Multiculturalism in Australia: Migrant and Refugee Integration with Sandra Elhelw
Sandra Elhelw
CEO, Settlement Council of Australia
We Don't Have Multiculturalism Without Culture
Sandra Elhelw is the CEO of the Settlement Council of Australia, the national peak body representing 130 member organisations that support migrants and refugees across the country. Born in Moella, South Australia, about two months after her parents arrived from Egypt, Sandra grew up in Adelaide at a time when there were very few other Arabs at school. The experience of September 11 at age 10 intensified everything: suddenly a child had to brush up on her own religion and culture because everyone else was asking questions, and those questions were being asked in an antagonistic way.
Sandra trained as a lawyer but ran away from the law into social justice work. Her first professional experience was volunteering at a migrant centre during law school, supporting Iraqi refugees using her Arabic, quickly discovering that Egyptian Arabic and Iraqi Arabic are not the same. Eight years later she was still in the field. She returned briefly to government legal work on sexual assault and family violence law reform, then came back to the multicultural space permanently.
The Majority of Migrants Get No Support
A critical gap Sandra highlights: the majority of migrants who arrive in Australia do not receive any formal settlement support. Most arrive as skilled migrants who are not eligible for federally funded settlement services. In previous decades, people were supported regardless of visa type. In Canada, all permanent residents can receive settlement support. Australia's formal services are primarily delivered to humanitarian entrants, people who have arrived as refugees, experienced significant trauma, and been forcibly displaced. They need housing, bank accounts, and basic orientation. Skilled migrants, despite meeting English and skill requirements, are left to figure out how the whole thing works on their own.
Cultural Retention Is the Real Risk
Sandra's central argument: we are not at risk of migrants failing to learn English. People have extremely strong incentives to learn English, learn cultural norms, and fit in. Those incentives have always been there. The real risk is losing cultural richness. She shares her own experience: as a child, she did not speak Arabic for a long time because her parents were so focused on learning English and getting work. It was not until later that the family had the headspace to invest in keeping their own language and customs alive.
The structural reality works against cultural retention. Society operates on Western norms. You have the requirement to practise Australian culture every day. But perhaps you only speak your language on weekends. Your children grow up in Australia and do not speak your language. There may be no language school available. Volunteer teachers cannot volunteer because everyone is working multiple jobs. The system is set up so that one culture is the default and the other erodes by design.
Stop Asking Whether. Start Asking How.
Sandra's proposed shift: instead of questioning whether Australia should be multicultural, accept that the population is diverse, that people were invited here, that they settled and had children and grandchildren. The question should be how to make a multicultural society work, not whether to have one. Part of the reason the question keeps being asked is that people from migrant backgrounds are still viewed as guests rather than fellow citizens. Sandra was born in Australia, holds an Australian passport, and says her strongest set of cultural norms is probably Australian culture. But she is still viewed as a guest.
Everyone Has a Role in Settlement
Sandra emphasises that settlement is not something done by a bunch of services. Everyone has a role: as a neighbour, an employer, a teacher, a doctor, a colleague. Giving someone their first job in Australia has a huge impact on their whole family. Taking the time to repeat a sentence when someone does not understand you. Offering an interpreter. The Settlement Council worked with LEXIGO on a cancer screening project that reached over 300,000 people by developing animations and resources that resonated culturally, not just linguistically, and distributing them through the grassroots network.
Her advice: think about what you are good at in general, then make the link between that skillset and how it could be useful to someone starting a new life. A restaurant owner can hire people from migrant backgrounds. Social enterprises across Australia have set themselves up specifically to provide employment pathways for refugees. Whatever skill you have, think about how you can make a positive impact with it for people.
Beyond Translation: The Native Experience Podcast is produced by LEXIGO, Australia's trusted translation and multicultural communication agency.
Beyond Translation: The Native Experience Podcast explores multicultural communication, translation, and culturally diverse engagement in Australia and beyond. Each episode features experts sharing real stories and practical insights on topics from multicultural campaign strategy to CALD community engagement and localisation best practices. Produced by LEXIGO, Australia's trusted translation and multicultural communication agency with triple ISO certification and NAATI certified translators across 171 languages.
Sandra: I often say that we do not have multiculturalism without culture. We pride ourselves in Australia on being a multicultural country where we have so much diversity and access to so much cultural richness. But we lose that unless people retain it when they migrate here. We do not have multiculturalism unless people retain the links to their own culture and language. That is something I feel really strongly about.
Brian: Today we are with Sandra Elhelw, CEO of the Settlement Council of Australia, the national peak body representing Australia's migrant and refugee services. The Council has 130 member organisations working towards an Australia where all people of migrant and refugee backgrounds belong, thrive, and experience fulfilling lives. Sandra, welcome to The Native Experience.
Sandra: Great to be here. Thanks for having me.
Brian: Tell us about yourself and what you are nerding out on right now.
Sandra: I was born in Moella, four hours north of Adelaide in South Australia, about two months after my parents arrived from Egypt. We eventually moved to Adelaide for work opportunities. At that time there were not a lot of other Arabs or people who looked like me at school. Thinking about diversity and my place in society has been something that has always been a part of my life. It really intensified after September 11th. I was about 10 years old.
