New research has put a dollar value on the benefits of providing settlement supports to humanitarian migrants. A report from Deloitte Access Economics found providing support early is the key to improving economic outcomes, as well as education, skills and well being. Here's what you need to know.
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TRANSCRIPT
Hangama was a young girl when the Taliban took control of her city and altered the course of her life.
"The situation was very, very bad, and we lived around like seven years under the Taliban regime, locked in the house. So it's very sad memories."
The visual artist, writer and refugee advocate came to Australia with her three siblings at the age of 23.
She arrived with her hopes, dreams and ambition for education, but it wasn't an easy path.
Hangama didn't speak English, and she knew virtually nobody in the Australian community.
"So it was quite challenging and struggling to learn the language and struggling to find a kind of job that (I) want, or want to know what is my right in this society, what is kind of support or available. I was not aware about anything."
She had to grapple with access to housing, education, and essential services like banking, Medicare, and Centrelink - the sytem that was supposed to help her find work.
"I remember she find a job for me that I had to travel three hours from Sydney to get to that location to work only from 7am until 1pm. And then the whole day I had to travel, like wake up early in the morning, like around 4 o'clock in the morning."
Over time, Hangama learned English, completed year twelve, and built a career as an artist, but she wishes she'd known more about where to access support.
"If there was someone who could work with me very closely as a mentor or support worker by the time, it would make a huge difference to my life and could achieve more goals or become a more strong or important person for myself or for my community or for society."
New research published today has quantified the social and economic benefits of this kind of support for humanitarian migrants.
Deloitte Access Economics studied survey responses from a cohort of 9,670 people over ten years, between 2013 and 2023.
The report was commissioned by the Settlement Council of Australia, where Maria Dimopoulos is the CEO.
"I think the central point about this research is that early intervention is associated with stronger outcomes that essentially build over time. And that's the point. I think early intervention isn't just about meeting today's needs, it changes tomorrow's possibility. So early settlement supports productivity."
The research analysed the impact of support services provided within the first year.
"Some key points: the additional hours worked by early service users, which translated effectively into 18,000 in additional wages per person over 10 years. Now, across that cohort, that was about $135 million in additional wages. So those earnings improve household security and they circulate through local economies and effectively they represent people participating more fully in Australian workforce."
The report also found that the sector's support leads to 420 additional trade-qualified workers per annual cohort of clients, unlocking more than $80,000 per graduate over 20 years.
Lead author Rachel Power is an Associate Director at Deloitte Access Economics.
She says the benefits of early intervention can continue for decades.
"So when we get to the results at the 10th year, we're talking about people who did and didn't use services in that very first year, and yet we still see a really significant impact. And the fact that it lasts for that period of time I think is what is most compelling to me."
Humanitarian migrants who access services early also reported stronger English skills.
"And we see that in the beginning, those early service users are more likely to need interpreting services, but by the 10 year mark, they're far less likely than their peers. And so it points to the idea of the specialist settlement sector providing that early intervention and support so that there's less demand and need for services later down on the track, including in the mainstream systems."
Maria Dimopoulos says the findings highlight how humanitarian migrants can contribute to solving broader problems.
"The education findings: it tells us about the fact that right now when Australia is confronting shortages across a number of industries, essential industries, that when we talk in a positive, constructive way, when we discuss settlement and skill shortages as if they sit outside of that productivity debate, then we lose out. Settlement services that are delivered today can contribute effectively to a better economic future."
Late last month, the federal government committed to maintaining its humanitarian intake program at 20,000 people per year.
Maria Dimopoulos says funding for support settlement services will be crucial to unlocking participation and productivity.
"I think the point is that the value of early engagement is part of a connected ecosystem. So employment outcomes depend on English language learning. They depend on support around housing, around navigating institutions. And that's what a settlement caseworker can help do, identify the barriers, interact, and connect the person to the right support."
