Celebrating Refugee Week 2025
Refugee Week 2025 is celebrated from 15 June – 21 June.
Coordinated by the Refugee Council of Australia, Refugee Week is an annual event to promote greater awareness of people from a refugee or refugee-like background.
It celebrates the contribution refugees have made and continue to make to our community. The week also highlights how we can provide a welcoming environment for people seeking refuge in Australia.
NSW Settlement Advisory Council Announced
On World Refugee Day 2025, the NSW Government announced the creation of the NSW Settlement Advisory Council to improve the settlement experience for people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds living across the state.
Get involved
Visit the Refugee Week 2025 website for information about upcoming events, resources, and other ways you can get involved.
"Helping people is what remains after you've gone"
These words have fuelled Syed Amin Zada’s unwavering commitment to supporting refugees to adjust to life in Australia.
His own journey, from arriving in Australia as a refugee to becoming a community leader, mentor, and migration lawyer, is a testament to the power of resilience and compassion.
Finding Freedom – Diversity in Community
NSW has a proud history of welcoming and settling people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds.
Since 2015, more than 40,000 refugees and people seeking asylum have permanently settled in NSW.
Refugee Week 2025 is about the vital role community plays in all our lives, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, language, disability, sexuality and age.
Refugees risk everything to escape oppression and find safety. In their new homes, community becomes a lifeline. It offers safety, belonging, and the possibility to rebuild.
'...the perfect response to ‘cultural diversity’ can be as simple as trying to understand someone a little different from yourself.'
Our Deputy CEO, James Jegasothy shares his settlement journey from Sri Lanka to Parkes, Central NSW and beyond.
“I’ve always believed that diversity doesn’t automatically lead to a sense of community. We all know of the great benefits diversity provides, particularly socially and economically, but I am talking about inclusion and belonging.”
NSW Settlement Strategy
Multicultural NSW is proud to work with communities to improve the experience of people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds as they build their lives in NSW.
Multicultural NSW has heard directly from people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds living in NSW about how NSW Government can support successful settlement.
The NSW Settlement Strategy was developed based on what we learned. The Strategy, led by Multicultural NSW, brings together existing and new NSW Government initiatives to improve settlement outcomes for people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds living in NSW.
Read the NSW Settlement Strategy
A summary document is also available in 17 languages.
