Councils have welcomed initiatives by the NSW and Federal governments to assist refugees and asylum seekers.

The NSW Government has released a NSW Settlement Strategy and a Federal Government announcement will provide pathways for about 19,000 eligible refugees and asylum seekers in Australia to apply for permanent residency.

Multicultural NSW’s Settlement Strategy for people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds is the first of its kind from any level of government that addresses the lifelong journey and settlement needs of people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds in NSW.

It is a whole-of-government approach to settlement for refugee and asylum seekers and will be implemented between February 2023 and June 2025.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government’s announcement to provide a pathway to permanent residency for those eligible on Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) (Subclass 785) and Safe Haven Enterprise visa (SHEV) (subclass 790) will help about 19,000 people who have been kept in limbo for the past decade or so, and are predominately from Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

This announcement goes further than the motion from Leeton Shire Council, endorsed at the Local Government NSW 2022 Annual Conference:

That motion stated; “Local Government NSW calls on the NSW Government to work with the Australian Government to expeditiously transition refugees on Temporary Protection Visas or Safe Haven Enterprise Visas to Permanent Protection Visas to safeguard the health and wellbeing of these "temporary" refugees and enable them to continue to contribute to the economic and social fabric of the communities they have chosen to call home”.

“The decisions from the NSW and Australian governments will further support people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds and their families to settle, access services, improve education and job prospects and enhance their contributions into their local communities.”