Regional Engagement of Migrant Communities Challenges and Innovations

Khakbaz M¹*

1. Centre for Multicultural and Community Development University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia

The Commonwealth Government has adopted a strategy to increase international migration to the regions through a number of ways including regional skilled migration, increased business migration and approval of international students living in Australia for permanent residence. There are already significant pockets of people of culturally diverse backgrounds in regional Australia. Regional Australia faces significant economic and social adjustments in times of global change and major restructuring. We see changes in population compositions and industry. Some areas are in decline while others, mainly along the coast, are experience large population growth.

The impact of these changes is that communities are feeling isolated and overwhelmed by rapid pace of change and lack of control in decision-making processes, which impact on their lives. It is now more than ever that Governments need to engage with communities in rural and regional areas. The issues relating to ethnicity and culture introduce an added dimension to the issues of engagement. This paper explores challenges faced by culturally diverse communities in engaging with Government in regional areas. The paper explores the problems and barriers faced in the process of engagement and the challenges of social inclusion when faced with the intersection of culture, economic disadvantage and spatial distribution.

Drawing from practice experiences this paper argues that effective engagement can only occur with culturally diverse communities under two conditions:

1. 1- Building Capacity of communities to engage
2. 2- Flexibility in government system that abandon mono-cultural practices and processes

The paper concludes with innovations that will assist in overcoming some of the challenges.

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