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...
Latest news
Face to Face Community and Schools Program receives a ZEST Award Nomination
The Community Engagement team are delighted about the ZEST nomination of the Face to Face Schools and Community Program for the 2020 Outstanding Project Promoting Social Cohesion and Community Harmony Award. We would...
#YearOfWelcome: October Action
My name is Deena and I’m writing to you from the Refugee Council of Australia. We’re now into month 10 of the Year of Welcome. Thank you for coming along on the journey with us this far, despite the challenges that...
Media release: Government’s decision to slash support for people seeking asylum will deepen worsening crisis, say refugee organisations
A coalition of refugee organisations has condemned the federal government’s decision to slash support to people seeking asylum in the 2020-21 Budget. This decision, they say, puts over 100 000 people, including around...
Media release: Cut to Australian resettlement robs refugees of hope at a time of global crisis
The Federal Government has used its 2020-21 Budget to cut Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program by 5000 places a year and halve its financial assistance program to people seeking asylum while increasing funding...
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.
State Premiers warned to prepare to support 500 refugees being abandoned by Federal Government
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has written to five State Premiers to warn them to prepare for the Federal Government’s latest move to strip financial assistance from more than 500 refugees and people seeking...
Your Voice – Supporter Newsletter (September 2020)
We at RCOA 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...
#YearOfWelcome: September action
We are nearing the end of the 2020. What a year it has been. None of us could have foreseen the chaos and turbulence that has shaken our world. At the Refugee Council of Australia, 2020 has marked a period of...
Fatma’s Story: A Family Left Behind
Fatma is a mother of four children, including Jasmin. Both Fatma and her partner lost work when Covid-19 hit Australia, and being in the process of seeking asylum, none of her family are eligible for support from the...
RCOA Impact Report 2019-20
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...
1000 teachers, students and parents speak out for people seeking asylum during National Child Protection Week
1000 students, parents, teachers and educators – representing every state and territory – have released a public statement this week, calling on the Federal Government to extend support to families seeking asylum during...
National Week of Solidarity – #NoChildLeftBehind
Next week is Child Protection Week, and we will be seizing the opportunity to point to the crisis facing children and young people seeking asylum during the Covid-19 pandemic. As people seeking asylum remain ineligible...
The Refugee Council welcomes government plans for more flexible Adult Migrant English Program
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has today welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement that it plans to expand access to the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). RCOA chief executive officer Paul Power said...
Media release: New research shows huge economic costs of excluding people from support during pandemic
New research released today indicates that excluding refugees and people seeking asylum from financial support could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and exacerbate the nation’s health and homelessness...
Media release: Seven years and $7.6 billion later, new data compiled by the Refugee Council shows hundreds still suffering as a result of offshore detention
This Sunday, 19 July 2020, marks seven years since then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that people who seek asylum in Australia by boat would be processed offshore and never resettled in Australia. Today, a new...
Media release: Refugee Council deeply concerned for people in immigration detention as Mantra guard tests positive
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is deeply concerned for the safety of people detained at the Mantra Bell City hotel at Preston in Melbourne, after a security guard has tested positive for COVID-19. Over 60...
