The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has defended the Medevac legislation as a crucial lifeline for seriously ill refugees in a submission made today to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee. The...
Media centre
The Refugee Council of Australia often speaks to the media. We can provide background and comment on issues of the day. We have a number of staff who are experts on almost all areas of refugee policy.
We also regularly issue media releases.
Our latest media releases
Media Release: New UNHCR refugee figures highlight need for serious rethinking of Australian policy
Australia must turn its focus from harsh deterrence policies to positive and solutions-focused diplomacy if it is to have any influence on the growing global trend of forced displacement, the Refugee Council of...
From Syria to Sydney: Meet Rnita, the face of Refugee Week 2019
23-year old Rnita Dacho couldn’t have timed it better. Having fled Syria with her family and spent months in limbo in Lebanon, she touched down in her new home of Australia right in the middle of Refugee Week 2015 – the...
Who you can talk to
Our experts
Paul Power, Chief Executive Officer
Topics: Breaking news, major international stories, refugee communities, the national picture, the refugee sector, and more.
Kelly Nicholls, Director of Communications
Topics: Our major campaigns, breaking news, offshore processing.
Our policy experts
Dr Joyce Chia, Director of Policy
Topics: Australia's refugee and asylum policies, refugee status determination, legal news.
Rebecca Eckard, Deputy Director of Policy
Topics: People seeking asylum in Australia, Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS), Australia's refugee and asylum policies.
Dr Louise Olliff, Senior Adviser, International and Community Engagement
Topics: International issues, UN advocacy, refugee communities and self-representation, diasporas.
Sahar Okhovat, Senior Policy Officer
Topics: Offshore processing, detention in Australia, rural and regional settlement
Asher Hirsch, Senior Policy Officer
Topics: Education, citizenship, community sponsorship
Shukufa Tahiri, Policy Officer
Topics: Employment, refugee communities, self-representation, young people
Hot topics
Background information
Statistics
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%)...
Reports
The Federal Budget: What it means for refugees and people seeking humanitarian protection
What does the Federal Budget hold for refugees and people seeking humanitarian protection? This analysis provides a full briefing of those changes.
