On 13 August, we held our first information session with Services Australia for South Australia’s Russian-speaking community. It was an incredibly informative and practical session. We learned about different payments and support available to families, JobSeeker, pensions, what can happen to certain payments when travelling overseas, and importantly, how to access Services Australia information and assistance in Russian language.
The size of the group turned out to be just right. Everyone could listen to the general presentation and ask questions, while there was also time afterwards for people to speak with Roxanne individually- either independently or with the assistance of an interpreter – about their own circumstances.
A huge thank you to Roxanne Brinkies, Multicultural Services Officer at Services Australia, for sharing so much useful information, patiently answering our many questions, and making time for individual conversations.
We are also incredibly grateful to Jelena Lavrinovic, NAATI Certified Interpreter, for providing Russian-language interpreting throughout the session. Jelena’s professionalism, warmth and gentle approach helped make everyone feel comfortable and welcome.
Jelena can also be contacted directly for interpreting and translation services, including assistance with official documents:
📞 0467 490 616
✉️ [email protected]
Thank you to Multicultural Communities Council of SA for generously providing the space and making us feel so welcome.
And a special thank you to Terra Fiera Studio | Crafts & Workshops- fresh, delicious and prepared with so much care. ❤️
We would love to continue these conversations with Services Australia. If there is a topic you would like covered at a future session, something you would like explained in more detail, or information about Australian government services that you find difficult to access in Russian, please let us know in the comments, by private message, or at [email protected].
Your questions will help us plan what comes next. 😊
