Forum to explore migrant potential
Aregional push to explore ways of encouraging more migrants to the Wimmera and southern Mallee will gain momentum at a major forum in Horsham next week.
Community leaders will join business representatives at the day-long Rural and Regional Migration Forum.
The event, organised by Wimmera Development Association’s Settlement Services and Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council, will be in Horsham Town Hall on Wednesday.
Community and development leaders have continually identified migration as a potential panacea for regional workforce ‘gaps’ and longterm sustainability.
The forum’s underscoring theme is ‘how migration can support regional employers to fill labour gaps and grow their businesses while contributing to the long-term sustainability of rural and regional communities’.
Wimmera Development Association executive director Ralph Kenyon said job vacancies had been a pressing issue in a region attempting to cope with population drift.
“Migration is one tool we could to use to try to fill those vacancies and keep our communities viable,” he said.
“We need to understand how migration works, how we can attract people and what we need to do to encourage people to consider the Wimmera and southern Mallee as a base for employment, lifestyle and future.”
Mr Kenyon said the forum was open to anyone and particularly targeted at employers.
“The project is really about connecting migrants who might be in Melbourne with job opportunities in our region,” he said.
“From a big-picture perspective, migration is part of an overall jigsaw for regional development.
“In some respects it’s in response to a population explosion in major capital cities and providing people with opportunities to go beyond metropolitan boundaries.
“But it’s more than that. Migrants certainly add to the culturally diverse mix of communities – as we’ve seen from experiences with Luv a Duck at Nhill. New and different people coming in exposes the broader community to different cultures and broadens our own horizons in how the region fits into the world.”
Victoria’s Premier and Cabinet Department is sponsoring the forum, which is free of charge and will run from 9am to 3.30pm after an 8.30am registration.
Mr Kenyon said organisers hoped to attract a crowd of about 150 to the event.
Mr Kenyon announced in November last year that Wimmera communities were developing migrant-integration track records that were second to none.
He said at the time he was confident the region could play a prominent role in Australian immigration with a dedicated promotion and information program – that getting timely and accurate message to new arrivals about regional opportunities was as much essential as it was progressive.
He said there had been considerable discussion about ways of steering immigrants to the region, including through legislation, but it was always better if people made the move through choice.
He told The Weekly Advertiser, “Most people going through migrant centres and agents in this country are probably unaware of regional opportunities open to them. I’m sure if they had a greater understanding many would make the move this way.”
The forum’s key aims are to – • Identify the barriers to employers using migrant and refugee talent to fill labour market shortages; • Gain a deeper understanding of the regional labour-market issues and pressures; • Hear from employees from migrant and refugee backgrounds about what has worked to help them to settle into the community; • Hear from district employers that have successfully employed people from migrant and refugee backgrounds; • Gain awareness of the tools and resources available to employers; • Gain an understanding of regional migration and resettlement approaches; • Identify activities that will improve project co-ordination.