a way. Dry, sad news that they hear every day. So the Drive show will be a little bit of music, you know, happy days ... What's happening in social media. All that sort of thing will be covered as well."
The channel aims to help Arabic-speaking people feel welcome in Australia.
The channel's executive producer is Marie Myssy.
She says she hopes better social cohesion could help young people avoid the lure of recruiters for groups like the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
"Whenever we discuss this radicalisation issue, whoever you talk to, they say that those young people -- born here, most of them, born in Australia -- they feel marginalised. So that means they need services, they need programs, so they feel they are included in this society. So when you, for example, talk to their parents, make them understand the laws in Australia, what's available for them in Australia, that will help those young people."
The channel will have an incredibly diverse audience.
Australia is home to Arabic speakers from 22 different countries, divided further into myriad ethnic and religious groups.
Ms Kassoua says it is a challenge but it can be overcome.
"SBS Arabic follows events held by the Mandaean Iraqis, we talk about gatherings that the Syrian Christian organisation is holding or the Egyptian Coptic Church is holding. We always, whatever is happening, no matter how small or big that part of the community is, we are always there. We're always covering it, we're always talking about it, because we want everyone to feel included. We want them all to feel that they are part of SBS, they are part of Australia."
The content manager of SBS's Audio and Language Content division, Mark Cummins, says the community reaction to the launch of the new channel has been overwhelming.
"On air, when we announced last week, we had people who were calling in literally lyrical. They had written songs, they'd written poems. Some people had said that they were so emotional that they couldn't call, so they sent messages instead. And since then, we've had a steady stream of people saying that 'This is really, really good.'"
SBS Arabic 24 launches on Monday at 6am on digital radio, the SBS radio app and online.
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