APRRN works to influence policymakers in Australia and New Zealand on issues across the region, particularly in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and to highlight concerns that Australia and New Zealand should be raising through the Bali Process and the media. APRRN also supports Australian and New Zealand local, refugee-led and civil society organisations in their advocacy around ending Australia's practice of offshore detention centres, as well as increasing awareness of refugee rights amongst civil society in the two countries. Some of our current efforts: 

• Influence policymakers in New Zealand and Australia to support the further development of alternatives to detention and durable solutions for refugee youth in South East Asia.
• Engagement with the New Zealand Government to encourage its greater participation and leadership regionally and internationally in promoting refugee protection.
• Influence the Australian Government to take practical steps toward building a new protection-centred approach to engagement in Asia on refugee issues.
• Support civil society efforts to seek the closure of Australia’s offshore processing centres in Nauru.
• Continued support for New Zealand NGOs to conduct targeted advocacy to identified organisations to increase their focus toward non-quota refugees.

• 15 March: The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) launched the Refugee Alternatives webinars, in which experts with lived experience explore current global refugee protection. The first webinar took a deep dive into mass displacement in Africa (including Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan) by Adama Kamara (Deputy CEO of RCOA), Ahmad Shuja Jamal (Special Advisor at RCOA) provided insights and analysis on Afghanistan, Hafsar Tamesesuddin (Chair of APRRN) spoke on displacement from and in Myanmar. Chris Sidoti (former Australian Human Rights Commissioner) explored how these conflicts and the mass displacement relate and connect to Australia and what Australia should be expected to do.

• 30 March: RCOA published a report entitled, ‘The Federal Budget: What it means for refugees and people seeking humanitarian protection’, which covered the expansion of the Australian government’s refugee programme for Afghan refugees, the budget being spent on offshore detention facilities, the reduction in budget for resettlement services, and the government’s response to Ukrainian refugees.