REFUGEES AND REGIONAL AUSTRALIA
Regional areas are suffering from financial strain due to the drought, pandemic and bushfires, and have a shortage of fruit pickers and contractors.
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- Many refugees can be trained in farming, construction and labour, areas that the federal government is planning to expand.
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- Many may become homeless, which will result in long-term additional economic harm.
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It is estimated that 19,000 asylum seekers will be unemployed due to the pandemic, with those on TPV visas particularly vulnerable.
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OUR POLICY
The Edison Party will provide all adult refugees either a Temporary Protection Visa or a Safe Haven Enterprise Visa. Refugees who have been out of work for at least 3 months or cannot find work within 3 months can be eligible for the JobSeeker program. A program will be established to encourage employed refugees to relocate to struggling regional areas for work.​
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This will be funded by sections of the budget used to kickstart construction and manufacturing sectors.​​
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Furthermore, money saved from JobKeeper winding back and other social welfare initiatives will be used to support refugees under the proposed initiatives.