Department of Home Affairs – NSW Community Engagement Newsletter – 20 February 2026 [SEC=OFFICIAL]

Department of Home Affairs – NSW Community Engagement Newsletter – 20 February 2026 [SEC=OFFICIAL]

 

Dear community representatives,

Thank you for your ongoing support and contributions to the community. The CLO Network has collated the following newsletter of important information from across the Department of Home Affairs and other government agencies that may be of interest to you and members of your community. Please feel free to forward this newsletter, or any of its sections, to members of your community.

In this month’s edition, you can find information on the following:

Refreshed Multicultural Grants Webpages Online Drop-in Sessions for PALM scheme Approved Employers New information on the ‘Afghanistan Update’ webpage Free Information Webinar for International Graduates PNG scores new Rugby League Visa Package Child Care Subsidy – Update and Audio Translation Scamwatch – Why anyone can be a victim of a scam Jobs and Skills Australia Higher Education Outcomes webinar Multicultural Mindfulness Resources

 

Refreshed Multicultural Grants Webpages

The Department of Home Affairs has launched a new Multicultural Grants webpage outlining important information relating to the availability and delivery of grants.

This website restructures existing grants information into three distinct sections:

· Current grants to make it easier to locate upcoming grant application opportunities. There is also a new ‘help applying’ resource which explains the grants process, gives grant opportunity guidelines and links to Community Grants Hub application resources.

Grant delivery for grants underway to locate services and resources.
Working with our grants to provide corporate information about our grants.
Please click the following link to visit this webpage at Multicultural Grants.

Online Drop-in Sessions for PALM scheme Approved Employers

In 2026, free

Departing Australia Superannuation Payment

(DASP) (ato.gov.au) support will continue for all PALM scheme employers through the National Tax Clinic program. These clinics help workers:

understand the DASP claim process and superannuation
· start their online DASP claim before leaving Australia, reducing stress and making it easier to lodge their claim once they return home.

To help employers make the most out of this initiative, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) in collaboration with the Australian Taxation Office will be hosting 15-minute virtual drop-in information sessions. Sessions will run from Monday 9 February to Wednesday 4 March 2026:

· Every Monday at 10:00 AM (AEDT)

· Every Wednesday at 10:00 AM (AEDT)

By attending, employers will be able to better support workers with their superannuation claims by:

discovering what DASP support clinics offer and how they work
· learning how this service saves you time and simplifies worker departures

· finding out how to arrange in-person or virtual support for your workers.

These sessions are designed to make the departure process smoother for both employers and workers.

Register for DASP virtual drop-in session by clicking on the following link:

Virtual information drop-in sessions for PALM scheme Approved Employers Tickets, Mon, Feb 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

New information on the ‘Afghanistan Update’ webpage

The Department of Home Affairs has made some updates to its ‘Afghanistan Update’ page.   Additions have been made to the following sections:   Humanitarian Visa Processing Vulnerable Women and Women at Risk The Afghan Locally Engaged Employee Program   This page includes a wide range of Afghanistan-related visa and policy information including on Pakistan and Iran exit permits, obtaining Afghan Government documents and humanitarian visa priorities. The webpage can be found here: Afghanistan update (homeaffairs.gov.au).

Free Information Webinar for International Graduates

Are you an international student nearing graduation? Do you want to learn more about potential further visa options?   The Department of Home Affairs invites you to attend our free online Temporary Graduate and Skilled Visa Information webinar.   The webinar is being held on February 23, 2026, at 2pm AEDT. To register for the webinar, visit: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1522825 and click on “book now”.

PNG scores new Rugby League Visa Package

In 2028 the PNG Chiefs will take the field as the first Papua New Guinean side in the NRL. In preparation, a new visa package has been announced to support Papua New Guinea nationals to travel to Australia.

This package will make it easier for Papua New Guinean nationals associated with the PNG Chiefs – including players, coaches, officials, media representatives, and fans – to travel to Australia, reinforcing our shared commitment to cultural and sporting ties.

