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The Medevac Bill

The Australian Parliament has made history and passed legislation that provides sick people on Manus and Nauru with life-saving medical treatment.

On 13 February, a “coalition of consciousness” in the Australian Parliament passed the Medevac Bill to ensure doctors, not politicians, determine when and how people on Manus and Nauru receive medical treatment.

The humanitarian emergency

After being detained for close to six years, men and women have been denied doctors and appropriate medical care for up to two to five years. Medicines Sans Frontiers describes the current medical situation as a humanitarian emergency where people have rapidly deteriorating physical and mental health.

This win belongs to us

Together in our thousands we ensured bipartisan support people’s health to come before politics. This win belongs to you, to us, to Behrouz and Aziz, and all of the men, women and children who have survived offshore processing.

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre CEO Kon Karapanagiotidis shares his reflections on the campaign win and how we got there.

What’s next 
This has been a huge campaign win but we are not there yet. Please stay up to date on the medical treatment of people on Manus on Nauru, and pledge to campaign with us this federal election to change the policy on asylum.

Come together to campaign this federal election

Burning questions on the Medevac Bill? Advocacy Director, Jana Favero, breaks it down.

Medevac Bill explained

A message from our CEO – a historic win in Australian Parliament for the health and safety of people on Manus and Nauru.

CEO message

The ASRC’s five policy positions form our vision for asylum in Australia and is the basis for our #ChangeThePolicy campaign.

Policy positions

Current Campaigns

Youth Action Project

Recognizing that voices of people with a lived experience of seeking asylum are often absent from the debate, this program trains young advocates to tell their own story.

Get Involved

#Roof Over My Head

Minister Dutton is cutting support services for more than 12,500 people, including elderly, families with children and students who now face homelessness. Together let’s restore support for all people seeking asylum to rebuild their lives.

Take action

#RightTrack

#RightTrack is a community-led movement of people having powerful conversations and taking local action to shift community attitudes and advocate for safety, fairness and freedom for people seeking asylum, resourced by the ASRC.

Get involved

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    Need help from the ASRC? Call 03 9326 6066 or visit us: Mon-Tue-Thur-Fri 10am -5pm. Closed on Wednesdays.



The ASRC would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation as traditional owners and custodians of the land on which the ASRC stands. We acknowledge that the land was never ceded and we pay our respect to them, their customs, their culture, to elders past and present and to their emerging leaders.

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Renovations at ASRC and Changes to Services

What is happening? 

The ASRC is renovating our centre and our main entrance will be closed from Monday 6 May to Wednesday 26 June.  

How to access the centre? 

There will be a new entrance through the Innovation Hub door on Nicholson Street. 

What is changing?

The ASRC will need to make some changes during this time:

  • Unable to serve hot meals at lunch time from Monday 6 May to Wednesday 26 June. 
  • Frozen meals may be available for you and your family to take home.
  • The Centre will be closed at lunch time from 12.45 PM to 1.30 PM
  • Legal assistance is by phone only, unless you have an appointment confirmed in writing. If you are seeking legal advice, please call 03 9274 9889 between 10am and 12.30pm, weekdays except Wednesday. 

There may be longer waiting times for our drop in services. If you do not need to come to the centre, please delay your visit for as long as you can or call us on 03 9326 6066. 

Information on opening hours for all ASRC services and other services can be found on our ‘Get Help’ pages at https://asrc.org.au/get-help/

What is staying the same?

  • Foodbank 
  • The Health Clinic 
  • Women's Empowerment, Education and Employment Services
  • Access to existing on-site appointments with our legal team  

Where else can you go for support? 

If we cannot help you on the day, or if you do not wish to wait, more information about other services can be found on our ‘Get Help’ pages at  https://asrc.org.au/get-help/. 

If you have an emergency, please call 000 - People seeking asylum will not be charged for ambulance services. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing distress and requires crisis support, please call Lifeline  on  13 11 14 or text Lifeline on 0477 131 114. 

If you are seeking support about domestic or sexual violence, please contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. 

If you are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, call 1800 825 955

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