SCOA has brought the settlement sector directly into one of the most consequential national policy conversations of the year: the Australian Government’s redesign of the employment services system.

At a national member consultation convened at short notice, settlement organisations, refugee-led organisations, community leaders and employment practitioners met with senior representatives from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ Employment Services Reform Taskforce. The strong attendance, and the intensity of the discussion, reflected both the sector’s deep expertise and the significance of the proposed reforms for refugees, humanitarian entrants and newly arrived migrants.

The Government has acknowledged that the current Workforce Australia model is not delivering well enough for too many people. Its proposed new system would move away from a standardised, compliance-heavy approach towards more tailored support, improved assessment and triage, clearer employment planning, stronger employer engagement and greater emphasis on suitable and sustainable work.

Members welcomed that direction. But they also delivered an unequivocal message:

Employment is a settlement outcome, not simply an employment services outcome.

For refugees and humanitarian entrants, the pathway into work is shaped by housing, English language development, health, transport, childcare, recognition of overseas qualifications, social connection, recovery from displacement and confidence in navigating unfamiliar systems. These experiences do not unfold in a neat sequence. People may be studying, working, learning English, supporting family and rebuilding their professional identity at the same time. 

What the sector told government

Members called for a future system that:

• preserves and expands specialist refugee employment services, including bilingual and bicultural workforces;
• formally recognises settlement organisations as essential partners in employment outcomes;
• assesses the whole person—their strengths, experience, aspirations and settlement circumstances—not simply their perceived barriers;
• recognises progress such as English development, training, qualification recognition, driver licensing, volunteering and community participation;
• provides structured post-employment support to both employees and employers;
• rewards sustainable employment and retention rather than rapid placement and administrative compliance;
• addresses structural barriers including discrimination, transport, skills recognition, digital exclusion and restricted eligibility for some visa holders; and
• responds differently to the realities of regional communities, where transport, specialist support and employer capacity can be markedly different.

Members spoke powerfully about the heavy lifting already undertaken by settlement organisations—often helping people secure work, build employer relationships and resolve complex barriers long before a mainstream employment provider becomes involved. They also highlighted the transformative value of bilingual staff, effective interpreter access, trusted community relationships and practitioners who understand the refugee settlement journey. 

The discussion also exposed practical weaknesses in the current system: assessments that people do not understand, inconsistent use of interpreters, fragmented Commonwealth services, inaccessible digital platforms, poor coordination with AMEP and settlement programs, and incentives that can reward providers for outcomes principally achieved by community and settlement organisations. 

From consultation to national advocacy

SCOA has drawn these contributions together in its submission, Settlement First: Building an Employment Services System that Works for Refugees and Humanitarian Entrants.

The submission supports the Government’s ambition for a more person-centred and responsive system while arguing that reform will only succeed if employment services are embedded within the broader settlement ecosystem. It calls for a decisive shift from compliance to capability, and from fragmented programs to coordinated pathways built around people’s lives.

This consultation demonstrated the settlement sector at its best: rigorous, practical, generous with its knowledge and deeply focused on what will produce better outcomes for people and communities.

Thank you to every member who contributed. Your evidence, experience and candour have shaped a strong national submission and ensured that the realities of refugee settlement are firmly present in the design of Australia’s future employment services system.