Want to volunteer with us?
All currently open positions are advertised via the button below.
The ASRC was founded in 2001 by Kon Karapanagiotidis, who was at the time a lecturer in welfare studies at the Victoria University of Technology.
Starting as a small food bank, the range of services offered quickly grew due to keen interest from volunteers and a demand for services from people seeking asylum. As Kon explains:
“I remember how a few beautiful English teachers from a local university showed up and said “We can teach English – do you need English classes?” – and that’s how the ESL program was born. I remember Joan Lynn, reception volunteer from 2001 to present, working in our front reception, a tiny space where we were also running legal triage, drop in case work, English classes and medical help. It was all done in this small, open space with windows that wouldn’t open, with one computer that had a virus on it.
“At the time our legal team consisted of myself, a young man named Malik, who was a Pakistani refugee himself who we had helped get out of detention, and a legal student, Anita. The three of us would run the legal clinic and provide people seeking asylum with representation”.
“Back then, nothing had a plan to it, but it always had a purpose. We learned so many lessons around how when you have nothing to lose, but the people you support stand to lose everything, it infuses you with fearlessness and relentlessness and it spurs you to keep doing what is right. Every time a need would come up, like when someone would turn up without Medicare… we just needed to respond. I remember taking a student on placement and saying to them “You’re starting the first health service for people seeking asylum in Victoria, that’s your social work placement”. Two weeks later, it was up and running. By April 2002, Dr. Karen Phelps was in a 9 m2 room with a tiny desk officially launching the first ASRC Health Clinic.
“We took more students on placement, and one started an Employment service, another a casework service, another a counselling service. We just responded. And it was all done by volunteers.
“So many of the programs, a decade on, were still run by volunteers. 90% of what we see at the ASRC today is a perpetuation of what was already in place by 2004. It has been subject to growth and expansion, but it was all started by the volunteers who believed in us at an early stage. It was a time of incredible innovation, when everything was possible.
“The ASRC was, and still is, both a community and a movement. What has been so exceptional about it is that people feel like they are being trusted to do good. What has stood out about our volunteers from day one was how hungry people are to help. Our volunteers have always been fearless and passionate. They roll up their sleeves and get into it; volunteer lawyers, volunteer nurses, volunteer law students, volunteer teachers. People willing to do whatever it takes to help.
“The only reason the ASRC works is because of its volunteers. Volunteers bring a diversity of life experience, flexibility, adaptability, innovation and passion. They bring their best selves. All these volunteers who allow us to scale and innovate, to make a difference in the lives of people seeking asylum. No matter what tasks they are given, our volunteers are everyday people, taking on tasks with willingness and bravery. We have moved 6 times and refurbished buildings, every time these tasks were done by volunteers. Our current home in Footscray was refurbished in 40 working bees over 6 months, all done by volunteers. 600 people I had never met, from all walks of life, all volunteered to get the centre fit for purpose.
“I love that we have been able to tap into the goodness and capacity to give of people in this country, and that the ASRC is truly built on the trailblazing work of all our volunteers over the years.”
All currently open positions are advertised via the button below.
The Government has announced it will provide pathways for TPV/SHEV holders and TPV/SHEV applicants to
be assessed for RoS visas. RoS visas are permanent visas that allow holders to live, work and study in Australia,
access government services such as Medicare and Centrelink, and sponsor eligible family members for
permanent residence.
Click here for Permanent Visa Pathways for TPV/SHEV Holders & Applicants Fact Sheet
The Fact Sheet is also available in: Dari – Urdu – Arabic – Tamil
⚠️ IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR OUR COMMUNITY: END OF YEAR CLOSURE ⚠️
The ASRC in Footscray and the Refugee Resource Hub in Dandenong will be closed to the public from December 22nd, 5pm to January 9th, 10am, with two exceptions:
Services available on the two open days:
If you are a donor and want to donate food or material items, please do so when we reopen on January 9th. Learn more
If you want to make a financial donation to the ASRC, please visit here.
The ASRC will return to normal operating hours (10am – 5pm, Monday to Friday) on Monday, January 9th, 2023
Need more information about services available from the ASRC or other community organisations? Please visit here.
Find this information in Urdu, Arabic, Tamil, Persian, Dari, Vietnamese
Thanks for your interest in supporting the ASRC Telethon on World Refugee Day, Monday 20th June.
Complete this form with your details and we will send you an email reminder before the event as well as alerts throughout the day when key activities happen.
Please note: all requests submitted to the Marketing Services Model will not be worked on until 1 July 2022 to allow the team space to focus on projects such as the Winter Appeal and Telethon.
You are welcome to submit requests and we’d love to support – we ask that you please supply a reasonable due date, keeping in mind we will not tend to the request until July. Thank you!
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners across Australia and pay respect to their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. We acknowledge sovereignty of the lands upon which we work and live have never been ceded.
The centre is OPEN again from Tuesday 11th – Friday 14th (10am – 5pm).
We will return to normal operating hours (10am – 5pm, Monday – Friday), from Monday 17th of January onwards.
The centre is OPEN again from Tuesday 11th – Friday 14th (10am – 5pm).
We will return to normal operating hours (10am – 5pm, Monday – Friday), from Monday 17th of January onwards.
You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/
If you applied for a TPV or SHEV visa between 2015 and 2017 and have not already attended a Protection visa interview with the Department, please contact the ASRC urgently for legal assistance. CALL: Fast track hotline 0422035324 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or email legal@asrc.org.au
The application interview is your only chance to explain your case to the Department. Update your contact details with the Department to receive your Interview Invitation (the ASRC can also help you do this).
Click here to learn more (Info sheet Fast Track interviews).
Click here to read info sheet in other languages.
“I can’t erase racism by myself. It’s only if we all come together to accept that there is an issue and work together that we can make a change.”
Prudence Melom, founder and CEO of E-RACED
“Growing in a refugee camp and experiencing hardship from a young age I felt very misunderstood among my peers in Australia. Kids my age did not understand why my skin was darker, they didn’t understand why my accent was a little different and they didn’t understand why I came to Australia.
“I was inspired to start E-RACED after experiencing first hand the effects of racism in this country and the power of sharing my story to completely change people’s attitudes. Never underestimate the power of one-on-one interactions and sharing stories to change the world.”
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Connect with us
Need help from the ASRC? Call 03 9326 6066 (Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm) to book an appointment.