Region leads the way
Roundtable discusses migration
TOOWOOMBA is a leading Queensland city in the integration and welcoming of refugees and migrants, according to a key organisation.
Welcoming Australia CEO Aleem Ali, who was one of the key speakers at a special migration roundtable facilitated by Regional Development Australia in Toowoomba yesterday, said towns west of the region could look to the Garden City for a roadmap for success.
The roundtable brought together government, council and community organisations for an afternoon of discussions around opportunities with resettling migrants.
Mr Ali said Toowoomba’s success came from all stakeholders working with the same strategies and goals in mind.
“There’s been a really good approach around that at a whole-of-community level, and I think what other regions are looking at further out is how they pick up some of that work and apply it,” he said.
“South-west towns are grappling with population decline, economic decline, people are leaving some of those communities at the rate of 20 per cent a year, so they’re really looking at attracting people to their communities.
“All the community agencies really come together to ensure that when people come to Toowoomba, they see that they’ve got support, but that they can integrate effectively into community life.”
RDA Darling Downs and South West director Trudi Bartlett said roundtables and forums were important to help migrants already grappling with new surroundings.
“This was a real opportunity to bring everybody together who was in that space to have a look at how we can better settle migrants in their areas,” she said.