LATEST NEWS FROM REFUGEE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

As the national umbrella body for more than 130 organisations working with refugees and asylum seekers, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is actively involved in new research, policy development, information and representation on refugee issues. RCOA is now managing the A Just Australia campaign, bringing together two of the most significant voices for refugees and asylum seekers.

Expressions of Interest open for 2010-11 AUSCO Exchange Program

RCOA is currently seeking Expressions of Interest from Australian agencies providing support to refugee youth to participate in the AUSCO Exchange Program 2010-11. The program is an initiative emerging from the AUSCO Guest Trainer and Visiting Settlement Adviser Program implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and RCOA since 2008. The program will identify two Australian agencies currently delivering programs for refugee youth to participate in an exchange with two IOM AUSCO trainers from key locations where AUSCO youth training is delivered. For more information on submitting an Expression of Interest, click here. Expressions of Interest close on Monday 13 September 2010.

Joint statement on regional protection framework

Twenty-one major Australian refugee support organisations and aid agencies have joined forces to call on the Australian Government and Opposition to focus on international cooperation on refugee protection, warning that there is no quick fix to the complex causes of asylum seeker movements. The statement emphasises that asylum issues “cannot be resolved by any country acting unilaterally” and outlines a set of minimum standards to which Australia’s approach to regional asylum issues must adhere, including compliance with all international human rights standards and rejection of approaches which involve removal of asylum seekers from Australian territory for processing in a third country or detention of refugees in third countries. The statement can be read here and RCOA's media release on the statement can be read here.

RCOA emphasised the need for regional efforts to focus on the protection needs of refugees in a statement commenting on an ABC-TV program which aired allegations of corruption in the Indonesian immigration detention system. The statement can be read here.

The Minister for Immigration responded to the joint statement. His letter to RCOA can be read here.

RCOA releases three new research reports on refugee settlement

RCOA has released three new research reports on refugee settlement issues, which draw together the findings of research conducted by RCOA over the past two years. The reports, which focus on employment strategies for refugee and humanitarian entrants, post-compulsory education and training pathways for young people from refugee backgrounds and the role of sport in assisting refugee settlement, are available for download here.

Refugee policy in the 2010 election campaign: What the major parties are saying

With refugee policy playing such a prominent role in the debate leading up to Australian Federal election on 21 August 2010, RCOA has compiled a summary of the refugee policy platforms being promoted by the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal-National Coalition and the Greens. The summary can be downloaded here.

RCOA analysis of 2010-11 Settlement Grants Program (SGP) funding

In an effort to understand the Australian Government’s current approaches to the funding of refugee and migrant settlement services, RCOA has analysed the outcomes of the 2010-11 funding round for the Settlement Grants Program (SGP). In June, the Government announced $34.9 million in funding for 219 projects to be delivered by 145 organisations. The RCOA analysis breaks down the funding by state and territory, length of grants, funded organisations, service area and type and target groups. The report, which also includes an overview of trends in funding from 2007 to the present, can be downloaded here.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating Refugee Week

With more than 175 local events having taken place across Australia, Refugee Week 2010 was our most successful celebration to date. Events included festivals, film and documentary screenings, music, dance, theatre, art and photographic exhibitions, sporting events, personal stories and speeches, public seminars, information and training sessions, rallies, book launches, a prayer vigil, tree planting, fund raising events and even river and harbour cruises. Major launches took place in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, with keynote speakers including former Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, NSW Minister for Citizenship, John Hatzistergos, and SA Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Grace Portolesi. RCOA would like to thank the many individuals and organisations who made Refugee Week such a great success, particularly our sponsors, the Victorian Multicultural Commission, AMES Victoria, NSW Community Relations Commission, City of Sydney, AMES NSW, ACL, Leichhardt Council and Mallesons Stephen Jaques; our Refugee Week Ambassadors, who played a key role in promoting Refugee Week; and the volunteers who assisted us in organising Refugee Week and running the NSW launch.
Transcripts of some of the speeches made at Refugee Week events are available on our Speeches page. More information about Refugee Week is available at www.refugeeweek.org.au

DEBUNKING MYTHS ABOUT REFUGEES

* Do refugees receive more than aged pensioners? - Two hoax e-mails which claim that refugees receive more money from Centrelink than age pensioners are being widely circulated. Both e-mails are blatantly inaccurate and intended to create resentment towards refugees and fuel disharmony. To find out the truth, click here.

* Is Australia more generous to refugees than any other country? - While Australia’s contribution to protecting refugees is significant, the latest international statistics from UNHCR show that the largest numbers of the world’s refugees continue to be hosted by countries much poorer than our own. See RCOA's media statement and statistics.

USEFUL INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE

* For the latest news from RCOA, see our latest monthly bulletin and recent media releases.
* For up-to-date information on Australian refugee policy, see our Current Issues section or view the reports, submissions and speeches in our Resources section.
* To become more active in supporting refugees, see volunteering opportunities around Australia, job vacancies with RCOA member organisations and information about becoming a member of RCOA in our Get Involved section.
* A national calendar of coming events is in our News and Events section.
* For links to useful websites, including RCOA's organisational members, see our Links page.

REFUGEE WEEK

CONTACT US

Refugee Council of Australia - Head Office
Suite 4A6, 410 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Tel: 02 9211 9333
Fax: 02 9211 9288
Email: info@refugeecouncil.org.au

Refugee Council of Australia - Victorian Office
PO Box 12597, A'Beckett Street VIC 8006
Tel: 03 9600 3302
Email: melbourne@refugeecouncil.org.au