Refugee Week 2023

18 – 24 June

Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual activity to inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society.  It coincides with World Refugee Day which takes place globally each year on 20 June. 

The theme for this year’s Refugee Week is Finding Freedom. 

What does it mean to be free?  To live without the fear of war, to have your basic human rights upheld, to live in equality and without the fear of persecution.  These are just some of the examples of what millions of people across the world are searching for as they embark on dangerous journeys for the sole purpose of finding safety and freedom. 

Stories of Freedom

Their stories are often about pain, loss and hardship. But they are also hopeful, inspiring stories of resilience, of finding freedom and starting a new life in a new country, where they feel safe and at peace. These individuals have shared what freedom means to each of them.   

Ibrahim Ali 

‘Freedom of expression is the most important aspect which allows me to share my political, social, and religious views without fear.’ 

Fahima Ahmadi 

‘As a woman in a patriarchal society, gender discrimination was my common experience.’ 

Andrea Rico 

‘I like having financial freedom in Australia. I could not believe that I could have my own bank account here.’ 

Ackim Mulumba 

‘For me, freedom is not just the absence of violence. It has a much deeper meaning. Freedom is belonging. Australia is my home and I ‘belong’ here now.’ 

Read these and other stories of freedom. 

Let us show compassion and celebrate the resilience that makes up parts of our wider community. For freedom should not be an ask, it should be a way of life.   

Celebrate Refugee Week

World Refugee Day 2023 Prayer Service

You are invited to attend the World Refugee Day 2023 Prayer Service hosted by the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office on Tuesday, 20 June at 7.00 pm AEST via Zoom. This is a special time to pray for and focus on the stories of millions of refugees around the world. Registration is essential. 

Refugee Week Afternoon Tea

Join Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project (BASP) for afternoon tea on Wednesday, 21 June from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at 54 Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park. This is an opportunity to hear from some of the courageous people supported by BASP.  RSVP is essential for numbers.

Film – Watandr, My Countryman

Jolyon Hoff and Muzafar Ali present a new film that explores what it means to belong, and how we’re all a little bit more connected than we think. When former Afghan Refugee and photographer, Muzafar Ali, discovers that Afghans have been an integral part of Australia for over 160 years, he begins to photograph their descendants in a search to define his own new Afghan-Australian identity. 

Watch the film trailer, purchase tickets and view times and cinema locations.   

Freedom to stay and thrive

Read an article by Fr Andrew Hamilton SJ in Australian Catholics. 

The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

Monday, 19 June until Friday, 23 June 2023 featuring two National Refugee Ambassadors.  

Watch episodes on SBS at 3.00 pm and SBS Food and NITV at 7.00 pm.

Get the Share a Meal, Share a Story Cookbook

As part of the Share a Meal, Share a Story project, you are invited to purchase an e-cookbook comprising of a collection of mouth-watering recipes from Australia’s refugee communities, encompassing cuisines from around the world. With each dish comes a special story – the story of what that dish evokes for that person. All chefs were paid for their recipes.  You are asked to provide a minimum donation of $20, but you are welcome to contribute more. Funds raised will support the advocacy of the Refugee Council of Australia. 

Purchase e-cookbook 

View official events for Refugee Week coordinated by the Refugee Council of Australia.