A) Objectives of the pledge:
For the years 2020 – 2023, the Australian Government and Australian Red Cross hereby pledge:
– To build, strengthen and learn from welcoming communities across Australia where the economic and social contributions of migrants, are recognised and valued.
– To strengthen migrant and refugee understanding of Australia and our shared values.
– To continue to work to prevent or address discrimination and racism towards migrants and culturally and linguistically diverse groups in Australia.
– To enhance social participation of newly arrived migrants, including refugees, by supporting key local communities to ensure they understand, welcome and can support new migrants.
– To enhance economic participation, by reducing existing employment barriers and building the capacity of employers to engage migrants.
– To ensure the successful permanent and temporary settlement of migrants, including refugees in Australia, with a focus in regional areas.
B) Action plan:
– Work together to promote a socially cohesive Australia by celebrating our shared values, the country’s cultural, linguistic and religious diversity, as well as the economic and social contributions of migrants, through ensuring we represent that diversity, and that we profile the voices of lived experience.
– Work together to implement community-based activities, which foster increased understanding, partnerships that promote intercultural dialogue and social and economic inclusion, and encourage mobilisation of local communities to take action.
– Work together to support Australian employers to create welcoming and safe workplaces for all migrants, including in regional areas.
– Work together to ensure primary and secondary settlement is informed by including and elevating the voices of people with lived experience as well as local communities.
– Work together to ensure settlement is locally led and enhanced by cross sector coordination and whole of government approaches.
C) Indicators for measuring progress:
– In three sites, developing a model around building social cohesion and measuring impact of activities.
– In areas where Red Cross delivers HSP, test models of partnerships, including expanding volunteering, cross sector assessment tools, and orientation.
– In the roll out of Red Cross school, workplace and community –based education, aim to reach 10,000 people per year.
– Test and learn from pilot projects on community mobilization, to be led by Red Cross in late 2019/2020, and built on in subsequent years.
– Conducting stakeholder engagement to understand what makes strong, community led settlement.
D) Resource implications:
– Baseline activities funded through current programming. Expansion would require additional resources.
