This policy brief provides practical policy solutions to improve the settlement and integration of migrants and refugees in Australia. Successful integration is a goal shared by newcomers, the communities they settle in and government at all levels and is critical to maintaining public support for immigration. 

Australia’s approach to integration matters because the way that countries treat newcomers underpins social cohesion and inclusion. Yet, in recent years, much of the discussion of Australia’s migration policy has focused on the number of migrants and refugees granted permission to enter the country each year. There has been limited attention to how pathways are created for newcomers to become more fully integrated into their new homeland.

Compared with similar migrant-receiving countries, Australia is going backward in terms of policies to support the integration of migrants and refugees. Settlement and integration require mutual adaptation and shared responsibility by everyone, including newcomers, receiving communities and government at all levels. The brief provides seven recommendations.