About 3,500 Syrian and Iraqi refugees bound for Queensland will be settled in four cities in the state's south-east, the Federal Government has confirmed.
The Social Services Department said the refugees, which were part of Australia's commitment to take an additional 12,000 refugees from Syria, would be set up in Brisbane, Logan, the Gold Coast and in Toowoomba.
A department spokesman said in a statement it would only send the refugees where there were established services.
"People from Syria and Iraq are being resettled in existing humanitarian settlement locations where there are established services and other supports in place to help new arrivals," the statement said.
Multicultural services and local councils in several regions — including Townsville, Rockhampton and on the Western Downs, west of Toowoomba — had previously offered their regions as settlement options.
Former Western Downs mayor and current councillor Ray Brown publicly campaigned for his region to take 1,500 Syrians in the country town of Dalby, before he chose not to run for mayor again.
However, current Mayor Paul McVeigh said he was comfortable with a decision not to send any refugees there.
"Ray [Brown] had the best intentions but ... it would have been a big strain on our community," Councillor MrVeigh said.
"We're not against settling refugees in our region, but if they were to come we'd like just a family unit that can integrate into our communities and become part of our community and indeed become Australian."
He said the council had never had an official response from the Government to the former mayor's requests.
"It went very quiet after the election and as a council we haven't heard anything more back from the Federal Government," Councillor McVeigh said.
'Christmas was always too sad'
Some of Toowoomba's newest residents are looking forward to a safe and peaceful Christmas in their new home.
Zainabu and her son Abdul-Aziz are from Congo, but spent the last six years in a refugee camp in Uganda.
"This will be the first Christmas I can enjoy with my son," she said.
In Townsville, dozens of locals had prepared donations, gifts and even offered rooms in anticipation of an Syrian refugee intake.
However, Townsville Multicultural Support Centre Manager Meg Davis said while her organisation was listed as a potential service provider, she had been told there would be none of those refugees sent to north Queensland.
"We don't have an established Syrian community here and that always makes it more challenging for people who are settling if they don't have people of the same language or same experience," she said.
"The rooms for people to stay aren't able to be used now, but the willingness to help in some way — just in terms of welcoming people or have them in their home for a meal — we can still build on that."
Ms Davis said the Federal Government's decision was also based on a desire to settle newcomers with people they know.
Nearly 1,000 refugees already settled in Queensland
The Social Services Department said a small percentage of the 12,000-strong group had arrived.
"As at December 2, 2016, nearly 1,000 Syrian and Iraqis have settled in Queensland since July 1, 2015. Of these, about 550 were part of the additional 12,000," the spokesman said.
However, the department spokesman said refugees were free to move around the country after their initial settlement.
"Humanitarian entrants, like other permanent residents of Australia, are free to determine their place of residence and it is therefore possible there will be a level of secondary movement, to other locations, after arrival," the spokesman said.
