27 August 2026
The Albanese Government would be betraying values held dear by Australian Labor Party (ALP) members and supporters if it went ahead with plans to cut Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program by 6,250 places next financial year, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) says.
Responding to media speculation about a possible cut, RCOA Co-Chief Executive Officer Paul Power said last month’s ALP National Conference unanimously resolved that the Government should maintain the program at 20,000 places per year while working towards a longer term goal of increasing the program to 27,000 places.
“When the Albanese Government increased the Refugee and Humanitarian Program to 20,000 places in 2023, there was no hint that this was a short-term increase,” Mr Power said.
“The change was in line with the Labor Party’s long-term goal to increase the program to 27,000 places, an aspiration which has been in the ALP National Platform since 2012. It brought the program back to the level achieved by the Gillard Government in 2012-13, reversing the cuts of the Liberal-National Coalition.”
The Albanese Government then made the following pledge at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December 2023:
The Australian Government commits to gradually increase Australia’s Humanitarian Program commencing from 2023-24, allowing us to highlight the ways in which humanitarian entrants enrich Australian society and boost the economy with their skills, talent and diverse cultural backgrounds.
“At no point, did anyone in the Government suggest that the increase to 20,000 places would be a short-term measure,” Mr Power said.
“We were shocked late last year to hear Department of Home Affairs officials suggest that the program could be cut to 13,750 places in 2027-28 unless the Cabinet committed funds to maintaining it at its current level.
“From our discussions with Labor Parliamentarians, it is clear that few have heard any suggestion that the Refugee and Humanitarian Program could be cut. Even in the past week, Labor MPs have been telling us that the Government is committed to a program of 20,000 places a year.
“If the cut goes ahead, the Albanese Government would be implementing the policy Peter Dutton took to the 2025 election, turning its back on a commitment that has been Labor policy for 14 years.
“A cut of 6,250 refugee places would have little impact on migration numbers, as the Refugee and Humanitarian Program has contributed just 6.6% to Net Overseas Migration over the past decade.
“However, the cut would exacerbate the challenges faced by forcibly displaced people around the world, particularly those in Asia left with no prospect of a safe and legal way of appalling circumstances where many face the serious risk of forced return to persecution.
“Until now, Australia has been the only OECD country with a significant refugee resettlement program not to cut places in the past two years. Such a cut would make little difference to Australia’s net overseas migration but be devastating for people seeking a path to safety.”
