TRANSCRIPT
When Farah arrived in Australia as a single mother fleeing Iran, she had one certainty - she needed to become financially independent.
"I came to Australia for a better life for my daughter. And because Australia is very safe and very good country for me and daughter."
More than a decade later, the sewing skills she learned in Tehran as a teenager are helping her rebuild a life in Melbourne as a sewing instructor … and give the city’s iconic tram seats a second chance.
"The first time, I was scared. No family, no friends and I couldn’t speak English. For me, very difficult because I don’t know how to find the job. Money, very important for life. If you no money, no life."
A social worker introduced Farah to SisterWorks — where, after completing various English, computer and social skills trainings, she now works alongside 15 other women.
"All Sisters are here, help together, talk together, and lunch together. SisterWorks is like family for me. Me, I'm happy here."
SisterWorks is a Melbourne-based not-for-profit social enterprise that supports refugee, asylum-seeker or migrant women to achieve economic independence.
SisterWorks CEO Ifrin Fittock says for most of these women, the job is a first step into Australia’s workforce.
"Women really are the big fabric of the CALD community here in Australia. They are untapped workforce. They're willing to put their best efforts and want to go into employment, want to grow themselves and want to participate economically and be like you and I, the taxpayers of this country. It’s almost their dream to be able to do so."
Nearly 80 per cent of Melbourne’s tram seats are now reupholstered by women from migrant, refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds.
The Sisters currently refurbish around 70 seats a month, generating more than 1,500 hours of employment and diverting over 1,200 kgs of waste from landfill over the last financial year.
"A lot of our Sisters are crafty. They are really meticulous in their work. And that's precisely the skills that are needed to maintain, re upholster and refurbish the Yarra Trams seats."
"Little bit hard work but for me, I’m happy because I like sewing."
Yarra Trams Social Procurement Manager, Francesca MacLean, says this partnership is a small shift that speaks to a bigger idea — how public institutions can drive change beyond their core services.
"The rail industry has, historically, not been incredibly accessible to women, let alone migrant, refugee and asylum seeker women. So, we really love that we can use our social procurement approach to disrupt that."
She says it’s a way of recognising the skills already present in Melbourne’s multicultural communities, and giving them opportunities to thrive.
"The workforce that SisterWorks has is an incredibly untapped talent pool. They've got the entrepreneurial spirit, the women power. It's our way of demonstrating we can use the taxpayer funds to run the tram network, to deliver value above and beyond dollars. It enables them to be role models within their families and communities."
"It's also about self-agency, self-belief and confidence that they are an active participant in this country. They just want to do what you and I do - go to work, save some money, buy a house, buy cars and send the kids to school. And the community will thrive because they have this disposable income that they can spend, that’s how the economy grows."
In Melbourne, around three million people use trams every single week.
When a seat is damaged, it’s removed and assessed, and the ones needing repair are sent to SisterWorks.
"If your child spilled some food on the seat because were getting a bit hangry mid-journey, or someone's water bottle or coffee has been built, this is what causes the wear and tear. Our people then determine whether the seat is up to scratch for our passengers. And when it's not, it gets sent off to Sister Works. They change the fabric or sometimes they change the foam as well."
And the Sisters take comfortable seating seriously.
"The sisters even test if the foam is comfy enough for Yarra Trams passengers. They literally sit on it. I'm not sure if anyone gets a veto, but we have been told by Ifrin that they do sit on it and have a think, ‘Would I be happy to sit on this seat if I were catching a tram?’, which is great, right? It shows the care."
"Whenever Melbourne is busy with a lot of events New year, Christmas, school holidays …we tend to get more seats coming to us. It's a livelihood of some of the sisters. And I think the sisters are also very happy to be involved in this project. it's like whenever they're in the tram, they can see that this is actually my work, this is something that I fixed and put back into the tram."
For Farah, and the many women working beside her, each stitch is a step toward financial stability and a way to take part in the city they now call home.
"I feel very happy! All the time thinking ‘Oh I made that one, I made that one’."
"The seats that you’re sitting on, there’s a story behind it. There's an empowerment that's taking place, there's training, there's livelihood that makes the tram seats ready for you to sit on. That is the effort of refugees, asylum seekers, migrant women making sure that you have nice, clean, tidy seats to sit on when you are in public transport."
