Key national organisations have banded together to oversee and ensure the timely and orderly assessment of applications for medical transfers under the “Medevac Bill” by creating the Medical Evacuation Response Group...
Media & Publications
Read our latest publications here. You can also search or find here. For journalists, please see our Media centre.Latest media
Disabled refugees face serious barriers to resettlement, new report finds
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA); the National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA); the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA); and the Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) have today...
Hundreds of people from around the world to convene in South Australia for Refugee Alternatives 2019
This year’s Refugee Alternatives Conference will bring together hundreds of people from across Australia and beyond to discuss refugee policy and build solutions and alternatives, just weeks before the general election...
Australians demand the humane treatment of people seeking asylum and refugees as historic vote passes Parliament
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 13 February 2019 Today’s historic vote on the urgent medical treatment bill delivered a decisive message to the government: Australians want an end to the abhorrent treatment of people in...
Watershed moment in refugee politics and Australian history
Refugee and human rights organisations rejoiced today as the House of Representatives overturned 90 years of tradition and a toxic debate to vote authoritatively to deliver medical care to the refugees who have spent 5...
Australian Government agencies must explain their role in Hakeem Al-Araibi’s arrest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 12 FEBRUARY 2019 The Australian Government owes Hakeem Al-Araibi a full explanation of the role played by government agencies in the circumstances which led to his arrest and...
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Latest publications
Barriers and exclusions: The support needs of newly arrived refugees with a disability
© UNHCR/G.Welters Executive summary Due to experiences of conflict, torture and displacement, people from refugee backgrounds are more likely to have a disability than other populations. However, until 2012, people with...
Submission into the Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill 2018
Our key concerns We welcome the opportunity to state our significant concerns about this Bill, and to state our opposition to it in the clearest possible terms. We have consistently expressed our profound concerns about...
Until when: The forgotten men of Manus Island
This joint report, in partnership with Amnesty International, tells the story of the men who have been sent by Australia to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and what has happened to them after they were forcibly...
After the boats have stopped: Refugees stranded in Indonesia and Australia’s containment policies
This brief provides an overview of Australia’s role in stopping refugees leaving Indonesia en route to Australia, and highlights the precarious situation refugees now face in Indonesia.
RCOA Impact Report 2017-18
We promote humane and compassionate policies for people seeking safety in Australia and around the globe. While we cannot predict the wars, conflicts and oppressive regimes that will force people to seek asylum, we can...
An unnecessary penalty: Economic impacts of changes to the Status Resolution Support Services
This paper finds that the changes to Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) will force people into situations of material poverty rather than assisting them to find employment. Removing income and case management...
Refugee Alternatives: Conference Report 2018
The Refugee Council of Australia and Melbourne Social Equity Institute's conference, Refugee Alternatives: Improving policy, practice and public support, was held 13-14 February 2018. The two-day conference, hosted at...
Supporting refugee farming initiatives in rural and regional Australia
Many refugees and former refugees come from farming backgrounds in their countries of origin and still strongly identify with their farming roots. This project works in partnership with a community-based food...
Submission on the implementation of OPCAT in Australia: Second stage of consultations
This submission includes recommendations in relation to the implementation of the Optional Protocol on the Convention against Torture. The feedback is submitted to the second stage of civil society consultation...
Submission into the implementation of the national disability insurance scheme in NSW
This submission includes recommendations to improve support and access to services for members of refugee communities with a disability during the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Australia’s man-made crisis on Nauru
Six years after the Australian government began sending people seeking asylum to Nauru, there are still around 900 people left on the island, including an estimated 109 children. All of them will have been there for...
Submission into the Migration (Validation of Port Appointment) Bill 2018
This submission strongly opposes the Bill that would retrospectivley authorise the actions of the Australian Government in taking people to Ashmore Reef so that they were treated as offshore entry persons.
