NRFR has welcomed the Australian Government’s decision to make the CRISP refugee settlement pilot permanent.
Under the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), NRFR has supported nine households in the Northern Rivers since the start of the program in 2022. We have helped 35 people establish a new life under the care of eight Community Supporter Groups.
A further 12 refugees have settled in Lismore under the scheme.
NRFR president Marilyn Leeks welcomed the decision: “This is testament to the wide range of benefits of this community-led approach for refugee newcomers, local communities and the everyday Australians who put their hands up to welcome a newcomer.”
The pilot has provided an alternative settlement pathway for refugees who do not have links in Australia referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for resettlement under Australia’s Humanitarian Program.
The four-year pilot has so far enabled over 500 refugees to be settled by community groups based in large cities and small towns, in all states and territories across Australia.
Research shows that CRISP has had a positive impact on the refugees and community groups involved, with people demonstrating strong settlement and integration outcomes.
The majority of refugees settled through CRISP also reported that they felt welcome in their local community and found it easy to settle in Australia.
The decision comes at a time when global displacement is at historical levels. The permanent program hopes to support an initial 200 participants in 2026-27, with the ability to support more.
The Government will work closely with the settlement and community sector to design the permanent program, including running a competitive and transparent process to select the organisation to administer the program into the future.
Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Julian Hill thanked Australians who had made the pilot a success.
“Community refugee sponsorship has rightly enjoyed support right across the Parliament and in communities because it works. CRISP will now be a permanent and valued feature within Australia’s overall humanitarian program,” he said.
