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Belonging Matters. Community Matters.
Refugee Week is celebrated across Australia each year in June. Refugee Week promotes greater awareness of refugees, the issues they face, and their contributions to the Australian community.
Everyday, millions of people across the world embark on dangerous journeys for the sole purpose of finding safety and freedom. From Australia to nations across the globe, settling into a new environment after experiencing the perils of a refugee’s journey can also provide the opportunity to live, love, and dream.
The theme for Refugee Week 2026 is ‘A Million Stories’.
Every story matters. Every person deserves safety and belonging.
Refugee Week is a time to celebrate strength, courage and community. Australia has welcomed one million refugees, each with their own story of resilience and hope.
What Refugee Week is about
Celebrating the contributions refugees make | Building understanding, empathy and inclusion | Recognising the strength to rebuild a life | Reflecting on how to create a welcoming community.
Why it matters
People are forced to leave home to find safety | Many flee conflict and persecution | Safe, inclusive communities help people thrive | Diversity strengthens communities.
What belonging can look like
Feeling safe, welcome and respected | Sharing culture and identity | Access to education and opportunity | Support to build a new future.
What YOU can do
Learn a story and listen with respect | Challenge myths and misinformation | Show kindness in everyday interactions | Support inclusive spaces | Stand up for respect and belonging.
Did you know?
Seeking asylum is a human right | Most refugees stay close to home | Refugees contribute skills, culture and leadership.
This Refugee Week
Celebrate stories of courage. Create spaces of belonging. Be part of a welcoming community.
You belong here — and so does everyone else
Explore further resources
Refugee Week Australia (Instagram): Celebratory posts, portraits, and quotes highlighting refugee contributions. https://www.instagram.com/refugeeweekaus/
Australia for UNHCR (Instagram): Inspiring stories of refugee students, athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs. https://www.instagram.com/unhcr_australia/
The Social Outfit: Fashion and creativity-led content from a social enterprise employing people from refugee backgrounds. https://www.instagram.com/thesocialoutfit/
ABC Behind the News – Refugee Stories: Youth-friendly videos explaining refugee experiences through real stories. https://www.abc.net.au/btn/refugees
New Home (SBS Audio): Warm, uplifting stories of refugee and migrant women building community through work, friendship, and everyday life. https://www.sbs.com.au/audio/podcast/new-home
Refugees on Air: Youth-led conversations by young people with refugee backgrounds about culture, identity, music, and belonging. https://syn.org.au/show/refugees-on-air/
In My Country: Award-winning Australian podcast where former refugees reflect on home, humour, faith, and starting again. https://www.sbs.com.au/audio/podcast/in-my-country
My First Year on Aussie Soil: Light, funny stories about first impressions of Australia, hosted by comedian Suraj Kolarkar. https://www.sbs.com.au/audio/podcast/my-first-year-on-aussie-soil
SBS Living Loss: This podcast explores the stories of three refugees | Listen
RCOA Director of Community and Engagement Deena Yako, Mostafa Azimitabar, and RCOA Refugee Ambassador Oliver Selwa. Each person describes the challenges of leaving their homes and rebuilding their lives. The article also discusses the misconception that refugees are simply “ex-detainees” and the importance of sharing refugee stories.
Forced To Flee | Listen
Produced by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, this podcast tells the extraordinary stories of people who have lived through some of the most tumultuous events of the past 70 years.
World Bank Podcast | Listen
This podcast discusses a range of difficulties, firsthand accounts, contributions, and methods for assisting those seeking protection or asylum.
Books about refugees, reading list by Refugee Council of Australia | view
Films to watch, a list by Refugee Council of Australia | view
The Swimmers (Netflix 2022 film)
This documentary follows the story of Erfanullah, an interpreter for NATO Forces, who was evacuated to Australia after the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the Taliban. The docuseries received Best Student Short Film at the Adelaide Film Festival.
Stateless (Netflix series)
Inspired by true events; a woman escaping a cult, a refugee fleeing with his family, a father trapped in a dead-end job, and a bureaucrat on the verge of a national scandal find their lives intertwined in an immigration detention centre.
Walk in My Shoes
Synopsis: What’s it like to flee your homeland? Siobhan Marin joins school students on a confronting immersive journey led by refugees —crossing a border, taking a dangerous boat trip, and being thrust into a detention centre.
Evacuation Afghanistan, The Story of Erfan
This documentary follows the story of Erfanullah, an interpreter for NATO Forces, who was evacuated to Australia after the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the Taliban. The docuseries received Best Student Short Film at the Adelaide Film Festival.
Watandar
When the Taliban take over Afghanistan, former Afghan-Hazara refugee and human rights activist Muzafar Ali is photographing the descendants of the Afghan Cameleers in Australia. He now knows he can never return home and his photography project becomes an even more personal journey; about losing your country and the importance of identity (Light Sound Art Film, n.d.).
Road to Refuge | Read more
A website is designed to give students, teachers and the community access to relevant, factual and current information about refugees.
Kaldor Centre of International Refugee Law, UNSW | Read more
Join us to make positive changes for refugees around the world.
Learn about Australia’s asylum policies and more
Statistics on offshore processing, people seeking protection in Australia | Read
Explainer on the Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024 | Read
Global resettlement statistics | Read
Yezidi Men Speak out about Domestic Violence (abridged, in Kurdish Kurmanji, with English subtitles)