Everyone needs Good Neighbours, now more than ever

Multicultural Australia is harnessing the power of Good Neighbours this World Refugee Day (20 June 2024) to help thousands of new Queenslanders make a fresh start. Queensland’s leading settlement provider is using the day to highlight the fast-growing demand for its services and call on people to join its community of Good Neighbours. 

Multicultural Australia Chief Executive Officer Christine Castley said Good Neighbours was the for-purpose organisation’s first-ever charitable gifting program, developed in response to a critical need for its support. 

“We are at the frontline, helping new Queenslanders learn new skills, find work, gain independence, build community connections and feel a sense of belonging. 

“Right now, the need for our services is more urgent than we’ve seen in our lifetime. 

“The cost-of-living crisis and global instability have seen more people than ever turn to us for critical support across housing, youth, employment and community services.” 

Multicultural Australia invests every tax-deductible Good Neighbours donation into programs and initiatives that build strong and safe communities. 

For instance, $38 helps provide barista training for a young migrant at the Multicultural Australia-operated Welcome Café in Brisbane’s City Botanic Gardens. 

A donation of $19 can engage new Queenslanders in sporting programs and $57 covers the costs of providing work-readiness support to jobseekers. 

Ms Castley urged people to embrace the spirit of World Refugee Day by becoming a Good Neighbour and making Queensland feel like home for everyone. 

“A donation to Multicultural Australia is more than a financial contribution – it is a lifeline for many Queenslanders who have made their home in Queensland who are feeling lonely and isolated,” she said. 

Multicultural Australia has made Queensland feel like home for tens of thousands of new Queenslanders – refugees, asylum seekers, international students and migrants – since 1998. It is Queensland’s leading humanitarian settlement provider, a multicultural for-purpose organisation with a strong and connected physical presence across metropolitan and regional Queensland. Multicultural Australia is creating belonging and building more connected communities through the delivery of youth, employment and community development programs for thousands of Queenslanders. 

Donate today at multiculturalaustralia.org.au/donate

The United Nations-designated World Refugee Day celebrates the strength and courage of people forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day shines a light on refugees’ rights, needs and dreams to focus global attention on the plight of those fleeing conflict or persecution.

For more information, visit unhcr.org/au/world-refugee-day