Boosting regional settlement of migrants and refugees in Australia: policy initiatives and challenges

Regional settlement of skilled and humanitarian migrants is an important migration trend, which all levels of government in Australia are increasingly promoting. It has the potential to address population decline, meet industry needs and provide a suitable lifestyle outside metropolitan areas. With a multitude of actors involved, including government, third sector organisations, community groups and employers, an in‐depth analysis of how settlement is working in different locations in Victoria reveals the complexity and weaknesses in the current intergovernmental coordination and assistance to regional settlement. These include the highly centralized character of settlement planning in Australia, the lack of opportunities for policy input from local stakeholders at the coalface of settlement assistance and the piece‐ meal nature of funding for settlement assistance. Based on the analysis of focus groups with local stakeholders in six regional and rural locations in Victoria, this paper identifies and assesses the complex, top‐down arrangements in place, and the gaps and the range of bottom‐ up responses from local government, the business and community sector. It explores the scope for improving regional settlement policy and practice.