Harnessing Possibilities and Synergies to Refugee Complementary Migration Pathways in Australia: A Multiple Streams Analysis

Abstract This article examines the complementary pathway initiatives that are burgeoning in Australia, which include community sponsorship, labour mobility, and — more recently — education pathways. Set against a review of Australia’s recent policy past, including an enduring deterrence-based asylum policy and politicised resettlement cap and ongoing challenges for refugee family reunification, we map the political and policy changes that have led to the opening of a policy window for a suite of complementary pathways to be conceived, designed, and delivered in Australia. We also trace the actions of Australian policy entrepreneurs who have worked to develop complementary pathways that creatively meet the ever-expanding need for durable solutions, as envisaged in the 2018 Global Compact on Refugees and strategically set out in UNHCR’s the Third Country Solutions for Refugees: 2030 Roadmap . With community, private sector, and civil society groups bringing underutilised resources to help Australia meet the need for more pathways to long-term safety for refugees, we argue that narratives around refugee resettlement, as well as Australia’s contribution to international protection, are at a crossroad. We will outline each complementary pathway initiative, with reference to comparative models overseas, before ending with discussion of the need for a coherent programme of complementary pathways, each with clear policy objectives and key principles and a strengthened commitment to retaining the integrity of Australia’s commitment to global resettlement efforts.