Refugee Week 2023

Refugee Week (18—24 June) and World Refugee Day (20 June) honour refugees around the globe and celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.

The theme for Refugee Week this year is ‘Finding Freedom’. This important week gives us an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the positive contributions refugees make to our community.

Join us on Thursday 22 June for the Finding Freedom through the Decades forum with a panel of speakers as they share their experiences with Victorian Multicultural Commissioner Dr Judy Tang. For more info on the event and to RSVP, head over to our Refugee Week page to find out what's on for Refugee Week 2023.

As a proudly diverse and Welcoming City, Darebin supports and advocates for the rights of newly arrived, refugees and people seeking asylum. This commitment is reflected in our Towards Equality: Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights Framework 2019—2029, and our membership of both the Welcoming Cities network and Refugee Welcome Zone Leadership Council.

We’re also an executive member of the Local Government Mayoral Taskforce Supporting People Seeking Asylum, working with 39 councils across Australia to advocate to the Federal Government as part of the Back Your Neighbour campaign.

The taskforce is also advocating for change through its Back Your Neighbour campaign, calling on the Federal Government to take urgent action on behalf of 100,000 people living in Australia without the basic support and safety they need to build their lives, including access to Medicare, trauma counselling, work rights, education and financial support.

Refugees and people seeking asylum deserve dignity, respect and safety, and we always stand ready to work with our partners and local communities to support refugee and asylum seeker communities.

To support the campaign and sign the petition go to the Back Your Neighbour website.