September 2026 The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) strongly endorses the NSW Human Rights Bill, and fully supports the Bill’s recognition that human rights apply to all individuals, regardless of where one is...
Publications
Refugee Council’s response to Attorney-General’s draft report to the UN Committee Against Torture
September 2026 RCOA’s submission highlights significant gaps in the Attorney-General’s draft report, including its limited consideration of the rights and treatment of non-citizens in immigration detention, offshore...
Shaping the future of employment services
August 2026 Employment services have the potential play a crucial role in supporting people from refugee backgrounds to make the transition to work in Australia. However, RCOA has consistently heard from refugee and...
2026-27 Federal Budget: What it means for refugees and people seeking humanitarian protection
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...
Letter to Minister O’Neil regarding lack of supports for non-residents
24 April 2026 We have written to Clare O’Neil, Minister for Housing, Homelessness and Cities, express our deep concern about the state of homelessness among non-residents and people seeking asylum, particularly...
Letter to Minister Jackson regarding lack of supports for non-residents
24 April 2026 We have written to NSW Minister for Housing and Homeless Rose Jackson regarding the NSW Homelessness Strategy Action Plan 2025 – 2027, particularly following distressing reports of the death of...
Letter to Ministers Wong and Aly on Sudan’s ongoing crisis
21 April 2026 As the world marked the third anniversary of war in Sudan, we wrote to Minister Anny Aly and Minister Penny Wong to urgently call for the Australian Government to increase its response to the conflict...
Defending Australia’s Legacy: Why we need to safeguard our Humanitarian Program
Last week, RCOA submitted our response to the Australian Government discussion paper on Australia’s Humanitarian Program 2026-27 and beyond. The information provided and questions asked in the discussion paper signal...
Letter to Federal Opposition Leader regarding immigration policy review
2 March 2026 Hon Angus Taylor MP Leader of the Opposition 18 Hill Street Camden NSW 2570 Dear Mr Taylor, On behalf of the Refugee Council of Australia, we would like to congratulate you on your recent election as...
Letter to Ministers Burke and Wong on supporting refugees and Australians in Iran
2 March 2026 The Hon Tony Burke MP Minister for Home Affairs Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Senator the Hon Penny Wong MP Minister for Foreign Affairs Dear Ministers, Re: Supporting refugees and Australian...
