An Australian coalition of refugee groups is pushing for a new community-sponsored resettlement program to help overcome the global refugee crisis.
Refugee groups have launched a joint initiative calling on the government to introduce a scheme which will initially create 5,000 places for new refugees a year, growing to 10,000 over the next five years.
The Community Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (CRSI) has been launched to by a coalition of refugee groups to supplement, not supplant, government-funded resettlement programs.
Save the Children, the Refugee Council of Australia, Amnesty International Australia, the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce, Welcome to Australia and Rural Australians for Refugees are behind the plan.
Save the Children’s Lisa Button said community sponsorship is something the international community is increasingly looking toward to overcome the global refugee crisis.
“It expands the number of resettlement places for them around the world,” she told SBS News.
“It’s also good for integration – refugees arriving in Australia effectively arrive into a community that has effectively agreed to support them. It becomes sort of like an extended family or a network of friends.”
There are up to 1,000 community-based places available each year under Australia’s current humanitarian intake. But a key concern of refugee groups is the high cost involved.
By Evan Young.
With thanks to SBS. Read the full article here: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/refugee-groups-call-for-new-community-based-resettlement-plan
