South Sudanese Refugees In Australia Want To Come Home

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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A new study released yesterday, The Last Mile: Experiences of Settlement and Attitudes to Return among People from South Sudan in Australia, has shown that South Sudanese migrants have faced disappointment and discrimination on the one hand, but feel grateful and determined to integrate on the other. Unlike many other refugees, they are actively considering long-term or permanent return to their country of origin.

The study, by international policy researchers STATT, included more than 350 participants. STATT conducted 78 in-depth interviews with South Sudanese migrants around Australia – conversations that covered the joys and pains of settlement, along with the plans and desires to return to South Sudan.

“Despite profound gratitude for formal governmental support, many people have faced difficulties overcoming isolation and discrimination. Discrimination, in particular, appears to cut across all aspects of people’s lives from finding a house or a job to establishing social networks and settling into the Australian community,” said Mr Nyok Gor, the project’s lead researcher.

Joseph Maduot* is a 24 year old man who has been living in South Australia since 2004: “Sometimes you feel less Australian when you are discriminated, such as when someone thinks he is more Australian than you…For example, there are a number of [housing applications] that I failed to be successful. I cannot explain actually why, until I heard one of the agents said that he don’t want his house to be given to Africans.”

Following South Sudan’s independence in 2011, Australians from South Sudan have turned their thoughts to opportunities to return.

“People who originate from South Sudan are working hard to establish a life across Australia, but the desire to help their countrymen and women in South Sudan is also attracting many to return to their homeland,” explained Mr. Gor.

“Many people are finding it difficult to find work in Australia, even though they have a good education and all the right skills. When this is combined with their dreams of seeing South Sudan as a safe and prosperous nation, they are obviously going to consider going back.”

Mr. Maduot explained: “When I came over to Australia I started my higher education at Flinders University, and the course I chose was Government and Public Management…The reason I chose that course was not only to help myself but to help my people back home.”

Mr. Saturnino Onyala, the Acting President of South Sudanese Council of Australia, welcomed the research.

“I think this research is valuable for the South Sudanese Community because it gives the insight of settlement issues faced by South Sudanese refugees in this country. These issues need to be addressed if members of the South Sudanese Community are to settle well in this country and contribute to the nation,” he said.

“The achievement of this research will be seen in fruits it will bear, not today but tomorrow. It is one thing to raise the issues and it is another thing to look for solutions. I personally think that this research will only will benefit the South Sudanese community if the authorities read, understand and make decisions.”

STATT is an international research organisation with an interest in improving migration outcomes for all concerned and ensuring all voices are heard in policy debates.