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...
Latest news
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...
Samah Shda – Face to Face Speaker
I arrived in Sydney Australia in 2019, after years of displacement and uncertainty. The aftermath of the 2003 war, sectarian violence and extremist radical groups pushed our family and many other families from religious...
Atra Tchikha – Face to Face Speaker
I arrived in Sydney, Australia in 2017, after years of moving and fearing for our future. The ongoing Syrian war and extremist radical groups forced my family and many other families from religious minorities to flee...
Response to Hong Kong crisis must focus on those at greatest risk: Refugee Council
The Australian Government must focus on providing protection to those at greatest risk from China’s imposition of national security laws on Hong Kong, to avoid being seen to exploit the crisis for business advantage...
Media release: 38 mayors and council leaders back calls to extend support to people seeking asylum
A coalition of mayors and council leaders from around the country have signed onto an open letter today, calling on the Federal Government to extend crucial supports to people seeking asylum affected by COVID-19. The...
Stronger independent oversight needed as time in immigration detention reaches record high, Refugee Council says
Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has called for much stronger independent oversight of decisions to keep people in immigration detention, as the average length of time in detention blows out to a record high of 18...
Submission to the inquiry on the Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items In Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020
RCOA welcomed the opportunity to provide feedback on the Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020 and its likely impacts on people in detention, their families and support...
Teachers and principals rally to ensure no children and families seeking asylum are left without support during COVID-19
A group of principals and teachers have this week launched the No Child Left Behind campaign, calling on the federal government to prevent children and families becoming homeless and destitute in the current economic...
Refugee Week 2020 kicks off with examination of intersections of First Nations and refugee rights
As millions of people around the world speak out against the marginalisation of black and minority ethnic communities, Refugee Week launches this Sunday with an examination of the issue in relation to the refugee...
Media release: NSW joins interstate counterparts in helping asylum seekers left with no federal support
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has welcomed today’s New South Wales Government announcement of emergency funding to support people seeking asylum who have lost jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and been left...
#YearOfWelcome: May action
Thank you to all those who participated in our actions the last two months which involved reaching out to Federal politicians to call on them to ensure that there is #NobodyLeftBehind at this time.You can read more...
Face to Face goes digital!
Live presentations from refugee speakers now on online platforms Since 2014, the Refugee Council of Australia has been bringing refugee speakers to schools in the greater Sydney and Melbourne regions to share their...
