About the National Program on Refugees and Displaced People
Responding in an ecumenical spirit to the plight, aspirations and needs of refugees and displaced people.
Contact our Refugee Program Staff!
The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) - formerly the Australian Council of Churches - has been involved in refugee and asylum issues since 1948. The NCCA is comprised of seventeen major Christian churches working together to strengthen relationships and understanding of each other and to fulfill common witness, mission and service. Through the NCCA, member churches come together to break down the structures that create and perpetuate poverty, oppression, injustice and division.
The National Program on Refugees and Displaced People (NPRDP) operates under the Christian World Service Commission of the NCCA. It is concerned with policy relating to refugees, asylum, settlement, access and equity. It is also involved in awareness raising, education, community development and advocacy. This work is done in partnership with the State Councils of Churches, which each have a refugee program that maintains close links to the community and involves member churches in providing services to refugees and asylum seekers.
Education
RDP facilitates and resources member churches and state ecumenical councils in becoming active participants in community relations and awareness-raising.
This involves:
v Promoting Refugee and Migrant Sunday on the last Sunday of August each year.
v Running the Refugee and Migrant Sunday Media Competition
v Preparing and distributing the Refugee and Migrant Sunday Education Kit, which includes education sheets, country reports, statistics and parish and liturgical resources.
v Preparing articles for various publications such as NCCA’s Newsletter, In Unity, and CWS Newsletter, In Focus, which replaced our Program’s previous newsletter.
Advocacy and Policy Analysis
Much of our time is spent conducting research, formulating policy alternatives and lobbying on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers for changes in legislation, policy and practice to improve their lives. The aim is to provide clear, concise and timely analysis and recommendations on the rapidly changing environment for refugees and the displaced in Australia and around the globe. This includes building a vital and active network that can be used for solidarity and advocacy.
For more information about NCCA policy and advocacy, see:
v Media Releases
v NCCA Policy and Statements
v Government Submissions
Support for Human Rights
As the experience of refugees usually results from a denial of their human rights, our office plays a crucial role in promoting human rights and ensuring state adherence to international human rights standards.
Theological Perspective
The NPRDP draws together and shares theological perspectives on why churches should respond to refugees and displaced people and how.
Helping refugees to settle
In partnership with our state ecumenical councils, NPRDP, formerly known as Refugee and Migrant Services, helped resettle hundreds of refugee families from places such as Southern Sudan, Former Yugoslavia and Iraq. NPRDP was also involved in assisting in the temporary protection of refugees from Kosovo and East Timor. More recently, our program has begun to focus on education and advocacy, as well as assisting asylum seekers in the community and Temporary Protection Visa holders, who are struggling under restrictive federal government laws and have been forced to depend on church and charities in their time of need. The NCCA has been at the forefront of community moves to assist TPV holding refugees, for example, through helping to establish ‘houses of welcome’ that provide referrals, English classes and temporary accommodation upon release from detention.
International Linkages and Work
RDP works in close cooperation with the international programs unit of Christian World Service, which has programs that assist refugees and displaced people from Burma, Sri Lanka, Palestine, Iraq, Sudan and the Solomon Islands. RDP is also an active member of the World Council of Churches' Global Ecumenical Network on Migration (GEM). For more on this work please see the news and issues page.
Each year, RDP participates in several key international meetings:
1). The World Council of Churches' Global Ecumenical Network on Migration (inc. refugees & diplaced peoples).
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Annual Consultations with NGOs
2). UNHCR's Executive Committee meetings, where UNHCR member states gather to determine the international community's response to refugees and displaced peoples. Know as 'ExCom', the body is responsible for setting standards for the international system protecting refugees.
These meetings are held together in late September and early October each year.
Read the World Council of Churches (WCC)