Sandra: I went into law school but never really worked as a practising lawyer. I ended up more involved in social causes and social justice work. While at law school, I volunteered at a migrant centre. There were a lot of refugees arriving from Iraq and I could speak Arabic. I very quickly learned that the Arabic I spoke was not the same Arabic that people from Iraq spoke, but it was still helpful. I did voluntary work there and eventually took a part-time job, then full-time. Eight years later I was still in the same field.
Sandra: In terms of nerding out, I have a complete obsession with honey. I have about 19 jars in my cupboard. Whenever I visit a place, I love to buy the local honey because it is like a taste of the space you have been to, the local flowers and the whole process. No two honeys are the same.
Brian: What drove you to this work?
Sandra: I do not know that I have ever had that specific moment. It was more being drawn to things I understood. Where we can have the best impact is things we understand really intimately. I felt like I had a perspective to share or I could add value because of my experience.
Brian: Talk about the experience after September 11th.
Sandra: After 9-11, your level of understanding for your own culture has to increase because everyone else is asking questions and they are suspicious. There is a lot of debating of your identity. You have to suddenly brush up your knowledge. I was a 10-year-old kid. I did not necessarily know all the ins and outs of my own religion and culture. There is a really rapid process at a very young age of brushing up on who you are and who your people are. That is all being unpacked in an antagonistic climate.
Sandra: Many people also ask questions from a position of genuine curiosity. But at that point in time, questions were usually asked in an antagonistic way, assuming you are inferior. It is not a pleasant way to live where your identity is viewed as second class until you prove otherwise. People do not need the additional burden of having to demonstrate their humanity to someone else.
Brian: Share a cultural experience that stuck with you.
Sandra: I deliver cultural responsiveness sessions and I learn so much from them. One participant from India shared how in her tradition, everything is connected. Nothing is too far removed from anything. We are all related, all concepts are related somehow. That provides a level of grace when engaging with the world. It stuck with me as another example of how culture does not just impact food choices or what dance you do at a wedding. It also shapes how we see the world and fundamental things about our spirituality.
Sandra: For me, my culture is a very communal culture. The family unit is more prominent than the individual and extends beyond the nuclear family. That element of collectivism comes up a lot because we live in a society that is more individualistic than Egyptian culture or many Arab cultures.
Brian: Tell us about the Settlement Council.
Sandra: We are the peak body for migrant and refugee services in Australia with about 130 member organisations. We are the policy and advocacy voice for our sector, doing a lot of engagement with government to promote policies and programs that allow people to settle well. We deliver national projects that reach the grassroots. We also do training, capacity building, and professional development for the workforce.
Sandra: We worked with LEXIGO on a project around cancer screening, trying to increase cancer screening rates among migrant and refugee communities. We developed animations and resources that resonated with cultural communities, not just in the right language but where the message resonated. We reached well over 300,000 people through that project.
Brian: What is the settlement process like?
Sandra: The majority of people do not get any assistance with settling into Australia. Most migrants arrive as skilled migrants and are not eligible for federally funded settlement support. In previous decades, people were supported no matter what visa they arrived on. In Canada, all permanent residents can receive settlement support. Most of the formal services through our network are delivered to humanitarian entrants, people who have arrived as refugees, experienced significant trauma, and been forcibly displaced.
Brian: How do you help people retain their culture while settling?
Sandra: Most settlement work is done by the person themselves. I often say we do not have multiculturalism without culture. We lose cultural richness unless people retain it when they migrate. Growing up, I did not speak Arabic for a long time because my parents were focused on learning English to get work. It was not until I was older that we had the headspace to invest in learning our own language and customs.
Sandra: We emphasise people learning English and that happens anyway. People have extremely strong incentives to learn English and fit in. We are not at risk of migrants not learning the language. We are at risk of losing cultural richness. People need to use their language skills, have friends from their own cultural background where they can express the complexity of their emotions in a language of comfort. We do not pay enough attention to that part of adjusting to a new society.
Brian: Is there a solution?
Sandra: Instead of thinking about whether we should or should not have a multicultural society, think about how we make it work. Our population is diverse and that is not changing. I would like to see a shift from questioning multiculturalism to a constructive conversation about how to make it work. Part of the reason the question keeps being asked is because people from other countries are still seen as guests. But we are not guests. I was born in this country. My passport is Australian. English is my first language. When you view your fellow citizens and fellow migrants as equal to you, you stop asking that question.
Brian: How do you inspire people who are not currently concerned?
Sandra: A lot of people do not appreciate how much impact they can have. Everyone has a role to play. Whether as a neighbour, an employer, a teacher, a healthcare worker, a friend, a colleague. You can be the person who gives someone their first job in Australia. That has a huge impact on their whole family's life. You can take the time to repeat a sentence if someone did not understand. You can offer someone an interpreter. It is not something that sits over there in a bunch of services. It is something we all share responsibility for.
Sandra: Think about what you are good at in general. Then make the link between that skillset and how it could be useful to someone starting a new life. A restaurant owner could hire people from migrant backgrounds. There are social enterprises set up specifically to provide pathways to employment for refugees. Whatever skill you have, think about how you can make a positive impact with it for people.
Brian: Sandra, thank you so much. I love what you are doing.
Sandra: Thank you so much. Such a pleasure to talk to you.
Brian: Sandra Elhelw, CEO of the Settlement Council of Australia. Remember, always strive for authenticity and embrace the power of native experiences.