JRS Australia contributed to the Australian Government’s consultation on proposed settlement services reforms, sharing feedback from people with lived experience and insights from its frontline work.

We are also privileged to share this feedback at a NGO Roundtable with the Department of Home Affairs on Thursday 22 October.

JRS Australia’s submission welcomed the direction of the proposed reforms and emphasised two priorities: protecting the capacity of settlement services to support people over the long term, and keeping the human experience of settlement at the centre of service design.

Frontline and lived expertise

JRS Australia works alongside more than 3,400 people each year in Western Sydney, primarily people seeking asylum. Through its frontline programs, JRS regularly supports people who have been unable to access the assistance they need through existing services, including because of eligibility restrictions or gaps in service provision.

To inform its submission, we invited people who had accessed settlement services in Australia to share their experiences and recommendations. Their feedback highlighted challenges in finding and navigating services, accessing interpreters and in-language information, having overseas qualifications recognised, and finding pathways into education, training and meaningful employment.

Employment and education emerged as clear priorities, with people identifying the need for practical assistance, accessible training opportunities and the importance of recieving “kind understanding” and guidance through unfamiliar systems.

Five priorities for reform

Drawing on this feedback and our frontline experience, JRS Australia made five key recommendations to the Australian Government:

• Improve access to and navigation of services through clear information, supported referrals, coordination and follow-up.
• Strengthen pathways to sustainable employment and education, including skills recognition and access to training.
• Ensure services are accessible, language-responsive, culturally safe, and trauma-informed.
• Focus on services that can build trusted relationships, community connections, and refugee-led initiatives.
• Clarify eligibility and referral pathways for people with significant settlement needs who fall outside existing program requirements, including people seeking asylum.

JRS Australia emphasised that successful settlement cannot be measured by immediate service outputs or job placements.

People need time, practical guidance and sustained support to build on their existing skills, pursue education and employment, establish community connections and participate fully in Australian society.

The submission also encouraged greater engagement with community organisations that provide support beyond the scope of formal settlement programs, to ensure people who fall outside existing eligibility requirements are not left without a pathway to assistance.

Keeping people at the centre

At the Department’s NGO Roundtable on 22 October, JRS Australia reinforced these priorities and the importance of meaningful participation by people with lived experience in shaping the future of settlement services.

The experiences of people who have navigated these systems offer essential insight into what is working, where gaps remain and what changes would make a lasting difference.

JRS welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this important reform process and to advocate for settlement services that recognise people’s diverse circumstances, strengths and aspirations, and support them to build secure and connected lives in Australia.

Read the full submission here.