Tasmanian Refugee Legal Service

09/06/2026

Last night 7.30 shone a spotlight on homelessness amongst non-residents who have slipped through the cracks.

One such story was from Nepalese national Shree, who arrived in Australia through an arranged marriage. Shree experienced family violence and coercive control. After having a child, her Australia citizen husband cancelled her visa, leaving her homeless and with limited access support services.

Shree ended up at a women's shelter where they assisted her to apply for a permanent visa exercising domestic violence provisions. The current processing time is 17 months, leaving her in limbo for the foreseeable future.

Shree's story unfolded in Sydney but is happening here in Tasmania too. Last year we assisted 54 temporary-visa holders who experienced family violence. They shared similar stories to Shree of violence, coercion and feeling stuck because of their visa situation.

Our Family Violence Migration Service plays a unique role in Tasmania’s response to family violence.

A man dies. His body is not noticed for nearly a week. He was invisible to many, like the growing number of homeless Australia wide.

09/06/2026

"𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑜ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑑'𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦'𝑠 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑎 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝟏𝟐 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡."

Two years ago, Mohammed's world changed. After years of fighting for him and his family, Pat, TRLS CEO, shared the news that Mohammed had been waiting over a decade to hear.

Mohammed's story was exceptionally covered by ABC News (link in the comments).

This tax time, your support can help people like Mohammed rebuild their lives here in Tasmania. To donate, visit our website, head to the comments for the link or find it in our bio.

28/05/2026

Today we welcomed the Governor of Tasmania, Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC, and her husband, Emeritus Professor Don Chalmers AO, to our office. Our team shared more about our work and the challenges the refugee community face, while Her Excellency spoke about her time as a barrister and Federal Circuit Court judge. It was a wonderful morning, and we are grateful for the time spent with us.

26/05/2026

𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐃𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘

To kickstart our tax appeal, a generous donor has pledged to match all gifts up to $5,000.

Tasmanian refugee families remain separated from loved ones through no fault of their own. From Afghanistan to Ethiopia to Myanmar, spouses, children and siblings dream of being together, safe in Tasmania.

The immigration system is complex, but your support enables our lawyers to be the bridge between systems, cultures, and futures.

Because we believe that everyone has the right to a safe place to live and safe way to get there.

Your support can lead to amazing things.

Donate by:
👉 Clicking the link in our bio
👉 Checking the comments for the link
👉 Head directly to our website

18/05/2026

To celebrate Law Week, we have put together this podcast discussing the Refugee Convention and claims for asylum based on sexual orientation.

This podcast is for service providers, referral partners, multicultural communities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and anyone interesting in learning more about the legal process and how people can claim asylum based on sexual orientation.

Find the link in the comments 👇

14/05/2026

The 2026 Tasmanian Transcultural Mental Health Network (TTMHN) Annual Forum will take place in Hobart on Tuesday 16 June 2026, at the C3 Convention Centre, on the theme of “The Impact of Global Conflict on Mental Health.”

This free, full day forum will bring together mental health professionals, community and settlement workers, educators, service leaders, people with lived experience, and community members to explore how global conflict affects mental health and wellbeing across diverse communities in Tasmania.

The forum will examine the mental health impacts of war, displacement, trauma, family separation, and ongoing uncertainty, with a particular focus on refugee and conflict-affected populations. Presentations and discussions will highlight trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and strengths-based approaches to practice, along with implications for frontline services and cross-sector collaboration.

The day will include expert keynote presentations, lived experience contributions, interactive workshops, and opportunities for arts-based expression and reflection, supporting shared learning and connection across sectors.

01/05/2026

28/04/2026

𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐬

Every quarter our lawyers travel up to Launceston and run family reunification clinics where community members who are seeking to bring family to safety in Tasmania can receive one-on-one free legal advice.

These clinics are part of our commitment to make our expertise more accessible to the refugee community in the north. Last month, a number of clients mainly from the Afghan community received free legal advice to help start or progress their family reunification applications.

We would like to thank our partner, Cape Hope Foundation, who provided the funding for this March clinic. Their vision is for a northern Tasmania that is connected and caring, which strongly aligns with the goal of these clinics. Thank you for helping us make this happen.

If you are seeking advice for family reunification matters, please contact us.

24/04/2026

The campaign is led by the Coalition of Community Service Peaks and is calling on the State Government to properly fund community services in the upcoming May budget.

The decisions made in this year’s Tasmanian Budget will determine whether people get support early or fall into preventable crisis.

Sign the petition and add your voice today.

Coalition of Community Service Peaks calls on the Government to

23/04/2026

𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔 is our quarterly newsletter that has hit inboxes this morning.

In this edition hear from TRLS CEO, Patrick O’Connor, as he pens an update on the Iran conflict; learn more about our Launceston family reunification community clinics and our Family Violence Migration Service; meet Daisy - one of our incredible lawyers who grew up in the shadows of Tasmania’s most recognisable convict settlements; and much more.

Subscribe now so you don't miss out on future updates (link in comments 👇).