Foregrounding Displacement in the Treaty on the Protection of Persons in the event of Disasters. By UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law

In 2027, governments are expected to adopt the world’s first-ever global treaty on the Protection of Persons in the event of Disasters — a landmark step toward strengthening international responses in a time of intensifying climate risks. Yet, the current draft of the treaty barely mentions displacement at all. Our latest Policy Brief explains why that must change — and how.

Here, co-authors UNSW Kaldor Centre's Scientia Professor Jane McAdam AO and Dr Thomas Mulder discuss 'Foregrounding Displacement and Evacuations in the Proposed Treaty on the Protection of Persons in the event of Disasters'.

Foregrounding Displacement in the Treaty on the Protection of Persons in the event of Disasters. By UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law

Afghan Refugees In Indonesia Protest UN, Australian Embassy Over Resettlement Delays, Afghanistan International

Hundreds of Afghan refugees staged protests on Wednesday, 14 May, in multiple Indonesian cities particularly in Jakarta gathering outside the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Australian Embassy.

They demanded urgent action on their resettlement cases. The demonstrations took place ahead of the Australian Prime Minister’s official visit to Indonesia, with protesters calling on Australia and other resettlement countries to accelerate the processing of refugee claims.

Many of the protesters, including women, men, and children, held signs and chanted slogans urging the international community to address their plight. The refugees say they have been living in limbo for more than a decade, facing prolonged uncertainty and hardship.

“We have waited over ten years for resettlement. We are living without basic rights and with no future,” said one protestor.

The refugees expressed hope that their peaceful protest would attract the attention of Australian officials and lead to tangible progress in their cases.

Afghan refugees in Indonesia have previously staged similar demonstrations, criticising the UNHCR for what they describe as neglect and a lack of transparency in the resettlement process.

Indonesia, which is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, hosts thousands of asylum seekers, many of them Afghans, who await third-country resettlement with limited rights and access to services.

Afghan Refugees In Indonesia Protest UN, Australian Embassy Over Resettlement Delays, Afghanistan International

Dr Nilanthy Vigneswaran – on behalf of the ASRC

If you were seriously ill, who would you trust to make decisions about your healthcare – a doctor or a politician?

Doctors and healthcare professionals are trained to make critical decisions grounded in evidence, experience, and care for human life. Yet right now, more than 100 people held offshore in Papua New Guinea and Nauru are being denied that same standard of care — because politicians, not doctors, are determining whether they can access life-saving treatment.

For twelve years, the Australian Government has been subjecting people to an offshore detention regime so inhumane that the United Nations has called it "degrading" and "akin to torture”.1  I’ve heard directly from refugees and people seeking asylum about what they’ve endured: overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, physical and sexual assault — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Right now, one in five people in offshore detention are so unwell their lives are in immediate danger. Fourteen people have already died — not from complex illnesses, but from conditions that should have been easily treated. How many more lives will be lost before this Government puts people’s health above politics?

This isn’t just a crisis — it’s a complete failure by the Australian Government to protect basic human rights and help people whose lives are at serious risk.

We now have a newly elected Labor Government with a clear and expanded mandate. That gives us a powerful opportunity — and a responsibility — to push them to act. They can and must end this shameful policy and evacuate the people still stranded offshore, some for over a decade already. Together, we can make sure they use that mandate to save lives without further delay.

That’s why I — along with fellow doctors, nurses, and mental health professionals — am demanding the immediate evacuation of everyone still trapped in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. They must be brought to Australia to receive the urgent medical care they have been shamefully denied for far too long.

WATCH: Healthcare professionals across Australia call on the Australian Government to medically evacuate people from Nauru and PNG now.

Countering misinformation about refugees and migrants. By Saul Wodak, Minjin Erdene-Ochir, Bowen Fung, Daniel Ghezelbash, Lauren Martin and Frances Voon , Kaldor Centre, UNSW

Using strategies rooted in evidence and in behavioural science, the Kaldor Centre and the highly regarded Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) developed a practical framework to guide when and how to tackle migration misinformation.

 Countering misinformation about refugees and migrants. By Saul Wodak, Minjin Erdene-Ochir, Bowen Fung, Daniel Ghezelbash, Lauren Martin and Frances Voon , Kaldor Centre, UNSW

'Unique opportunity': Inside the push for an Australian-backed children's hospital in Gaza. By Christopher Tan, SBS

Mustafa recently had a private meeting with Foreign Minister Penny Wong which he said was constructive.

"It was a very positive meeting. I thank the foreign minister for her commitment and the acknowledgement of the difficult circumstances," he said. "She understood the gravity of the situation."

In a statement, Wong confirmed the meeting took place and paid tribute to Mustafa's "selflessness" and said she looks forward "to continuing to work with him".

"I deeply appreciated meeting Dr Mustafa and the president of PANZMA and hearing their insights into the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza," the statement said.

"It has been weeks since aid entered Gaza, and we know the operating conditions for aid workers are unacceptable.

"We are pressing Israel to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access, in line with the binding orders of the International Court of Justice."

'Unique opportunity': Inside the push for an Australian-backed children's hospital in Gaza. By Christopher Tan, SBS

The Racial Discrimination Act at 50. By David Lee, Pearls & Irritations

The passage 50 years ago of the Racial Discrimination Act, Australia’s first substantial piece of human rights legislation, laid the basis for the recognition of native title in the common law in the 1990s.

But for Whitlam’s use of the external affairs power, there would have been no Racial Discrimination Act and without this Act, the Mabo judgment of 1992 would have been impossible. The RDA thus remains, at 51, one of the most consequential legislative achievements of the Whitlam Government.

