Exploring the lived experiences of migrants in regional Victoria, Australia

This research project has been undertaken by Federation University Australia and was commissioned by the EVOLVE Strategic Multicultural Capacity Building Partnership. The purpose of this research was to examine the lived experiences of migrants living and/or working in the areas of Ballarat, Horsham, and Nhill from 2009 to 2018 in accordance with the nine key priority areas set out in the Department of Social Services National Settlement Framework (2016). These include language services; employment; education and training; housing; health and wellbeing; transport; civic participation; family and social support; and justice. The research analysed the lived experiences of migrants to identify key benefits and barriers to settlement within Central and Western Victoria, and will be used to enhance service provision available to migrants in Ballarat, Horsham, and Nhill. The research has utilised interpretative phenomenology, which is a qualitative methodology that draws on participants’ multilayered descriptions of their lived experiences. In accordance with this methodological framework, nine individual interviews were conducted in Ballarat as well as two focus groups that consisted of one group of women and one group of men. In Horsham, four individual interviews were conducted in addition to one focus group. In Nhill, the research team conducted five individual interviews and one focus group. Participants were presented with a range of open-ended questions concerning their settlement experiences across Ballarat, Horsham, and Nhill.