While seemingly insignificant compared to the ordeals faced by those fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, affording a new life in Australia is a real and gruelling challenge for newly arrived refugees.
Advocates have welcomed a support package for refugees living in South Australia announced by the state government on Thursday, which they say is exactly what their community needs.
As part of the package, the SA government will waive public hospital costs and international student fees for children in public schools, offer mental and dental health funding, and provide vouchers for travel, food and recreation.
The government says the assistance is necessary as most people fleeing the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine conflicts initially arrive on visas without work rights, access to Medicare, subsidised medicines, settlement services or other basic commonwealth safety nets.
"This is substantial support for the families it affects but modest in the context of state government resources," Premier Peter Malinauskas told reporters on Friday.
"It's the right thing to do though.
"We are a First World country, we are exceptionally wealthy. We have it within our means to show compassion and generosity to other people coming from other parts of the world, fleeing desperate circumstances as refugees."
Noor Suhana Mohd, general secretary of the Australian Islamic Medical Association SA, said children and adults fleeing from Gaza were likely to be suffering from acute mental health issues and malnutrition due to months of famine.
"In order for medical practitioners to be able to assess and provide the much-needed care, access to healthcare services that are announced today are much welcomed," Dr Mohd said.
More than 2000 Palestinians have been granted visitor visas since October 7, while more than 11,500 Ukrainian refugees have been granted visas since February 2022.
Initially, Ukrainian refugees could apply for three-year humanitarian visas, which afforded them the right to work and access commonwealth financial supports.
But the federal government removed that visa stream for new arrivals in July 2022, meaning refugees entering the country since then have had to rely on community support to survive, says Frank Fursenko, president of the Association of Ukrainians in South Australia.
"But if these people who came on a tourist visa don't have family or some other strong support through close friends, they are in trouble,' he told AAP.
"If somebody breaks a tooth, there's no dental cover. And as far as accommodation goes, that's a big problem.
"They're coming into a country which has got a very high standard of living which means basically everything is very expensive."
The initial wave of Ukrainian refugees now face a visa cliff, with less than a year left on their three-year humanitarian visas but no indication from the federal government about what will happen after.
"The federal government has procrastinated very badly on this subject," Mr Fursenko said.
"It is the state government that has come up with this initiative.
"It is a very good package and I thank the premier and his cabinet for making this available. It is precisely what our community needs."
