Around Australia Day we turn our minds to the broader sense of being Australian. It’s a day we celebrate our achievements including the building of a great nation drawn predominantly from the people of other nations. We are a nation…

As citizenship ceremonies and backyard barbecues fire up across the country for Australia Day, a senior government MP has reignited calls for all migrants to speak English. Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, parliamentary secretary for Social Services and from the Liberals’ hard-right…

DES Alipoe spent 15 years in a refugee camp. In 2007 he set foot on Australian soil for the first time and now has become an Australian citizen. Mr Alipoe was one of the 20 new citizens who made the pledge at…

About 18 youth students from Noble Park AMES went on an excursion on the final day of classes last year visiting a ‘follow your waste’ tour conducted by the City of Greater Dandenong. The group aged between 18 and 25,…

The United Nations refugee convention was ratified by Australia 60 years ago this week, giving it the power to come into effect. Read more: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/01/21/aust-marks-60-years-refugee-convention

The ALP’s foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says the refugee crisis from the Syrian conflict is unprecedented, and Australia should be contributing significantly more funding to humanitarian efforts. Ms Plibersek has visited refugees in Jordan and Lebanon and says the…

Immigrants and refugees could have their visas fast-tracked if they agree to live in regional Queensland. The state could even up its intake under the proposal designed to alleviate pressure on the booming southeast. Read more: http://au.prime7.yahoo.com/v3/news/a/-/national/20878833/immigrants-could-jump-queue-under-qld-plan/

As the stars of the Australian Open take centre court in Melbourne, a group of newly arrived migrants is being treated to a backstage tour and a chance to see their idols on court. Read more: http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/312242/Tennis-fans-fostered-among-new-migrants

The federal government’s $10 million pledge for Syrian refugees is disappointing and doesn’t go far enough, aid agencies say. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Thursday promised the winter relief funds for Syrians who have fled their country’s civil war and…

Skilled migrants and their families are at risk of not integrating into regional labour markets and communities, according to new research. A study, commissioned by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), found that qualified migrants and their families…

Skills learned over a lifetime of working don’t have to go to waste when you retire says migrant support officer Anni Gallagher. But there is also something in it for volunteers who have not retired. Read more: http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/2017787/a-stitch-in-time-from-volunteers/

The federal government is refusing to confirm or deny reports the Australian Navy forced an asylum seeker boat to turn back towards Indonesia. Read more: http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/310612/Did-the-Australian-Navy-turn-back-another-boat