TWO community leaders will address a Federal parliamentary committee at a hearing to discuss what can be done to increase the number of migrants to the South East.
Father Dean of the Mount Gambier Catholic Parish and Muslim community member Saad Habib will pair on Wednesday and discuss ways to encourage migrants to settle and remain in regional areas.
Representatives from Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast and the Mount Gambier Migrant Resource Centre will also address the 10-person migration committee.
The three-hour public hearing will start with a migrant and employers roundtable and will finish with a discussion led by local government representatives.
Committee chair Julian Leeser said the public hearings would be a great opportunity to talk to people with first-hand experience about what works to help migrants settle and stay in regional areas.
“South Australia is at the forefront of initiatives and strategies to encourage higher levels of migration to regional areas,” he said.
“South Australian towns are seeking more migrants to boost population growth and address skills shortages and the committee can learn a lot from this experience.”
As part of the hearings, the committee will meet with local migrants and businesses.
The committee will also discuss regional migration with the South Australian government and migration experts in Adelaide on November 18.
“The support of regional communities is critical to the success of regional migration,” Mr Leeser said.
“We want to hear directly from local people and organisations to understand how to ensure the long term success of migration to regional areas.”
The hearing will be held on November 20 at City Hall and starts at 12.30pm.
Community members are encouraged to attend.
