Grand Challenge Meetup: Reforming Australia’s refugee policy: Where do we begin?
Please join us for this Grand Challenge meetup, with guest speaker Paul Power, CEO of the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA).
Never in Australia’s history has its refugee policy attracted so much international criticism, from United Nations bodies, human rights groups and numerous international leaders. Now that Australia is part of the UN Human Rights Council, what needs to change to the nation’s treatment of people seeking protection from persecution? The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has worked with dozens of Australian NGOs to develop a platform for policy change, outlining strategies for reform to immigration detention, asylum policies, Australia’s refugee program and its engagement with nations in the Asia-Pacific region. Paul will outline the key elements of this platform and how concerned Australians can work together to bring about much-needed change.
Since 2006, Paul has been Chief Executive Officer of the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) - the national peak body for 200 agencies working with refugees and asylum seekers. Paul leads the organisation’s policy development and public education on refugee issues and its advocacy with the Australian Government, international networks and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Since 2012, Paul has served as a Steering Committee member of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network. Paul has served as a member of the Australian Government’s Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council (2008-14) and as co-chair of the global Working Group on Resettlement and the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (2011-12). Prior to joining RCOA, Paul worked in the NGO sector as a media officer, trainer, researcher and manager, after a 12-year career in the newspaper industry as a journalist and editor. Through his NGO work, Paul has been involved with projects in international aid, community development, mental health support, volunteer training, social research and advocacy.
