Asylum Seekers and Refugees Organisations

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC)

Melbourne based ASRC is an independent not-for-profit organisation owned and run by volunteers and supporters. As a movement, ASRC mobilise and unite communities to create lasting social and policy change for people seeking asylum in Australia.

ASRC is exempt from the pressures of government or the private sector, being in a unique position to advocate for people seeking asylum. They offer 30 holistic programs that protect people seeking asylum from persecution and destitution, support well-being and dignity, and empower people to advance their own future.

The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA)

The main organisation in Australia representing both refugees and the organisations providing support for asylum seekers. Acting as co-ordinator for partner organisations, the Council works to influence government refugee policies and to educate the community about asylum seekers, refugees and displaced persons. The Council works with local, national and international agencies with the aim of maintaining the rights of individuals who seek refuge in Australia.

The Refugee Council of Australia is working to provide for the ever changing needs of the world’s displaced persons, striving to retain the human approach in Australia’s humanitarian aid for refugees.

Catholic Peace Fellowship (CPF)

The CPF works for peace before, during, and after war through education, counselling, advocacy, and accompaniment. The CPF also offers both practical and pastoral support to those currently in the military or who have left, particularly for those struggling with their conscience around their personal participation in war.

Catholic Worker Movement

Started in 1933 by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, the Catholic Worker Movement began with the publication of a radical newspaper called "The Catholic Worker" promoting the biblical promise of justice and mercy.

Belief that the dignity of every individual is paramount, the movement is committed to non-violence, voluntary poverty, and the Works of Mercy as a way of life. The movement also has farms and ‘houses of hospitality’ for those in need.

Catholics in Coalition for Justice and Peace (CCJP) Sydney

CCJP work for the emergence of just social structures in Australia and overseas. They act in solidarity with poor, deprived and oppressed people in the struggle for justice and peace, assisting and challenging all Catholics to work for justice and peace by establishing opportunities for reflection, dialogue and service.

Forced Migration Research Network

The Forced Migration Research Network (FMRN) was initiated by scholars affiliated with the Centre for Refugee Research (CRR) at the University of New South Wales. This network draws together other researchers from history, philosophy, media and film studies, cultural studies, education and social psychology to produce highly original research on various aspects of human mobility. This research is used to leverage future research and funding opportunities and to identify ways in which the network can support refugees and forced migrants who are also co-collaborators in much of the research being undertaken.

Children Out of Detention (ChilOut)

ChilOut believes that every child has the right to live in safety, with dignity and freedom, regardless of how they arrive in Australia and that every child should be afforded their basic human rights.

ChilOut research the conditions and treatment of children who come to Australia seeking asylum, publishing reports, making submissions and providing accurate information on their findings. ChilOut aims to ensure that all children in Australian-run immigration detention facilities are released from detention as a matter of priority, treated with dignity and offered the care and protection they require.

Oxfam Australia

Oxfam is calling for an end to offshore detention and the processing of asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island. The cost to detainees in terms of mental health, well-being and psychological harm is immeasurable. There is also a significant financial cost, which is difficult to accurately estimate but is certainly over AUD1 billion.

Human Rights Watch: Refugees

Human Rights Watch runs a Refugee Rights Program that focuses on the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced people across the globe. The organisation responds to both emergencies and ongoing situations, with a focus particularly around the documenting of government efforts to block access to asylum, either by depriving asylum seekers of their right to a fair hearing of their claim for refugee status, or the forcible return of people to places where their lives or freedom would be threatened. Human Rights Watch staff speak directly with refugees and document abuses that refugees speak of. These findings are taken directly to policy-makers and the media as the staff advocate for governments to improve access to asylum, to stop forced returns, and to ensure that all migrants retain their basic human rights and are treated with dignity.

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)

The mission statement of the JRS states that they will accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons across the world.

JRS is very much concerned with advocacy and human rights work. This includes lobbying for and promoting international human rights legislation. They also provide assistance to: refugees in camps and cities, individuals displaced within their own countries, asylum seekers in cities, and to those held in detention centres. The main areas of work are in the field of education, emergency assistance, healthcare, livelihood activities and social services.

Edmond Rice Centre

The Edmund Rice Centre has identified three priority areas of focus, one of which is refugees and asylum seekers. The centre raises awareness about the need for human rights to be respected and advanced. They advocate for the needs of groups who are systematically excluded locally and globally and promote social action that engages people in the work for social change.

The Centre offers individuals and groups training in the development of skills and strategies for effective social change through research, community education, advocacy and partnerships.

Pax Christi International

A Catholic organisation with 120 worldwide member organisations, Pax Christi International promotes peace, respect for all human rights, justice and reconciliation. Members believe that peace is possible and that vicious cycles of violence and injustice can be broken. Pax Christi International addresses the root causes and destructive consequences of violent conflict and war.

Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT)

QPASTT offers a range of flexible and culturally sensitive services that aim to address the physical, psychological and social needs of survivors of torture and trauma. All services are free and confidential in Brisbane and some regional Queensland areas.

Support includes counselling for all ages; children and youth programs including outreach and support to schools; a school holiday program and Homework Club.

Through community development and capacity building, programs are tailored to different needs. Training and research are ongoing.

Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA)

RCOA’s core purpose is to promote the development of humane, lawful and constructive policies towards refugees and asylum seekers. To inform on policy matters, based on a wide range of research into issues affecting refugees and asylum seekers.

RCOA is allied with the Australian Government, representing its members and advocating on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers here and also with international bodies including the UNHCR. RCOA also aims to empower refugee communities and individuals by providing them with opportunities to advocate on their own behalf.

Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR)

Currently RAR are campaigning for Australia to receive asylum seekers in accordance with the humane standards set out in the UN Convention on Refugees, signed by Australia in 1954 and to close all off-shore and remote detention centres and take full responsibility for processing asylum seeker claims in Australia.

RAR also campaigns to improve public understanding of the plight of asylum seeker issues and to dispel common myths and to support urban and rural communities willing to assist refugees with accommodation and employment.

More widely, RAR campaigns for Australia to work with Asia Pacific neighbours to find co-operative and non-punitive solutions to the flow of refugees into and through the region, to use its position on the United Nations Security Council, and to seek a world-wide increase in aid for refugees, whilst at the same time influencing oppressive governments who are persecuting their minority groups.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees

The Geneva-based Asylum and Migration Unit attempt to address many challenges, including helping regional teams to implement refugee protection measures and providing legal and policy advice to UNHCR operations. It also represents UNHCR at international migration forums.

The unit also identifies emerging trends and developments, and contributes to initiatives aimed at remedying existing protection gaps. The Asylum and Migration Unit is also dedicated to protecting those displaced by trafficking, as well as other forms of violence and abuse.

US Committee for Refugees (USCR)

Founded more than 100 years ago, USCR advance the rights and lives of those who have been forcibly or voluntarily uprooted. Their vision is for immigrants, refugees, and uprooted people to live dignified lives with their rights respected and protected in communities of opportunity.

The USCR aims to protect the rights and address the needs of persons in forced or voluntary migration worldwide and support their transition to a dignified life.