$2.7 million to enhance Queensland settlement services
29 May 2009
Providing refugees in Brisbane with the opportunity to grow fresh fruit and vegetables is just one excellent example of the important work carried out by Australia's settlement grants recipients, Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, Laurie Ferguson, said today.
As part of $2.7 million settlement grants program (SGP) funding for Queensland, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) will provide $40 000 to Griffith University for the further development of its community garden.
'One of the central health issues we face in settling refugees into Australia is making sure they have access to healthy, nutritious food and are educated about making good food choices. Many humanitarian entrants have spent years in refugee camps existing on basic food supplies and can find the range of foods here overwhelming,' Mr Ferguson said.
The community garden project at the university encourages refugees and migrants to participate in gardening. The project will also run information sessions on good health and nutrition, as well as gardening and food events, which will encourage people to develop life skills and become more self-reliant.
In the 2009-10 financial year, the settlement grants program will provide $2.7 million to 24 projects that will help new arrivals to feel at home in Queensland.
Some of the successful applicant organisations include migrant resource centres, multicultural service agencies and community and welfare organisations.
'The many projects supported by the settlement grants program will help migrants and refugees to settle successfully into their new communities, promoting social participation and assisting in their cultural transition into Australia,' Mr Ferguson said.
A list of successful applicants in the 2009-10 funding round is available
on the department's website.
See: www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/delivering-assistance/settlement-grants
'I commend all organisations for their contribution to the successful settlement of migrants and refugees in Queensland,' Mr Ferguson said.
Media contact: Carla Wilshire 0432 755 935
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/parlsec/media/media-releases/2009/lf09032.htm
Last update: 18 June 2009 at 14:48 AEST