Professor Peter Shergold AC was appointed NSW Coordinator General for Refugee Resettlement in September 2015 following the Australian Government’s decision to accept an additional 12,000 refugees displaced by conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

In 2020, Professor Shergold’s remit was revised to NSW Coordinator General for Settlement to recognise the broadened focus on strategic settlement planning for refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in NSW.

The responsibilities of the NSW Coordinator General for Settlement include:

• Coordinating key NSW Government agencies in settlement and migration planning, including for new primary humanitarian settlement locations in regional NSW.
• Convening and chairing an advisory body of senior leaders from the government and non-government sectors to enhance the current settlement system in NSW.
• Advising established NSW Government and interjurisdictional forums on settlement related issues.
• Supporting place-based initiatives for migrant, refugee and asylum seeker communities to settle and resettle in regional NSW. This includes delivering the NSW Growing Regions of Welcome (NSW GROW) resettlement pilot program.
• Overseeing the implementation and evaluation of initiatives funded by the NSW Government. This includes working alongside NSW Government agencies to ensure succession or continuation strategies at the end of funding periods.
• Representing the needs and interests of NSW communities by forming a direct conduit to the Department of Home Affairs.

Since his appointment, Professor Shergold has adopted a whole-of-community and cross-sector approach to improve settlement outcomes for refugees starting new lives in NSW. His key achievements include:

• Establishing an advisory body of senior leaders from government and non-government organisations, including humanitarian settlement service providers. The advisory body has developed new proposals to strengthen the service system for refugees across a range of areas, including youth, community engagement, health and education support.
• Securing over $190 million of additional NSW Government investment in refugee settlement to improve education, employment, health and wellbeing outcomes.
• Establishing the NSW Growing Regions of Welcome (GROW) Pilot Program to support communities welcome and retain newcomers in regional NSW.
• Delivering a person-centered design policy process to address the needs of refugee young people.
• Adopting a place-based approach to support South-West Sydney, particularly Fairfield, continue to receive humanitarian arrivals.
• Working closely with key leaders from the settlement sector to design a crisis support package to respond to critical needs.

If you have any questions about the NSW Settlement Strategy, please contact the Multicultural NSW Settlement team.

To find out more, download a copy of Professor Peter Shergold’s five year report here.