13 May 2026 2026-27 Federal Budget Key points: Welcome funding to better recognise the skills of people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Spending on offshore detention and processing in 2025-26 was $971.6...
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Refugee Council welcomes Budget allocation for skills recognition reform but troubled by offshore detention cost blowout
13 May 2026 The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has welcomed the Australian Government’s funding support in the 2026-27 Budget for better recognition of the skills of people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, but...
Refugee Council calls for end to Offshore Processing amid evidence of harm and lack of accountability
5 May 2026 The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) today told a Senate inquiry that offshore processing and reception arrangements on Nauru must end, warning the policies have caused profound and ongoing harm...
Sudan: The abandoned crisis
15 April 2026 Today, three years since conflict erupted in Sudan, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) and community advocates are making a renewed call for the Australian Government to increase its response to the...
The Coalition’s Immigration Policy fails its own “values test”
Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor’s claims about the “values” of migrants will leave many Australian citizens and permanent residents feeling less safe and more unwelcome in their adopted homeland, the Refugee...
High Court ruling highlights need for lawful and considered policy
The Refugee Council of Australia finds it unsurprising that the High Court found that electronic ankle monitoring of people who have served their sentences is unconstitutional. Once again, rushed and punitive provisions...
Australia must increase pressure on Myanmar after fraudulent election
17 March 2026 The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is urging the Australian Government to push for renewed international action on the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, as the country’s military junta convenes a new...
Government welcomes five soccer players while bolting the door closed for others
10 March 2026 On the day that five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team were given humanitarian visas to protect them from possible persecution in Iran, the Albanese Government has introduced legislation...
Parliamentary Friends of Refugees Group convenes for the year ahead
10 March 2026 The Parliamentary Friends of Refugees Group has reconvened this year, bringing together a cross-party group of Members of Parliament and Senators who are committed to building a more welcoming Australia...
Refugee Council welcomes protection visas for Iranian women’s soccer team
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) welcomes the decision to grant humanitarian visas to five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team currently in Australia. This decision recognises the serious safety concerns...
