As we mark Anti-Poverty Week today, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) and Asylum Seekers Centre (ASC) are urging the Australian Government to take immediate action to ensure that people have the right to work to support themselves and to end the systemic exclusion of people seeking asylum from basic services, which is driving thousands into poverty and homelessness.
This exclusion forces individuals and families into cycles of destitution, homelessness, ill health and labour exploitation with devastating long-term impacts, including exposure to modern slavery.
Adama Kamara Deputy CEO of RCOA says “Australia has both the capacity and the responsibility to provide a safety net for all, not just some. People seeking asylum want to contribute, to work, study and build a life, but they continue to be left behind by policies that deny them basic support, putting them at risk.”
“These issues must be addressed as part of broader anti-poverty measures and the Government’s commitment to tackling modern slavery and migrant worker exploitation in Australia.”
Ali* who applied for asylum in 2016 but lost his work rights, continues to struggle without any government support as he awaits the outcome of his case.
“It is very difficult for me, my wife and my daughter who was born here. Since I lost work rights, we all eat less food and we are struggling. We can’t pay the rent and have had to borrow money from friends. This has been the case for over 5 years now.
“If I had work rights and was able to do work, I could help my wife and feed my daughter.”
These experiences are not isolated. The Refugee Council has consistently warned that people seeking asylum are being locked out of essential services and pushed into poverty by design. The same concerns were also raised in Australia’s 2025 NGO Report to the UN Human Rights Council, which was endorsed by over 100 civil society organisations and calls for a restoration of basic support.
Frontline organisations working with people seeking asylum, including health, housing and emergency relief services, are stretched to breaking point as demand continues to rise.
Elijah Buol, CEO of Asylum Seekers Centre, says “The systemic lack of a safety net for people seeking asylum has created a growing poverty crisis in our communities. On the frontlines, we see the devastating consequences every day – families facing homelessness, women escaping domestic violence left with nowhere to turn, people skipping meals or going without essential medical care.
“This is not just a policy failure – it’s a test of our national character. Australians believe in fairness for all. That principle must extend to people in crisis, regardless of their visa status. The government must act to ensure no one is left behind.”
Together with a growing number of sector leaders, peak bodies and community groups, the Refugee Council and Asylum Seekers Centre call on the Federal government to restore a basic safety net for people seeking asylum. This includes access to income support, housing and healthcare, the right to work and study while asylum claims are being assessed, and urgent expansion of the Status Resolution Support Services program so it reaches those in real crisis. Greater investment is also needed in frontline services, and a pathway to permanency for those who have been living in limbo for years.
These solutions are clear, practical and entirely within reach. What is needed now is the political will to act — to save lives, prevent hardship and ensure people seeking protection in Australia are treated with dignity, inclusion and the chance to belong.