For PNG Chiefs’ fans, this means eligibility to apply for a $25 AUD Visitor visa, valid for up to 12 months, allowing multiple short stays to attend games throughout the NRL season.

For more information, see

Special visa arrangements for PNG Chiefs players and club officials, fans and media

Child Care Subsidy – Update and Audio Translation

Services Australia have recently published the updated ‘Child Care Subsidy’ audio, which covers:   ·     How much subsidy customers can get ·     What is recognised participation ·     Additional subsidies for Child Care ·     Steps on how to claim subsidy   This audio resource available in 11 languages: Arabic Assyrian Cantonese Chaldean   Dari Korean Kurdish (Kurmanji) Mandarin   Persian (Farsi) Swahili Vietnamese You can find this audio at servicesaustralia.gov.au/child-care-subsidy-audio-translation or search QC 54458.   You can also go to servicesaustralia.gov.au/yourlanguage webpage or search QC 25811 on the agency website and select the language.

Scamwatch – Why anyone can be a victim of a scam

Scamwatch has launched a campaign to destigmatise scam victimhood, encourage reporting, and help Australians understand how scammers deceive people.

Scammers are sophisticated criminals who use psychological techniques to manipulate their targets. Understanding why these tactics work so well can help reduce the shame scam victims often feel. Being scammed doesn’t reflect personal weakness or gullibility. You can remain safe online by remember three simple words: Stop. Check. Protect.

As part of this campaign, a number of videos will be on social media carrying the message “Scams can happen to anyone”. Scamwatch has also launched a new webpage, “Why anyone can be a victim of a scam”, which explains the manipulation techniques scammers use and ways to build defences against scams. You can find this page by going to Why anyone can be a victim of a scam | Scamwatch.

Jobs and Skills Australia Higher Education Outcomes webinar

You’re invited to the Jobs and Skills Australia Higher Education Outcomes webinar on Friday 27 February 2026. This is a great opportunity to hear from JSA’s key experts about the recently released Higher Education Outcomes outlined in the Exploring Administrative Data Report and how we can support students’ transition into the workforce with a more inclusive, quality higher education system. We’ve also welcomed guest panellist Luke Sheehy, Chief Executive Officer, Universities Australia to share some insights on the role of higher education in expanding opportunity, supporting students’ transition into meaningful work, and strengthening Australia’s workforce for the future. Join us to: gain new, evidence-based insights into how graduates move from study into work discover what administrative data reveals that adds to the evidence base ·       understand the impact of higher education across disciplines on employment and income explore graduate versatility and career flexibility engage in a forward-looking conversation about student outcomes and system quality. You can register to attend by clicking on the following Microsoft Teams link: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams. Multicultural Mindfulness Resources The Multicultural Mindfulness Resources aim to help people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities improve their mental wellbeing, by providing a set of culturally adapted and in-language mindfulness exercises in audio and video format. For more information, please refer to:

Multicultural Mindfulness Resources | Multicultural Health Communication Service

Useful information in your language

Australian Citizenship test resource booklet Australian Values – Life in Australia booklet Domestic/family violence and your visa Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation eSafety Commissioner – be safe online Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Australian Electoral Commission Australian Taxation Office –  Information about Tax Fair Work Ombudsman –  Your workplace rights and obligations Department of Health and Aged Care –  General information My Aged Care – Accessible aged care services Carer Gateway –  If you are a carer for someone Scamwatch – Protect yourself from scams Services Australia – Centrelink and Medicare Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National)

Contact us Your feedback is vital to the Department and informs policy, decision making and government messaging. We welcome engagement and encourage you to contact us by phone or by emailing us with questions or feedback about community concerns, government messaging, community misconceptions issues such as racism and discrimination. Feel free to share this email with others, but in the interests of ensuring the information remains accurate, please do not make any alterations to the content. To subscribe to our newsletter, click here. To unsubscribe, please click here.