It is a joint initiative of the Office of Multicultural Interests (OMI) and the Commonwealth Government (Department of Social Services and Department of Immigration and Border Protection).
The ISG is chaired by the Executive Director of OMI. It comprises representatives of Commonwealth, State and local government agencies involved in the delivery of settlement services to migrants.
Purpose and objectives
The ISG provides a single structure for action-oriented settlement planning and information sharing at the State level. This includes a forum through which all three tiers of government, in consultation with relevant non-government stakeholders,
can provide coordinated and strategic support and necessary services for target group migrants and humanitarian entrants under several priority areas.
The priority areas are:
- education
- employment and training
- health and wellbeing
- housing
- language services
- transport
- civic participation
- family and social support
- justice.
The ISG aspires to achieve two broad objectives:
- strategic planning and improved service delivery
- fostering communication and sharing information.
Target groups
The ISG considers issues relating to:
- permanent migrants—people arriving under a range of visa subclasses within the Humanitarian Program (including refugees who require specialist settlement and support services that recognise their often difficult history before arriving
in Australia) and within the Skilled, Family and Special Eligibility streams of the Migration Program
- temporary migrants—longer-term temporary entrants who come to Australia for a set length of time and for a specific purpose (this category comprises visa subclasses for international students and workers/business people)
- asylum seekers—asylum seekers who may have either arrived in Australia on a temporary substantive visa or people who have arrived in Australia without a visa by sea or air. Australia provides protection to asylum seekers during their status
determination process.
Membership of the ISG
Commonwealth government
- Department of Home Affairs
- Department of Social Services
- Department of Human Services
- Department of Education and Training
- Department of Employment.
State government
- Department of Communities
- Child Protection and Family Support
- Housing
- Department of Education
- Department of Health
- Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries
- Office of Multicultural Interests
- Department of the Premier and Cabinet
- Department of Training and Workforce Development
- Western Australian Police.