Last week NCS had the honour of being invited to the Refugee Communities Association of Australia (RCAA) Conference 2023: Building on the Foundation of Lived Experience in Melbourne.

The RCAA has been working hard to plug the gap between need and settlement services, provide a link between the government and refugee communities and helping build their capacity.

During the conference, we met with NDIS Minister, Bill Shorten and other stakeholders to begin a continuing conversation and share knowledge to further support refugee communities.

Many refugees struggle once they are ‘discharged’ from initial services upon entering Australia. One story of a recently migrated family had a happy ending, however, did start with a not so smooth start.

This particular family, along with many other families attended the ‘Induction into Australia’ meeting held in camps before families migrate. They are told of the cultural changes they will face and are taught how to use household appliances (don’t leave the gas on after cooking, don’t forget to switch the knobs off etc) and the dangers of leaving appliances on. The humble oven is the featured appliance in this story.

The family were so fearful that they would burn the house down that they didn’t cook, nor eat hot meals cooked in their kitchen. It wasn’t till a welfare check was done that this was found out and more education and support was given to the family to ease them into their new life.

It is vital to keep the conversation going with community leaders, vital to check on your neighbour to see how they are going and to be aware that what we all take for granted is a new experience for many new Australians.