In 2025, Australia issued the millionth permanent humanitarian visa since 1947.
To mark this historic milestone, we produced Australia’s Untold Stories, a series of oral histories of 12 former refugees who rebuilt their lives in Australia. These are their stories, in their own words.
Anoulack, Laos
Born in Laos in 1977, Anoulack and his family fled the country’s communist regime in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. He spent several years in a Thai refugee camp before being relocated to Australia’s Villawood Migrant Centre – now known as a detention centre. In 2023, Anoulack was appointed NSW Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Industry and Trade, Innovation, Science and Technology, Building, and Corrections.
Carlos, Chile
Carlos was a union organiser in Chile when the socialist government, led by Salvador Allende, was overthrown by Augusto Pinochet. The years of military dictatorship that followed saw the persecution of socialists like Carlos, who was detained for his political beliefs.
Elizabeth, South Sudan
Elizabeth and her family fled their town of Bor, in what is now South Sudan, during the civil war between northern and southern Sudan. Elizabeth would spent over a decade in Yemen before she and her husband were able to find security and safety for themselves and their children.
Emmanwella, Athou and Grace, South Sudan
Emmanwella and her family fled the brutal civil war between northern and southern Sudan. Having found safety and rebuilt their lives in Australia, Emmanwell and her mother, Athou, reflect on the strong connection they maintain with their first country.
Lida, Afghanistan
Lida was among the first generation of women and girls in her Afghan village to be educated. However, the rapid expansion of the Taliban in 1998 meant that Afghanistan was no longer safe, particularly for Lida and her family, who are part of the Hazara ethnic minority.
Mark, Uganda
Compelled to leave Uganda in 1972, where he’d lived since he was two years old, Mark arrived in Australia at the tail end of its ‘White Australia’ policy.
Mee, Karen State, Burma (Myanmar)
Mee grew up in a refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border, where her family was forced to flee following persecution by Myanmar’s military regime. Mee’s family is part of the Karen ethnic minority and her father was part of the Karen resistance for independence, a fight that continues to this day.
Mirsada, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mirsada lived through war as a child. When she was only a little girl, her town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina was surrounded by enemy forces, who went on to massacre thousands. Now a mother of three in Sydney, Mirsada reflects on the journey that shaped her life.
Nagwa, Eritrea
The child of guerrilla fighters striving for an independent Eritrea, Nagwa left her home when she was only seven months old. She grew up as a refugee in Sudan before settling in Australia.
Naseer, Stateless
Denied by both countries in the lead up to the Iran-Iraq war, Naseer spent many years of his life as a stateless person. He had no citizenship anywhere, leaving him without access to essential services; unable to secure a passport, he was not even able to leave. This is the story of how he transformed his life in Australia.
Peter, Hungary
Born into a Jewish family in 1940s Budapest, Peter and his family had already escaped persecution once. But when the Soviet Army took contol of Hungary in the post-war years, they found themselves targeted again, this time in class struggles. Peter’s journey to Australia was long and difficult, and shaped by decades of war.
Thu-Trang, Vietnam
It took Thu-Trang and her family 13 attempts to flee Vietnam’s communist regime in the 1980s. A perilous boat journey and a refugee camp lay ahead – all when Thu-Trang was only eight years old. Now, with a successful career in public policy and social impact, she shares her refugee story.
