The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) refutes claims that our recent submission reviewing Australia’s Migration System said “the backlogs facilitated spurious applications for protection from people who could reside...
Members hub
Members are the lifeblood of the Refugee Council of Australia's work.Our aim is to represent you and support you in changing Australia's refugee policies.
This page highlights the work we are doing to represent you, and brings together resources that may help you in your work supporting refugees.
Connect with us
Raising your voice
UN Committee Against Torture notes concerns about Australia’s refugee policies
RCOA has urged the Australian Government to act on a new United Nations Committee Against Torture report which highlights breaches of international law in Australia’s treatment of refugees. RCOA, together with the...
Tools to support refugees and people seeking asylum
Factsheets for service providers
Information for lawyers
This page provides information for lawyers who are working in refugee law.
Employing refugees: Information for employers
This page provides information for employers looking to employ refugees, including organisations that can help and resources to give them information about employing refugees.
Information for people supporting people seeking asylum
Are you supporting people seeking asylum? This page is for you if you are supporting people seeking asylum by, for example, helping them make friends, find housing or employment. There are some useful resources here to...
Fast-tracking decisions
This table lists decisions by federal courts relating to the new system of refugee status determination for people who came by boat, known as 'fast tracking'.
Getting involved in the annual UNHCR-NGO Consultations in Geneva: a guide
This is a brief guide for those Australian organisations and individuals that are considering participating in the annual UNHCR-NGO Consultations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Giving refugees information about Australian law
This page provides links to resources to teach refugees information about Australian law.
Impact of university scholarships for TPV and SHEV Holders receiving Special Benefit income support
This page explains the impact of university and further education scholarships on people on a Commonwealth income payment.
Humanitarian entrants in New South Wales: A resource for New South Wales government agencies
Funded by the Community Relations Commission of NSW, this resource is designed to assist NSW government agencies to understand and meet the needs of people seeking asylum and people from refugee backgrounds settling in...
Recent reports of interest
Refugees live in destitution in Indonesia: Years of limbo and suffering leads refugees to protests for many weeks now for resettlement
Guest post by Sitarah Mohammadi and Sajjad Askary Outline issues of refugees in Indonesia There are approximately 13,700 refugees currently stranded in Indonesia, unable to access any form of durable solution. More than...
Report on volunteering and settlement in Australia survey
In May 2019 Volunteering Australia and the Settlement Council of Australia (SCoA) released a report on the National Survey on Volunteering and Settlement in Australia. As reported by Volunteering Australia and SCoA, the...
Reflections on World Refugee Day from a refugee in Indonesia
This guest post is from Mohammad Baqir Bayani, founder and director of HELP for Refugees and Refugees of Indonesia. Each year, around the globe, millions of people stand up to mark world refugee day on 20 June. The main...
A new model for community refugee sponsorship in Australia
This position paper is published by the Community Refugee Sponsorship (‘CRSI’), an independent organisation established by the Refugee Council of Australia, Save the Children Australia, Amnesty International Australia...
Paid work and volunteering helps facilitate integration into new rural and regional communities amongst refugees, new study finds
New research has been conducted into the impact of employment and volunteering in facilitating health and wellbeing outcomes for refugees in regional or rural areas in Australia. The study found that paid work and...
The Paladin affair
The Paladin Affair refers to concerns related to the granting of a lucrative government contract to security firm Paladin to provide security services to the three refugee centres on Manus Island.