Ukrainian refugees are being invited to settle in the south west Queensland shire of Balonne.
Balonne Shire Mayor, Samantha O’Toole said Councillors were enthusiastic about encouraging Ukrainian families to move to the region.
“This is a humanitarian gesture and an opportunity for displaced families to move to a community that is very welcoming to migrants,” Mayor O’Toole said.
“Migration benefits our community enormously. We are a prosperous farming community that always needs people to help harvest our crops.
“There are plenty of permanent jobs in the Balonne Shire in farming and a wide range of other skills, from motor mechanics to computer experts.
“While our average temperatures may be a little higher than those in eastern Europe – and we certainly don’t have snow – our landscapes of wheat fields and other crops wouldn’t look unfamiliar to anyone who has farmed in the Ukraine.”
Mayor O’Toole said the Council was contacting the Ukrainian Embassy in Canberra and Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, to discuss the opportunities for refugees to move to the Shire.
