The Australian Government filled its Migration Program quota in 2020-21 but issued fewer than half of the available refugee and humanitarian visas, the Department of Home Affairs’ latest annual report reveals. The 2020...
Media & Publications
Read our latest publications here. You can also search or find here. For journalists, please see our Media centre.Latest media
Refugees trapped in Australia’s offshore detention to get new life in Canada
Media release October 17, 2021 Statement by Paul Power CEO of the Refugee Council of Australia Ten refugees currently held in Australia’s cruel offshore detention system will be able to restart their lives in Canada...
US, Canada and NZ support needed as Australia abandons refugees in PNG
Media release: US, CANADA AND NZ SUPPORT NEEDED AS AUSTRALIA ABANDONS REFUGEES IN PNG The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has called on the governments of the United States, Canada and New Zealand to step...
How restoring 20,000 lost refugee visas could save lives at risk in Afghanistan
After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, hundreds of thousands of Australians supported calls for the Australian Government to respond generously, calling for a special intake of 20,000 places for...
Why additional places are needed for Australia’s refugee intake from Afghanistan
RCOA is calling on The Australian Government to provide an additional 20,000 humanitarian visas to refugees from Afghanistan in its new brief, included below. As outlined, there is an urgent need to go beyond the...
Afghan athletes saved by Aussies working together
Media release August 24, 2021 Statement by Paul Power CEO of the Refugee Council of Australia Afghan athletes saved by Aussies working together The extraordinary collaboration of athletes, advocates and the Australian...
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Latest publications
Australia’s engagement in Afghanistan
On 25 October 2021, the Refugee Council of Australia made a submission to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee inquiry into Australia’s engagement in Afghanistan. Read the full submission here. We...
Rebuilding a Responsive and Strategic Refugee Program: Response to the Australian Government Discussion Paper on the 2021-22 Humanitarian Program
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) welcomes the opportunity to provide its views in response to the Australian Government’s discussion paper on Australia’s Humanitarian Program in 2021-22. As the national community...
Submission to the inquiry into the efficacy, fairness, timeliness and costs of the processing and granting of visa classes which provide for or allow for family and partner reunions
For many years, RCOA has raised concerns about the dismal number and the extraordinary costs of family reunion visas for refugee communities. In 2016, we released a report Address the Pain of Family...
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.
Joint submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Papua New Guinea
In November 2021, the human rights record of Papua New Guinea (PNG) will face scrutiny when the PNG Government appears before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva for the third periodic review of its human...
Submission on pushback practices and their impact on the human rights of migrants
On 1 February 2021, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) made a submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants. The submission was made in response to the Special...
Submission on the Migration and Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening Information Provisions) Bill 2020
On 19 February 2021 the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) made a submission to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee on the Migration and Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening...
UN member states challenge Australia’s refugee and asylum policies
Forty-seven UN member states raised concerns about and recommended changes to the Australian Government’s refugee, asylum and immigration detention policies when Australia’s human rights record came up for its third...
Homelessness and hunger among people seeking asylum during COVID-19
In August 2020, the Refugee Council of Australia surveyed charities, asylum support agencies and volunteer groups to understand better the situation that they and their clients are facing as a result of the COVID-19...
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.
2018 Program
You can read the report by the Refugee Council of Australia and Melbourne Social Equity Institute on the outcomes of the second annual conference held in Melbourne on 13-14 February 2018.
Submission to the inquiry into issues facing diaspora communities in Australia
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) made a submission to the Inquiry into Issues Facing Diaspora Communities which is undertaken by Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. Download the...
