19 September 2019

19 September 2019 Committee Secretary Joint Standing Committee on Migration PO Box 6021 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Dear Sir/Madam, Re: Inquiry into migration in regional Australia On behalf of Tatiara District Council, I am pleased to make a submission in response to the Inquiry into migration in regional Australia. Our district The Tatiara is a prosperous and innovative district, boasting a diverse agricultural base, including grains and stock, vineyards, small seeds, flowers, vegetables and olives, and strong businesses like Bordertown’s JBS Australia or Keith’s Master Butchers Co-operative Ltd (MBL). Our district has proven fertile ground for entrepreneurs like Tatiara Truck & Trailers, the second largest truck repair and maintenance business in South Australia, or Keith Timber Group, a dominant player in the South Australian frame and truss, timber and hardware markets, with sites located in Adelaide, Keith, Murray Bridge and Naracoorte. Other exciting ventures are just emerging, like Good Country Hemp’s hemp processing plant, or Blue Lake Milling’s anaerobic digester converting oat husks into electricity. We are in the enviable position of having run out of space at our industrial estates in Bordertown and Keith, and are in the process of opening stage 3 of the Bordertown Industrial Estate. Stage 2 of the Keith Industrial Estate will follow this year. When Australia welcomed an unemployment rate of 5.1% in March 2019, we had an unemployment rate of 2.09%, meaning that our businesses have to bring in significant labour from outside the region to fill vacancies. A large number of employers are using migrant workers to address the district’s labour shortages. For our largest employer, JBS Australia, migrants may make up 70% of its 450 strong workforce at any one time. Migrants are also employed in businesses who need seasonal workers like our vineyards, seed processors and vegetable growers. Our population At the time of the 2016 Census, the Tatiara local government area had a population of 6,871. 5,654, or 85.3%, of these residents were Australian citizens. 653 people who were living in the Council area in 2016 were born overseas, and 37% arrived in Australia within five years prior to 2016. Major ethnic groups have changed over time, in 2019, the major groups employed in local business and industry are Filipinos, Afghani, Malaysian, followed by Sri Lankans, Ethiopians and Chinese. Migrants include those on bridging or refugee visas as well as 457/482 (sponsored skilled overseas workers working temporarily in Australia), 417 (working holiday) and 462 (work and holiday) visa categories. While migration has occurred in all of the Tatiara, drilling more deeply into the statistics it becomes apparent that most migration has occurred into our largest town, Bordertown. Other towns in the Tatiara have remained stable or seen a small decline in population, whereas Bordertown has recorded a moderate increase in population. At the time of the 2016 Census, Bordertown recorded 2,154 (or 73.4% of) people born in Australia. In a broader context, in South Australia 71.1% of people were born in Australia, Australia wide it is 66.7%. Bordertown, despite its regional location, is therefore roughly on par with South Australia’s level of migration. The evidence Steps to Settlement Success, A Toolkit for Rural and Regional Communities, and Understanding Regional Settlement in Australia, Key Learnings from Past Experiences http://www.regionalaustralia.org.au/home/migration-toolkit/ The toolkit and supporting material have been developed to respond to the information needs of rural and regional communities looking to settle migrants locally, be they migrants coming in from big Australian cities or overseas, entrants to Australia on skilled working visas or on humanitarian grounds. Based on interviews with community champions of regional settlement, the toolkit brings together key learnings from past regional migration approaches (both in Australia and overseas), identifies best practice for regional settlement, and outlines the key players and areas for action underpinning regional settlement success. The Missing Workers http://www.regionalaustralia.org.au/home/the-missing-workers/ The Regional Australia Institute’s 2018 policy paper The Missing Workers: Locally led migration strategies to better meet rural labour needs examines strategies and policies to meet the workforce needs of regional communities across Australia. The paper finds that in 151 regional Local Government Areas across the country, the numbers of overseas-born residents are increasing, while the number of Australian-born residents is decreasing. It concludes that population loss resulting in labour shortages in rural Australia requires new locally-led migration strategies to enable migration to better meet local labour needs and ensure future population and economic growth in small towns. Small towns, Big returns https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/economics/articles/small- towns-big-returns.html A joint AMES and Deloitte Access Economics 2015 report, Small towns, Big returns, Economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Nhill explores the positive outcomes for refugees who have been resettled as well as the effect on the community. The report provides insights into the economic and social value accrued through the resettlement of approximately 160 Karen refugees. The report finds that a total of 70.5 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions have been added to the regional economy over the five-year period of analysis, representing approximately 3% of total employment across the local government area. The increased population enabled the creation and filling of additional jobs across a number of community businesses and services. The economic impact of this increased labour supply, in terms of Gross Regional Product – as modelled by Deloitte Access Economics, is estimated to be $41.5 million in net present value terms. The resettlement helped redress population decline, revitalised local services, attracted government investment and increased social capital across both communities. The report also provides an insight into essential factors in the success of settlement. While employment may be the most obvious one, it is not of itself sufficient for successful settlement and a number of other contributing factors were identified. These include: strong leadership in the host community a host community which is well prepared for the new residents initial accommodation for the new arrivals support for the new families management of the degree and complexity of ‘cultural adjustment’ on both sides strong leadership in the settling community potential residents prepared for the new environment Enabling Rural Migrant Settlement https://www.adelaide.edu.au/hugo- centre/research/projects/Enabling_Rural_Migrant_Settlement_R eport.pdf The aim of the Enabling Rural Migrant Settlement: A Case Study of the Limestone Coast project was to achieve a better understanding of the role local government can play in the successful settlement of new migrants in rural and regional South Australia. Of particular interest to the study were the settlement experiences of migrants in non-metropolitan areas; which are different to those of migrants settling in large urban environments. The study concentrates on four non-metropolitan Local Government Areas in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia: Mt Gambier, Grant, Naracoorte- Lucindale and Tatiara. The report provides some background to the role immigration can play in nonmetropolitan regions, assesses the role of immigration programs and examines some of the direct and indirect outcomes for local communities and for migrants themselves. Settlement Challenges Settlement Support and Community Capacity Building The research papers as well as our own experience confirm that successful settlement relies on strong, locally led initiatives. We might be able to attract migrants to the regions with a variety of programs but if we do not effectively support their settlement in our communities we will be unable to retain our new residents in the medium to long term. In the Tatiara, settlement support provided by the Bordertown Migrant Resource Centre with very limited funding and a huge amount of goodwill and volunteer contributions has included: Case management for people not fitting the criteria for official settlement programs (TPV, SHEV, post five-year settlement, etc.) Volunteer run English classes Education sessions, including school information sessions for new parents, RAA road safety quiz, waste management, Australian laws and regulations Swim and Survive program for migrants Harmony Day events Culture specific celebrations – Naruz, Eid, welcome parties etc. Promoting integration through sporting clubs and various community events Music workshops and celebrations Assisting staff induction at major employer Supporting service providers - medical clinic, schools, post office etc. care for the migrant community In addition to the Migrant Resource Centre’s work, and in partnership with the MRC and major employer JBS, Tatiara District Council in 2018 first committed to a Migrant Community Action Plan, which was updated in May 2019 to reflect the achievement of many past goals and set the direction for the year ahead. While our local activities have been very successful, they cannot be resourced by a small rural community on its own in the long term. It is essential that federal and state governments invest in

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