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...
Media releases
Read our latest media releases here. You can also find by topic.More
Minister approves most applications for transfer without need for Independent Health Panel (IHAP) review, says Medical Evacuation Response Group
The Medical Evacuation Response Group (MERG) has responded to the Independent Health Advice Panel (IHAP) Report tabled in Parliament, stating the report shows that in the majority of cases, the Minister himself agrees...
Medevac law a ‘crucial lifeline’, Refugee Council of Australia says in Senate submission
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 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...
A new vision for community refugee sponsorship in Australia
Today the Community Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (CRSI) launched a new vision for an expanded and improved community sponsorship scheme at a community summit in Melbourne. The CRSI vision will allow ordinary...
International issues
Medical crisis on Manus and Nauru escalates: Morrison Government must act to avoid further tragedy
Joint media release by the Medical Evacuation Response Group After six years of offshore detention there is an unprecedented medical crisis on Manus and Nauru. Men and women, who have been detained by the Australian...
Morrison’s inclusive rhetoric cast aside with a harsh Budget for refugees
Prime Minister Scott Morrison's plan to be more welcoming and inclusive since the Christchurch terrorist attack has been cast aside with a Federal Budget which deals harshly with refugees and people seeking asylum.
Australia’s Political Opportunists Foster an Environment of Fear, UN Human Rights Council Told
Political opportunists in Australia who have built their political careers on scaremongering and dehumanising minorities have fostered an environment hospitable to hatred, the Refugee Council of Australia has told the...
Medical Evacuation Response Group established for urgent medical transfers from Manus and Nauru
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...
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...
Asylum issues
Medical crisis on Manus and Nauru escalates: Morrison Government must act to avoid further tragedy
Joint media release by the Medical Evacuation Response Group After six years of offshore detention there is an unprecedented medical crisis on Manus and Nauru. Men and women, who have been detained by the Australian...
Morrison’s inclusive rhetoric cast aside with a harsh Budget for refugees
Prime Minister Scott Morrison's plan to be more welcoming and inclusive since the Christchurch terrorist attack has been cast aside with a Federal Budget which deals harshly with refugees and people seeking asylum.
Medical Evacuation Response Group established for urgent medical transfers from Manus and Nauru
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...
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...
#BackTheBill to save lives offshore – Joint Statement from civil society organisations
On Tuesday 12 February, the House of Representatives will vote on the Urgent Medical Treatment Bill. We urge all Members of Parliament to support this bill to ensure an adequate medical transfer process is in place for...
