Committee to examine migration in South Australia

THE Joint Standing Committee on Migration is headed to South Australia to examine how to encourage migrants to settle and remain in regional areas, in the first round of regional hearings for its inquiry into migration in regional Australia.

“South Australia is at the forefront of initiatives and strategies to encourage higher levels of migration to regional areas,” said Committee Chair Julian Leeser MP. “South Australian towns are seeking more migrants to boost population growth and address skills shortages, and the Committee can learn a lot from this experience.

“For our first regional hearings, we will be travelling to Adelaide (considered regional for the purposes of migration) on 18 November, Murray Bridge on 19 November and Mount Gambier on 20 November. This is a great opportunity to talk with people in regional areas with first-hand experience about what works to assist migrants to settle and stay in regional areas.”

As part of the hearings, the Committee will be meeting with local government, Regional Development Australia, as well as local migrants and businesses.  The Committee will also discuss regional migration with the South Australian Government and migration experts in Adelaide on 18 November.

“The support of regional communities is critical to the success of regional migration. We want to hear directly from local people and organisations to understand how to ensure the long term success of migration to regional areas,” Mr Leeser said.

The Committee will be travelling to other states and territories to visit a range of regional areas, details on these hearings will be announced in early 2020. Further details on the inquiry, including the terms of reference, are available on the inquiry website.

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