Humanitarian groups and the opposition are urging the Abbott government to increase its intake of refugees from Syria, amid warnings of the worst human crisis for almost a quarter of a century. Department documents reveal the federal government stopped adding UN approved refugees to its resettlement waiting list for four months last year.
Refugees living in the community on Manus Island can expect the right to work in the coming months – they currently have to work rights and are subject to a 6pm curfew.
A new wave of arrivals in Turkey has pushed the total number of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries to over four million people. An additional 7.6 million are displaced within Syria. A UNHCR report predicted the number of asylum seekers arriving in Europe will double before the end of the year. Over one third of these arrivals are from Syria. The Greek financial crisis is putting at risk the ability to pay for humanitarian supplies.
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