Over the years, the Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees (CARAD) has helped bring about positive, practical changes for people seeking asylum in Western Australia, enabling accessible education for their children, affordable healthcare and public transportation. None of it happened overnight and none of it would have been possible without the community standing behind us.
Here's a look at what that support has helped make possible:
Getting kids into school
Did you know that children of families seeking asylum faced international student fees of up to $40,000 a year, even for kindergarten? For most families, that put school out of reach. In 2017, with CARAD's advocacy helping to push for change, that dropped to just $1 a year. By 2020, the rules had changed again, so children could enrol just like any other local student. In 2022, TAFE and vocational training opened up too, with free and low-fee courses replacing the international rates that had kept further study out of reach.
Seeing a doctor without the fear of the bill
Before 2020, people seeking asylum without Medicare could be charged $300 for a single emergency department visit, $1,800 a night for a hospital bed, and between $5,000 and $8,000 to give birth. Now, essential public hospital care is free. In 2024, this went even further, with free care extended across public health services more broadly, from hospitals to pathology and specialist health support. This has had a life-changing impact on many people seeking asylum.
Getting around
In 2019, people seeking asylum who weren’t working full time became eligible for concession fares on public transport for the first time. It was a simple change, but it made a real difference to get to appointments, school or work.
Carolyne, a former CARAD client who now serves on our Board, has seen this first hand. ‘It was through CARAD's persistent advocacy that the policy regarding international school fees for asylum seekers was changed,’ she says. Her family was also among those who could finally access hospital care without facing bills they had no way of paying.
Carolyne's story is one of many. Behind each of these changes are people who chose to stand alongside CARAD, including our members, whose support gives our voice weight when it matters most. There's still more to do as we continue to fight for people seeking asylum to enjoy the same rights and entitlements as others in our community do. We'd love to have you join us.
Find out more about becoming a member at: carad.org.au/become-a-member