In January 2020, SCoA consulted with our members regarding the Australian Migrant English Program (AMEP) and English language learning for newly arrived refugees and migrants. The report from the consultations has recently been presented to the Department of Home Affairs.
The consultations consisted of four face to face roundtable discussions and a national teleconference. The purpose of the consultations was to identify practical and structural barriers that newly arrived people face in accessing English language programs, as well as ways to improve and support English language acquisition. There was a particular focus on the needs of specific groups including women; older people; people with disabilities etc.
This follows recent reviews on behalf of the Commonwealth Government during 2019, including the Evaluation of the Adult Migrant English Program New Business Model conducted by Social Compass for the Department of Home Affairs, and the Independent Review into Integration, Employment and Settlement Outcomes for Refugees and Humanitarian Migrants to Australia, chaired by Professor Peter Shergold AC.
The report provides a summary of the feedback received through SCoA’s consultations with its members.