This thesis investigates how well the financial security needs of resettled refugees and asylum seekers have been met in Australia between 2013 and 2024, with a particular focus on barriers to economic participation and the adequacy of durable solutions to displacement and resettlement frameworks. Forced displacement continues to rise globally, with over 123 million displaced persons as at the end of 2024 although the three ‘durable solutions’ of repatriation, resettlement and local integration remain accessible to only a small fraction of displaced people. For those resettled in Australia financial security is central to long term stability but is often undermined by structural barriers including welfare levels below the poverty line, difficulties in attaining qualifications recognition, limited workforce participation opportunities and persistent discrimination. This research draws on secondary data from the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) longitudinal study of humanitarian migrants, the Australian Bureau of Statistics Migrant Settlement Outcomes and Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic & Social Research Poverty Line benchmarks. Findings are interpreted through three theoretical frameworks, the Theory of Financial Well-being, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Merton’s Strain Theory. Together these frameworks highlight both the material and psychological aspects of financial security as well as the adaptive strategies refugees adopt when confronted with systemic strain during their resettlement journey.

Results indicate that while financial conditions improve incrementally over time, humanitarian migrants are consistently falling behind other migrant groups and the broader Australian population. Welfare alone is insufficient for long term financial stability, therefore workforce participation is critical. However, women, those with limited English proficiency and individuals with unrecognised qualifications face disproportionately higher barriers. Comparing differences between Australia and Canada revealed that Canadian policies emphasise early workforce integration and rapid independence, while Australia’s system fosters prolonged reliance on government welfare and a slower transition to the workforce. This raises critical questions about the effectiveness of durable solutions, which in Australia’s case appear to extend dependency rather than establish lasting autonomy. Ultimately, this thesis argues that resettlement policies must move beyond minimal survival frameworks and instead provide pathways to genuine financial security, independence and equal participation. Unless resettlement policies evolve to prioritise personalisation and establishment over dependence and restriction, resettled refugees and asylum seekers in Australia will remain trapped in cycles that inconsistently meet financial security needs, plus undermine the intention and potential of durable solutions for displaced people.