The rocky granite hills and Grevillia scrub around Ararat are a long way from the flat grasslands of South Sudan. And the sleepy streets of the former gold rush town are a world away from the brutal violence that has…

In country towns across Australia groups of quiet achieving volunteers are making a huge difference in the lives of refugee families. Rural Australians for Refugees is an informal network of regional and rural groups supporting and advocating for refugees and people…

Each weekday morning Ararsa Wakjira and his two younger brothers would climb aboard their bicycles and ride the five kilometres to their jobs at Ararat’s meat processing factory. At Ararat Meat Exports the brothers are employed in the physically demanding…

A new film by Afghani photojournalist, filmmaker and former refugee Barat Ali Batoor that chronicles an asylum seeker boat journey is part of this year’s Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. The film ‘Batoor: A Refugee Journey’ will be screened at the…

An Iraqi refugee doctor has realised a four year dream of being able to resume his career as a specialist physician in Australia after fleeing the conflict in his homeland. Iraqi medico Dr Asseel Yako has achieved ‘specialist recognition’ as…

An innovative new employment program is fast-tracking refugee jobseekers into work while also speeding up their settlement journeys and supporting them to build connections into the broader society. Hundreds of refugees have been supported into employment, even during the height…

After decades living precariously as exiles in India, a Tibetan refugee family have found a home, a future as well as a healthy and peaceful life in regional Victoria. Dorjee Sonam and wife Dolma have both found jobs in Mildura,…

Migrants will be key to Australia’s population growth and economic prosperity over the next 40 years, according to the federal government’s 2021 Intergenerational Report (IGR). The report, which examines long-term economic and budget trends, is the first of the five…

International condemnation has followed the handing over to Libyan authorities of 270 migrant and refugees who were rescued at sea by a Gibraltar-flagged ship. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency have both said that…

Australia’s population growth has slumped to its slowest rate in almost 15 years with the nation suffering a net flow of people out of the country as the international border remains closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New data from…

The latest UNHCR report ‘Global Trends, Forced Displacement in 2020’ paints an alarming picture of the numbers of people forced to flee their homes because of conflict or persecution. The report says there are now 82.4 million people displaced around…

Migrants and refugees are more hesitant about getting COVID-19 vaccines and feel less informed than the general population, a new survey has found. Just two thirds of newly arrived migrants and refugees say they will, or are likely to, get…