Asylum Seeker Resource Centre marks 25 years and 1 million refugee stories with World Refugee Day Telethon

Amyl and the Sniffers, Clare Bowditch, Paul Dempsey, Lizzy Hoo, Tom Ballard, Leila Gurruwiwi, lehmo, Tarang Chawla, and more come together around countless stories to raise funds for World Refugee Day Telethon, powered by the ASRC

Melbourne, AUSTRALIA: This World Refugee Day, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) is celebrating “25 years. Countless Stories. One Community.”

On Saturday, 20 June, the World Refugee Day Telethon, powered by the ASRC, aims to recognise the one million refugee journeys that have shaped Australia, raise funds to enable the ASRC to continue providing critical services to people seeking asylum, and power the next stories from Australian refugees. Ambassadors for the campaign include Amyl and the Sniffers, Clare Bowditch, Paul Dempsey, Lizzy Hoo, Tom Ballard, Leila Gurruwiwi, lehmo, Tarang Chawla, Sashi Perera, Leila Gurruwiwi, Marieke Hardy, Leah Vandenberg, Madeleine West, Sharon Johal, and many more.

Commemorating ASRC’s 25 years of stories and community

For 25 years, the ASRC has been shaped by thousands of individual journeys of people seeking safety, rebuilding their lives and contributing to the communities around them. One of these people is Senada Suljagic, whose connection with ASRC stems from the early days of the organisation, when it operated from a small shop in Footscray, Melbourne.

As a child refugee fleeing the aftermath of the Bosnian war in 2000, Senada arrived in Melbourne with her mother, brother and grandmother after years of displacement across Europe. Senada and her family settled in Dandenong after years of uncertainty, and found it challenging to address basic needs, including buying groceries, setting up a home, and enrolling into school.

The ASRC not only provided food relief, but also experiences built on dignity. Rather than mixed hampers, the ASRC’s food relief services enable people to choose their own food that suits their culture, tastes, and routines. “It just felt like going shopping,” Senada recalled.

Over the years, Senada became a lawyer and chartered accountant, and now runs her own successful business advisory firm. As the ASRC’s 2026 Telethon Hero, she hopes her story helps others understand the lasting impact that practical support, dignity and community can have during the earliest stages of rebuilding a life.

Connecting Australians through “A Million Stories”

As Refugee Week 2026’s theme celebrates “A Million Stories”, the ASRC Telethon highlights that behind every story is a community that makes it possible. One million permanent humanitarian visas have been issued since 1947, and each of those visas represents a life, journey, and story that has contributed to Australian communities.

Kon Karapanagiotidis, CEO and Founder of the ASRC, said, “For 25 years, the ASRC has supported refugees and people seeking asylum, without ever taking federal government funding. We’ve been a grassroots organisation since day one, and are grateful to everyone who has supported our journey and cause throughout this quarter of a century. The World Refugee Day Telethon, powered by the ASRC, is a callout for donations and support so we can continue our work, as well as a celebration of the countless stories and the community that have played a critical role in enriching the Australia we know today.”

Ambassadors for the ASRC Telethon include Australians from all walks of life, who each believe in the importance and urgency of providing essential services and advocating for a fairer future for people seeking asylum.

The full list of ambassadors so far includes, Akosia, Alice Pung, Alicia Gardiner, Amyl and the Sniffers, Andy Griffiths, Andy Maher, Angela Pippos, Aurelia St Clair, Beau Busch, Ben Brown, Benjamin Law, Brian Nankervis, Charlotte George, Clare Bowditch, Danny McGinlay, Darren Purchese, Dhayanie Williams (Dee), Diana Nguyen, Dolly Diamond, Donna Sherwani, Erika Heynatz, Gary Lee, Georgia Irwin, Prof Gillian Triggs, GOLDHEIST, Gretel Killeen, Hamed Allahyari, Hannah Kent, Helly Raichura, Isadora Soliman, Jack River, Jane McCann, Jason “Dizzy” Gillespie, Josh Reid Jones, Judith Lucy, Keyma Vasquez Montero, Kishwar Chowdhury, Leah Vandenberg, lehmo, Leila Gurruwiwi, Lizzy Hoo, Luke Howard, Madeleine West, Marieke Hardy, Mary McGillivray, Melissa Leong, Milan Yeison, Millie Ross, Missy Higgins, Paul Dempsey, Pallavi Sharda, Dr. Preeya Alexander, Santilla Chingaipe, Saraid Taylor, Sashi Perera, Sebastian Lugo, Sharon Johal, Dr Susan Carland, Tamie Fraser, Tarang Chawla, Tasneem Chopra OAM, Tom Ballard, Tom Taylor, Zana Fraillon, and Zoe Daniel.

The World Refugee Day Telethon will be broadcast live from the ASRC in Footscray, Melbourne, from 7am to 11pm on Saturday June 20, 2026. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube as we are joined by celebrities, media personalities and partners to raise vital funds and awareness.

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How to Donate:
● Call 1300 692 772 (1300 MYASRC)
● Donate online at donate.asrc.org.au/telethon
● Bid on auction items at https://asrc.org.au/auction
● Text HOPE to 0476 000 111 to donate $25

Media contact:
Suzana Dewa
suzana.d@asrc.org.au
0433 257 067

About the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre:

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) is Australia’s largest independent human rights organisation providing support, advocacy and services for people seeking asylum. Since 2001, the ASRC has helped thousands of refugees access housing, healthcare, legal aid and community programs. It remains entirely independent, funded by public donations. For more information visit https://asrc.org.au/