The Racial Discrimination Act at 50. By David Lee, Pearls & Irritations

Iranian refugee loses court battle against government over mental injuries caused by immigration detention, ABC News

Payam Saadat was held in immigration detention in Western Australia and then South Australia after arriving on Ashmore Reef in 2000.

The trial heard Mr Saadat fled Iran where he had been detained, tortured and physically abused before seeking asylum in Australia.

His lawyer argued during the trial that the government knew, or should have known, that he was suffering from or vulnerable to a psychiatric illness either caused or made worse by his immigration detention.

Iranian refugee loses court battle against government over mental injuries caused by immigration detention, ABC News

Australia has spent $13 billion on offshore processing in over a decade. Human rights experts believe there's a less costly, more compassionate way. By Olivia Di Iorio & Rachael Knowles, SBS

Hedayat founded Community Construction, a social enterprise employing refugees and asylum seekers. They've completed more than 300 projects and employ over 100 people.

“I'm receiving at least five application every day from refugees. They want to work, they want to contribute, they want to support their families. They don't want to be on Centrelink, but there's no equal opportunities," Hedayat said.

Australia has spent $13 billion on offshore processing in over a decade. Human rights experts believe there's a less costly, more compassionate way. By Olivia Di Iorio & Rachael Knowles, SBS

Cisarua Learning : 'Ride for Education' from Maleny to Adelaide

This June, Muzafar Ali and the Cisarua Learning team are embarking on a 4,000 km journey from Maleny to Adelaide.

Cisarua Learning are celebrating 10 years of refugee-led education - a journey that started with just $200 and two small classrooms.

Today, Cisarua Learning has grown to support over 2,000 refugee students across seven initiatives. But their work isn't done. With your support, they can continue to expand their impact, particularly in supporting women's education in Afghanistan and refugee education in Indonesia and Thailand.

Cisarua Learning : ‘Ride for Education’ from Maleny to Adelaide

Abul Rizvi - Incoming immigration minister faces immense challenges, P&I

During its esfirst term in office, Labor allocated an additional $160 million to process asylum applications more quickly. While that stabilised the size of the backlog at the primary level, the total number of asylum-seekers in Australia under Labor increased from about 94,000 in May 2022 to 121,000 in February 2025. The number of asylum-seekers refused at primary stage and still living in the community increased from 68,000 in May 2022 to 93,000 in February 2025.

There is no strategy to prevent the same thing happening again in Labor’s second term. That trend means we will look increasingly like countries in North America and Europe with large numbers of unsuccessful asylum-seekers living in the shadows of society. The minister must develop a holistic asylum-seeker strategy to address that. Such a strategy will be politically difficult and costly.

Abul Rizvi - Incoming immigration minister faces immense challenges, P&I

‘A travesty of justice’: ASIO’s pursuit of people smugglers. By Mark Isaacs, The Saturday Paper

After Ali had applied for Australian citizenship, the Department of Immigration invited him to attend an interview. It turned out to be a surprise interrogation by two ASIO officers.

Court documents show that the officers asked Ali 1020 questions in roughly two hours – a question every seven seconds. No lawyer was present during the interview and the ASIO officers never advised him to obtain legal representation.

'A travesty of justice' : ASIO's pursuit of people smugglers. By Mark Isaacs, The Saturday Paper

Why extremists see gold in the migration debate. By Josh Roose, P &I

There’s nothing new about debates around immigration in an Australian election campaign and it’s sensible that they happen.

There’s also nothing new about politicians weaponising debate around immigration levels, which Australia has seen in the lead-up to the federal election.

But 2025 is different in many ways.

The emphasis has shifted, reflecting broader disenchantment with both politics and policies in Australia and internationally that aids those who would blame social and economic challenges on migrants.

It’s created an environment ripe for right-wing extremists — albeit a noisy minority — to sell anti-immigration messages fuelled by misinformation, racist views, conspiracy theories and a desire to build their imagined “white Australia”.

Why extremists see gold in the migration debate. By Josh Roose, P &I

Belonging Nowhere. SBS News 4-part podcast

Imagine not being able to attend school, see a doctor or even open a bank account? This can be the life for stateless people, and there are more than 4 million people across the globe who experience it. Living with a disputed nationality can impact lives in all kinds of unseen ways, and has been described by some as an overlooked human rights issue. In this four-part SBS News podcast we ask what it’s like to experience statelessness, how it occurs, and what society can do about it.

Belonging Nowhere. SBS 4-part podcast

After 100 applications, Behz finally landed his dream job. Here's how. By Sandra Fulloon, SBS News

Pourdarab is not alone. The Australian Institute of Family Studies found only one quarter of refugees secure employment within the first two years.

What changed Pourdarab's life was meeting Carmen Garcia, the founder of an Adelaide-based employment service, Community Corporate. It connected him with an employer.

Garcia said: "Last financial year, Community Corporate supported more than 1,600 people across Australia and 91 per cent of those were from migrant or refugee backgrounds.”

After 100 applications, Behz finally landed his dream job. Here's how. By Sandra Fulloon, SBS News

Analysis : Imagine Dutton’s implausible cuts to migration were actually possible. Now see the dire economic consequences. By Patrick Commins, The Guardian

Even if practically and legislatively possible, the scale of the cuts would have dire consequences for the economy, the budget and businesses already struggling to find workers in a tight labour market.

The collapse in foreign student enrolments would also blow a hole in the profitability of major universities, which have become hugely reliant on high international fees.

Analysis : Imagine Dutton’s implausible cuts to migration were actually possible. Now see the dire economic consequences. By Patrick Commins, The Guardian