From Policy to Place: Strengthening Regional Migration Outcomes through a Whole-of-Community Approach

About the Seminar:

This seminar introduces a major interdisciplinary Australian Research Council Linkage research project examining how migration can better support the sustainability and vitality of rural and remote Australia. The project involves 9 chief investigators across three universities, along with 17 partner organisations. At its core is a “whole-of-community” approach, recognising that successful migrant attraction and retention are not driven solely by policy settings, but by the interaction of local institutions, economies, and social relationships. We will outline the project’s scope, including its comparative design across multiple regional sites and its use of mixed quantitative and qualitative methods to capture both structural trends and lived experiences. A central focus will be the opportunities emerging from this research for policy innovation. The project will generate new evidence on how local actors, such as councils, employers, community groups, and Aboriginal organisations, can be mobilised alongside state and federal initiatives to enhance migrant retention and integration. We will explore the implications for the Territory and Australian migration system, arguing that regional migration policy must move beyond incentives alone, towards coordinated, locally embedded approaches that build welcoming, resilient, and economically sustainable communities.

About the presenters:

David Radford is Associate Professor (Sociology) with the School of Society and Culture at Adelaide University. His research investigates migration, diversity and interculturality in rural/regional and urban Australia, emphasising the importance of the micro, everyday lived experiences of migration, multiculturalism and interculturalism while drawing on macro factors impacting these experiences. David is Lead CI for the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant “Whole-of-Community approaches to regional migration, settlement & retention" which will explore the attraction and retention of international migrants and refugees in rural and regional Australia. Other recent research includes a European Commission, Erasmus+ Programme, Jean Monnet Project exploring how the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities (ICC) model and interculturalism are being implemented in different regions of the world (Australia/Canada/Spain).

Andrew Taylor is Professor of Demography at the Northern Institute (Charles Darwin University). His research centres on population dynamics in regional and remote contexts, with a nationally recognised profile for his work analysing how internal and international migration shape regional population growth, workforce sustainability, and economic development. A key feature of his research is the integration of large-scale quantitative data with applied policy analysis. His research has been influential in understanding skilled migration pathways, temporary migration, and the demographic challenges facing sparsely populated regions and he has played a significant role in advising government and contributing to national policy debates.

Registration for the event:

In-person: RSVP here
Please RSVP here to attend in person—limited seating. 

Online registration: Register here
Once you register, you will receive an individual link from Microsoft Teams.

Getting there:

Level 4, Room 16,
Danala | Education and Community Precinct
54 Cavenagh Street, Darwin City, NT 0800