Get help

Government letters are hard to read even for people who grew up here. If something has arrived in the post and you are not sure what it means or what you need to do, we can help.

Email us or message us on Facebook and we will arrange a time. There is no charge, and nothing you share goes any further.

Call 131 450, say which language you need, and give the interpreter the phone number of the service you are trying to reach. They will call for you and stay on the line to translate.

You can also ask any doctor, hospital or government office to book an interpreter for you before an appointment. It is free and you are entitled to it — you do not need to bring a family member to translate.

The 131 202 number connects you to someone who speaks your language, rather than the general English line. It covers most Centrelink payments and questions.

Bring your Customer Reference Number (CRN) if you have one. If you are not sure whether you qualify for a payment, ask anyway — they will tell you.

Workforce Australia providers offer free help with résumés, applications and interviews, and can sometimes fund short courses or licences.

If you trained as a nurse, teacher, engineer or tradesperson before arriving, your qualification may be recognisable here. The process is slow but worth starting early — ask us and we can put you in touch with people who have been through it.

Not translation — services must provide a professional interpreter, and we will help you ask for one. This is about not sitting in a waiting room on your own when something serious is happening.

Give us as much notice as you can, since it depends on who is available.

You do not need a diagnosis or a referral to call. It is a conversation, not an assessment.

If you would rather speak to someone who understands the community context, tell us and we can help you find a counsellor who works with migrant and refugee families.

Counsellors are available by phone, web chat and email. Nothing is reported to parents or school unless someone is in danger.

You can enrol at a Services Australia office or online. You will usually need your passport and visa documents.

If you are not eligible yet, community health centres still see people without Medicare, often at low or no cost. Ask us and we will point you to one nearby.

For anything urgent and life-threatening, call 000 instead.

Nurse-on-Call is for the in-between situations — a child with a fever at 2am, a symptom you are worried about, not knowing whether it can wait until morning.

Call as early as you can. There is far more they can do if you ring when you receive a notice than after you have already had to leave.

They can help with emergency accommodation, bond and rent assistance, and applying for social housing.

Schools here work differently to what many parents are used to. We can explain how enrolment works, what the school is asking for and what you are entitled to ask them.

Public schools must provide a free interpreter for parent-teacher meetings. Many parents do not know this. Ask for one — you do not have to bring your child to translate for you.

If it would help, someone from the community can come with you to the first meeting.

Everyone can get free legal information by phone, regardless of income. Whether you qualify for a lawyer depends on the type of matter and your financial situation.

Community legal centres are another option and often have shorter waits for smaller matters like fines and tenancy disputes.

If life is in immediate danger, call 000.

Lifeline is for anyone in crisis — including if you are worried about someone else and do not know what to do.

You can call to talk through a situation without making any decision or report. Interpreters are available, and the call does not appear on itemised phone bills.

If you are in immediate danger, call 000.