The Federal Government has announced a 12-month extension of the Economic Pathways to Refugee Integration (EPRI) program to help humanitarian migrants secure employment or start businesses sooner.
While the program has been praised for its ability to fast-track refugee participation in the workforce, questions remain about its long-term impact, sustainability, and the broader challenges facing Australia’s migration and employment systems.
The EPRI program initially launched as a two-year pilot, has provided funding to social enterprises with a track record of successfully helping refugees gain employment. These enterprises offer wraparound support, assisting refugees in overcoming language barriers, lack of local work experience, and systemic employment hurdles.
The extension will fund EPRI until June 30, 2026, but critics argue this short-term funding commitment fails to provide stability for refugees or the businesses supporting them.
Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Julian Hill, defended the move, stating:
“This 12-month extension recognises the success of the EPRI program pilot, which supported hundreds of refugees to gain employment or build their own successful businesses in just two years.”
While the government touts EPRI’s success, the program’s 12-month extension raises concerns about whether the initiative is merely a temporary fix rather than a long-term solution to employment barriers faced by refugees.
- Many refugees struggle to secure employment due to strict visa conditions, discrimination, and a lack of tailored support beyond initial settlement programs.
- Refugee job seekers often find themselves in low-paid, insecure work due to limited recognition of overseas qualifications.
- Social enterprises receiving grants have limited capacity, and a short-term funding extension does not guarantee lasting employment for refugees.
However, without additional long-term investment and reform, the EPRI extension does little to address the persistent unemployment and underemployment among refugees. The risk remains that, after the funding runs out, many refugees will once again find themselves struggling to enter the workforce.
A Proven Model, But Is It Scalable?
Huy Truong, Executive Chair and Co-Founder of Thrive Refugee Enterprise welcomed the funding but acknowledged the scale of the challenge:
“It’s terrific news the government is extending the EPRI program for another year to enable more refugees to productively participate in the Australian economy.”
Thrive Refugee Enterprise has helped over 4,000 refugees access business information, provided one-on-one consultations to 920, and supported the creation of 215 small businesses under EPRI funding. While these numbers are commendable, they barely scratch the surface of Australia’s growing refugee population, many of whom continue to face systemic employment challenges.
Will This Solve the Problem?
As economic participation is crucial for successful refugee integration, EPRI alone cannot fix the broader employment and settlement challenges facing humanitarian migrants. The government’s short-term funding cycle, coupled with a lack of clear long-term strategy, leaves refugees in limbo. Without a stronger commitment to permanent funding, structural employment reforms, and better recognition of refugee skills, the government risks repeating the cycle of temporary solutions with no lasting impact.
Refugee advocates and social enterprises have called for permanent funding for employment and business support programs rather than short-term extensions that leave participants uncertain about their futures.
With rising concerns over cost-of-living pressures and job security, the question remains: Is the Albanese Government truly committed to long-term refugee integration, or is this just another political band-aid to buy time?
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