28 August 2026 The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has welcomed the intervention by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to maintain the Refugee and Humanitarian Program at 20,000 places per year. The Australian...
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Proposed Refugee Program cut would betray Labor Party values, Refugee Council says
27 August 2026 The Albanese Government would be betraying values held dear by Australian Labor Party (ALP) members and supporters if it went ahead with plans to cut Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program by 6,250...
Homelessness Week 2026: A crisis we can fix
3 August 2026 The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is marking Homelessness Week by calling for a safe place to call home to become a reality for everyone in Australia, including people seeking refugee...
75 years on, the Refugee Convention is more important than ever
28 July 2026 As we mark the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is calling on the Australian Government to uphold its commitment to the international protection system...
Forced returns, withdrawal of aid and cuts to resettlement leave refugees at greater risk
19 June 2026 Massive cuts to humanitarian aid and refugee resettlement and an alarming increase in forced returns are making life much more difficult and dangerous for the world’s refugees. An analysis of the latest...
Australia called on to strengthen refugee protection as resettlement placements decline
16 June 2026 The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is calling on the Federal Government to maintain its commitment to Australia’s Humanitarian Program, as new United Nations projections for 2027 show that 2.37...
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Latest publications
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...
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...
Submission on the inquiry into offshore processing and resettlement arrangements
13 February 2026 We recently made a submission on the inquiry into offshore processing and resettlement arrangements. Its focuses include: Summary of Australia’s offshore policies prior to the new third country...
Submission on inquiry into democracy and human rights in Myanmar
5 February 2026 The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) recently made a submission to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee for their inquiry into democracy and human rights in Myanmar. Our...
Submission on the inquiry into the value of skilled migration to Australia
5 February 2026 We recently made a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Migration for their inquiry into the value of Skilled Migration to Australia. Our submission focused on: the relationship between skilled...
Submission on externalisation and offshore warehousing of people seeking protection
5 February 2026 In December 2025, the Refugee Council of Australia made a submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, raising our serious concerns regarding Australia’s policies...
2026-27 Pre-Budget Submission
As the national peak body for people from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds and the organisations and individuals who work with and support them, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) welcomes the opportunity to...
UN member states question Australia’s record on detention and discrimination
Seventy-three UN member states raised concerns about and recommended changes to Australian Government policies related to refugees, people seeking asylum, stateless people, immigration detention, racial discrimination...
Inquiry into the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026
15 January 2026 While the Refugee Council of Australia supports the intent of the newly proposed Bill to strengthen community safety and prevent hate, discrimination and violence, it is crucial that measures aimed at...
CRCP 2025: Three decades of securing solutions together
The Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways (CRCP) is the most important multilateral forum for UNHCR, States, NGOs, refugees, private sector representatives, and others to come together to discuss and...
LEADING WITH PURPOSE: HOW AUSTRALIA CAN BENEFIT FROM GROWING REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT
RCOA has provided detailed feedback to the Australian Government on directions for the Refugee and Humanitarian Program through consultation processes each year since 1984 and written submissions each year since 1987...
2025-26 Pre-Budget Submission
As the national peak body for people from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds and the organisations and individuals who work with and support them, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) welcomes the opportunity to...
