This timeline sets out Australia's history of refugee policy and key events in Australia's treatment of refugees.
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Less than one third of refugees in Australia’s humanitarian program are resettled from UNHCR
New documents obtained by the Refugee Council of Australia through freedom of information (FOI) show that only one third of people in Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program are referred by UNHCR. This increasing...
Global resettlement needs
According to UNHCR, 1,428,011 refugees will need resettlement in 2019. Overwhelmingly, those who need resettlement come from Africa (664,037 people, 46.5%) and the Middle East and North Africa (648,850 people, 45.4%)...
Global resettlement statistics
Every year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) publishes statistics on global resettlement. These statistics tell us where refugees are coming from, where they are being resettled to, and the...
Global refugee numbers
At the end of 2017, the number of people forcibly displaced reached a high of 68.5 million people. This included 25.4 million refugees under both UNHCR’s mandate and UNRWA (which looks after Palestinian refugees). The...
How generous is Australia’s Refugee Program compared to other countries?
An analysis of UNHCR’s 2018 Global Refugee Statistics Australian political leaders regularly claim that Australia has one of the most generous refugee responses in the world. But what do UNHCR’s official statistics for...
The Community Support Program
The Community Proposal Pilot is a small program, begun in 2013, that makes it possible for people in Australia to support a person in humanitarian need to come to Australia.
Family separation and family reunion for refugees: The issues
What are the issues for refugee families in Australia when they are separated from their families? What are the policies in Australia on family reunion?
Refugees in Australia: a quick guide
This is a quick guide for people who want to understand refugee policy in Australia, and how refugees in Australia are treated.
Refugees and international law
Introduction Refugees have rights and protections under international law. These rights and protections are found in the Refugee Convention and in major international human rights treaties. The main UN organisation that...
