Shabnam Safa, a passionate advocate for refugee rights and community inclusion, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division as part of the King’s Birthday 2025 Honours List.
The honour recognises her service to the community through refugee support organisations and her unwavering commitment to reshaping how refugees are supported and heard in Australia.
A proud Hazara Afghan woman who arrived in Australia as a 15-year-old refugee, Safa has transformed her lived experience of forced displacement into a powerful platform for systemic change. Her work spans grassroots initiatives, policy advocacy, and strategic leadership on government boards and civil society organisations.
Currently serving as National Training Lead at Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia, Safa is driving a community-led model of refugee resettlement that empowers local communities to welcome and support new arrivals. She is also the inaugural Chairperson of the National Refugee-led Advisory and Advocacy Group (NRAAG), amplifying refugee voices in decisions that directly affect them.
Her impressive portfolio includes key roles at the Centre for Multicultural Youth, where she served as Director and Project Officer, and at the Noor Foundation, which she co-founded to support refugee and migrant women. She has served on the Metropolitan Partnerships Board (Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions), the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, and advisory committees for the City of Casey and Victorian Refugee Health Network.
Safa’s dedication has been widely recognised. She was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2021 and previously received the Community Service Award from the Federal Electorate of Holt and Sportsperson of the Year from the City of Casey. Her leadership is rooted in creating genuine partnerships between marginalised communities and systems of power to foster lasting change.
The King’s Birthday 2025 Honours List celebrates 830 outstanding Australians, marking a 30% increase in awardees since the Australia Day Honours. Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC praised recipients for embodying “the values of care, kindness and respect,” and hailed their “extraordinary contributions with passion, generosity, energy, and resolve.”
Governor-General Mostyn, in announcing this year’s list, praised the honourees for their “passion, generosity, energy and resolve”, and noted the growing recognition of public service excellence across the country. “These honours recognise the selfless service, integrity, achievement, creativity, and care that flourish across our country,” she said.
““Every day, and all across the country, Australians are doing extraordinary things with passion, generosity, energy, and resolve. … I look forward to meeting many of you at the investiture of your awards.”
In coming months, honourees will be presented with their awards at investiture ceremonies held at Government House in their respective states and territories.
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