Foundations for Belonging 2023: Exploring refugees’understanding and engagement with First Nations issues and histories

Foundations for Belonging aims to extend the understanding of settlement through research, gathering the perspectives of refugees and their everyday sense of belonging as they navigate a new chapter of their lives in Australia. This current research builds on three earlier phases of Foundations for Belonging published from 2020 to 2022. In this report, we present findings from exploratory research conducted in early 2023 focused on refugees’ understanding and engagement with First Nations issues and histories in Australia.
Previous phases of Foundations for Belonging had limited scope to explore how
refugees relate to First Nations histories and issues in any depth. In fact, in general, there is little research on how refugees relate to First Nations histories and issues in Australia (or indeed elsewhere). The current research aims to address this research gap, as we approach a referendum that will be put to
voters on whether to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia and establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.