The Minister for Social Inclusion, Rachel Stephen-Smith hosted a breakfast earlier this week to mark Refugee Week 2018, which runs until Saturday (23 June).
The Minister said she was proud to stand with refugees and celebrate the achievements and contributions they had made to Canberra.
“In the last 10 years, over 2,000 refugees have called Canberra home; they make our community stronger and our city a better place to live,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
“The ACT Government has a longstanding commitment to welcoming and supporting people who arrive on humanitarian grounds or who are seeking asylum in our community.”
She said that in addition to being an official Refugee Welcome Zone, the ACT was part of the Commonwealth Government’s Safe Haven Enterprise Visa Program, which provided a temporary protection visa that allowed holders to settle in designated communities through work or study.
Ms Stephen-Smith said she had also presented scholarships to 45 local students from a refugee or asylum-seeker background.
“The Canberra Refugee Support Scholarships event is an opportunity to hear stories from refugees in Canberra,” she said.
Ms Stephen-Smith said the Scholarships provided support to children and young people currently undertaking primary, secondary or post-secondary education in Canberra.
“This year’s Refugee Week theme, ‘#WithRefugees’, speaks to the global movement required to demand the safety and the protection of refugees and their rights,” she said.
“It also reminds people that refugees are people like them and not just a label.”
