Regional settlement of migrants and refugees: where to from here?

This chapter commences by presenting an overview of the entire edited book and presents the key emerging themes that define the experience of regional migrant settlement in Australia. Next, it describes critical interrelated themes which shape the settlement experience embarking from an overview of migration into regional Australia, to primary vs resettlement, how regional settlement addresses labour shortage, role of governance frameworks and policy coordination, contribution of economic participation and entrepreneurship, room for infrastructure development, language training, and looking at regional settlement via a strength-based lens for social cohesion. It then discusses how attraction and retention of migrants remains a challenge and provides suggestions for improvement such as setting up settlement zones, empowering regional communities in the process, and offers recommendations for policy, and regional community, economic, and migrants’ development. Lastly, it offers closing reflections.