19 July 2026
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is calling on the Federal Government to end offshore processing and provide durable solutions for people still living with the consequences of the policy, 13 years after Australia announced that people seeking asylum who arrived by boat would never be settled here.
Since 19 July 2013, more than 3,300 people have been transferred to offshore processing in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. The policy has left people in prolonged uncertainty, caused significant harm and failed to deliver fair or lasting solutions for many of the people affected.
RCOA says the Government must close the remaining offshore processing arrangements, bring the remaining people to safety, resolve the status of the people left with no solution and ensure accountability for the harm caused.
“Offshore processing has caused deep and lasting harm to people who came to Australia seeking safety,” said RCOA Co-CEO Paul Power. “After 13 years, it is time to end this policy and replace it with a refugee protection system that is humane, effective and consistent with Australia’s international obligations.”
RCOA is also urging the Government to resolve the situation of around 750 people affected by the policy who remain in Australia without permanent status, including families, young people who have grown up here, and spouses of Australian citizens.
“People have spent years in limbo because of a policy that denied them safety and certainty,” said RCOA Advocacy Coordinator Dr Graham Thom. “They deserve a durable solution and the chance to rebuild their lives.”
RCOA has worked with community organisations through Operation Not Forgotten, a community-led pathway supporting private sponsorship to Canada for refugees affected by offshore processing. This program has been a small but important part of government, UNHCR and community efforts which have enabled more than 1600 refugees to be resettled in the United States, New Zealand, Canada and Europe.
“Australia can maintain strong border management while meeting its refugee and human rights obligations,” Dr Thom said. “Ending offshore processing would be an important step toward a fairer and more sustainable system.”
