The Australian National University (ANU) leads a new consortium building pathways for refugees to pursue higher education in Australia.
In response to the Department of Home Affairs commitment of 20,000 places in the 2023–24 Humanitarian Program, the Australian Refugee Welcome University Sponsorship Consortium (ARWUSC) brings together 12 universities committed to social impact.
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, reports more than 108 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced through persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events disturbing public order at the end of 2022, with over 32 million holding refugee status.
Ensuring Australia can provide permanent resettlement to those in need, and protection in Australia to those who require it – includes a commitment of access to education. The group will advocate for complementary pathways to accommodate the further 10,000 refugee placements announced by Minister Giles at the 2023 Refugee Communities Association of Australia National Conference.
This alliance is co-designing, through a unique lens, the schematic for an education-led pathway for refugee resettlement. Professor Bronwyn Parry, from ANU, co-lead of ARWUSC, says the consortium “marks an exciting new chapter in Australia’s refugee resettlement story.”
“Refugees have historically made a very important contribution to modern Australia, building the successful, harmonious multicultural society we have today. They have also made significant inputs to our economy and can play a key role in driving our future prosperity and social wellbeing,” Professor Parry said.
The group will oversee the impactful resettlement and delivery of educational opportunities for students displaced by conflict, enabling refugees to (re) commence the student journey, uplifting and enhancing their skills, knowledge and experience. An important Australian response given recent and current global crises in Gaza and the Middle East and across Afghanistan and Sudan.
Representing the higher education sector and working with Federal Government and key not-for-profit and business partners, including the Refugee Council of Australia, they will deliver global best practice in refugee education. There are many examples to draw on, including the Institute for International Education and their suite of programs supporting displaced students, scholars, academics and creative artists around the world.
An aspirational refugee education migration pathway, the Refugee Student Settlement Pilot (RSSP), is constructed, in partnership, by the Australian Federal Government, Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia, the Refugee Education Special Interest Group, ARWUSC, settlement and refugee peak bodies and students with lived experience of forced migration and higher education.
Professor Lisa Hartley, Co-Director of the Curtin University Centre for Human Rights Education has been leading the Curtin Pilot development. The RSSP looks to offer systemic change opportunities for universities, and at a future point the VET sector; influencing and expanding resettlement options for refugees and their investment in academic pursuits.
ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt said ARWUSC was a “welcome response to a global call to action”. This does not simply deliver benefit to Australia across the international education space, it’s an important statement of our humanitarian commitment and protection of the right to learn and instruct.
Dr Sally Baker, Associate Professor of Migration and Education at ANU and co-leader of ARWUSC, says, “working together to create new refugee education opportunities will not only give more refugees access to education and protection in Australia, it will also benefit Australian society by increasing the understanding and welcoming of refugees, and boosting the economy through the contributions of highly educated and networked refugee graduates.”
The consortium will generate opportunities for exciting young talent that might otherwise not have the chance to shine or access tertiary education. It also highlights and celebrates the desire from our university sector professional and academic staff to support the aspiration of refugees for a better educational pathway. Professor Parry reinforces that, “it is essential not only to secure the future of currently displaced students around the globe but also to help them realise their full potential as future citizens of Australia.”
Also engaged is the Refugee Education Special Interest Group (RESIG), an Australian network of community, higher education, vocational education and school sector representatives working to improve opportunities for students from refugee backgrounds. They focus on:
- Encouraging networking and collaboration across education and community sectors at local, national, and international levels.
- Sharing information, resources, and good practices.
- Advocating for improved educational opportunities and outcomes for students from refugee, refugee-like, and other forced migration backgrounds.
RESIG maintain a scholarship resource for people seeking asylum and refugees who hold temporary visas. It highlights universities across Australia with scholarships dedicated to refugees and asylum seekers and the work done advocating for related support services.
A welcomed initiative, this new consortium has broad representation within the Go8, IRU and ATN and across the states and territories. Universities, as ecosystems, are about assisting people to build a better future for themselves and for the nation. With education a key social determinant of health, this may be a defining contribution to the perceptions held by the market of the Australian international education sector and the broader Australian community at large.
Note: ARWUSC consortium members are Charles Sturt University, Curtin University, Deakin University, Griffith University, the University of Canberra, the University of Melbourne, the University of South Australia, the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Tasmania and Victoria University.
The ANU news release can be seen here.
