Recent Immigrants in Rural Towns: a Moree Case Study

Over the last two years, the University of of New England's Centre for Applied Research in Social Science (CARSS) conducted research in Moree for the Moree Plains Shire Social and Community Plan and presented a summary of some of this research at the 2010 Moree Expo. This research involved a number of focus groups and surveys to investigate the needs and aspirations of a variety of citizens, from Aboriginal youth to older women, from rural residents to young women. Persons consulted include community leaders, local children's and family service providers, and general residents. People from non-English-speaking backgrounds were also consulted. This paper examines the challenges faced by a group of people who have recently immigrated to Moree from India. This group had eleven participants in a focus group, representing a community of forty-two, which was expected to rise to fifty this year. Some are permanent residents, while others are only on temporary (457) visas.