In the community
An asylum seeker, who had waited 13 years for an invitation to apply for permanent residence, was killed in Sydney on the same day that his visa invitation was issued. Doctors in Sydney have expressed alarm at the number of asylum seekers who are ineligible for Medicare, causing health complications that could have been avoided with early access to a GP.
In detention
Due to the number of escapes under MTC’s management, the contractor introduced a new policy that all detainees will be handcuffed while off site. The Saturday Paper published an account of the worsening conditions in detention under MTC.
In PNG
The owner of a PNG hotel that houses refugees who were sent there under Australia’s offshore system, claims his business is owed $11 million in unpaid rent.
International
As the war in Sudan enters its third year, Al Jazeera published an account of the situation people there are experiencing. More than 250 Rohingya refugees were feared drowned after a boat sank in the Andaman sea. The UNHCR estimates around 900 Rohingya people drowned at sea during 2025, totalling around 5,000 drownings in the past decade. FIFA announced that an exiled Afghanistan women’s football team will be permitted to play in official international tournaments.
In policy
SBS World News published a long-form interview with The Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. The UNSW Kaldor Centre published its submission to Home Affairs discussion paper on the 2026-2027 humanitarian program.
New releases and events
We will Decide, Episode 3 of the new ABC series Judgment: Cases that changed Australia, available on ABC iview