Society Spotlight: University Of Canberra Refugee Action Club (UC RAC)
By Angela Woolnough
Students supporting and advocating for refugees
The University of Canberra (UC) is distinctive for many reasons, being in the top 10 for reducing inequalities (THE Impact Rankings, 2024). With this comes a diverse range of students. The students range in age, ethnicity, religion and more. With this diversity comes a range of clubs and communities.
I recently had the opportunity to connect with the president of UC Refugee Action Club (UC RAC), Farizma Shawkat, to understand the purpose of the club, its goals and achievements. 2025 has been a big year for the club so far, rebuilding it to greatness and planning for the future ahead.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) defines a refugee as “someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” (UNHCR)
Until very recently, Australia managed applications from those seeking asylum via the “Fast Track” visa system. Fast Track was introduced by the former Coalition Government in 2014, who claimed the policy would make the process of gaining a visiting visa faster by triaging the caseload and ensuring rapid assessment, rapid review, and rapid removal. Unfortunately, this policy has slowed the process down instead of making it faster as promised. This policy has made it harder to get a visa, causing people to be stuck in ‘limbo’ while they wait for the application process. The process involves applying for a visa, and for most, they end up having to appeal and wait for a court date. The refugees get stuck on bridging visas which need to be renewed every six months (Amnesty International 2025). Farizma spoke about these issues and how the bridging visa doesn't always grant entitlements to work or study, while the applicant waits for an outcome.
Many refugees have been stuck in offshore detention centres on Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Christmas island. This is due to a policy that turns away those who seek asylum by boat, put into place first in 2001, and revived and reinforced in 2013. In 2022, Anthony Albanese stated in an interview that he supports the offshore process system and boat turnbacks. The majority of refugees cannot go home and get stuck in these centres waiting for the application process.
This is all important information to know, as it is part of the reason for the UC RAC club’s existence. The UC Refugee Action club has a purpose to educate UC students on issues that affect refugees, inhumane policies, relevant campaigns and protests, and how to get involved.
UC RAC have attended an event at ANU called, “Campaigns against racism & the music they inspired”. The event was a public talk that reviewed past campaigns such as fight against racism, struggle for civil rights, Rock Against Racism, and the movement for justice of refugees, and what music was inspired by and inspired these campaigns.
UC Refugee stories was an event held by UC RAC on 20th Feb this year featuring Piume, an alumna of UC who was in limbo for 13 years. The event was held to hear about her struggles with the Australian immigration system.
UC RAC also held an event prior to Palm Sunday at which they decorated and made signs to take with them to the “Say Yes to Refugees” rally. This is an annual rally where activists speak up and demand change.
Partnering with UC Run Club, UC RAC hosted the Big Walk 4 Refugees. An event where they walked, jogged and ran, logging their steps to raise awareness and to help make change.
The club also attends meetings with Canberra Refugee Action Campaign, ANU’s RAC club, and host their own meetings to keep members up to date with issues around the world, events, and any relevant news updates. They use these meetings to gain knowledge, educate, update, and create a sense of community and involvement.
Farizma says that University of Canberra has done a good job so far, hosting many refugee students, having a scholarship for refugees, and hosting refugee day on the 12th of June. But more could be done to help refugees as even these programs have downsides.
There is also a program, not affiliated with UC or government called Companion House, that helps with counselling, housing and more for refugees. Working with children and adults who seek safety in Australia, offering access to services that respect, empower and promote recovery. Their services are free of charge.
You don’t have to be a member of the club to participate, although it is a great way to get the best information and involvement opportunities. UC RAC has an Instagram page (@ucrefugeeaction) that helps get people involved and keep both members and non-members informed. UC RAC aims to spread as much information as they can. Farizma said that even telling one friend about issues affecting refugees can make a difference, and the more people in Australia who know the struggles of refugees, the better.
Farizma spoke about her experience with the club so far, stating how amazing the people and experiences have been. Knowing she’s speaking up and being involved in the community has made the time she has committed to the club worthwhile. She has high hopes for the club and its ambitions. Farizma said that young people are the future and the more we get involved, the more our voices can make a change. Farizma hopes even after she graduates that the club will thrive and she will get to watch it flourish as an alumna.
UC RAC aims to build the club and community throughout 2025 and into the future. Their plans include hosting a stall for O-week and collaborating with UC Queer club to host a movie night. They plan to get the club to be more active, host and attend more social events, and continue their meetings at Share Tea on campus. A larger goal is to meet with Vice-Chancellor Bill Shorten, to gather support and achieve more for the refugees of Australia.
If you’d like to learn more, please head to the Instagram page for UC RAC, or the Canberra Refugee Action Campaign page!
https://www.instagram.com/ucrefugeeaction/
Reference list
Amnesty International (2025). Fast Track Explained: Australia must give permanent protection to people seeking asylum. [online] Amnesty International Australia. Available at: https://www.amnesty.org.au/fast-track-explained/.
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. (n.d.). Fast facts about the Fast Track refugee determination system. [online] Available at: https://asrc.org.au/fastfacts/.
Chia, J. (2019). Statistics on boat arrivals and boat turnbacks. [online] https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/. Available at: https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/asylum-boats-statistics/2/.
Promise check: No one who attempts to come to Australia by boat without a valid visa will be resettled in Australia. (2023). ABC News. [online] 19 May. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-19/promise-check-no-resettlment-in-australia-asylum-seekers-boats/101786380.
UNHCR (2024). What Is a Refugee? Definition and Meaning. [online] Unrefugees.org. Available at: https://www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/what-is-a-refugee/.
www.refugeecouncil.org.au. (2024). Australia’s asylum policies. [online] Available at: https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/asylum-policies/8/.