Tribune’s note

Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill announced a 12-month, $7.7 million extension of the Economic Pathways to Refugee Integration (EPRI) program, sustaining government investment in employer-led workforce integration since the program's inception [TA-260616-home-fa74960b2863]. EPRI has supported more than 3,400 participants and 130 businesses across sectors including retail, hospitality, care, logistics, and business services.

Hill framed the extension as addressing a demonstrated employer demand for reliable staff — connecting businesses facing staffing shortages with refugees and humanitarian migrants ready to enter the workforce [TA-260616-home-fa74960b2863]. The government's stated rationale positions EPRI as a dual-benefit instrument: reducing employment barriers for new Australians while delivering job-ready workers to industries with persistent vacancies, embedding refugee integration within the broader workforce participation policy frame.

No parliamentary activity was recorded for this minister on 17 June 2026; the ministerial media release is the sole source for this Note.

Primary records (1)

The official records this note draws on — the raw primary documents themselves, as published.

MediaThe Hon Julian Hill MPJulian HillTuesday 16 June 2026