To determine issues that affect newly resettled refugees in accessing an emergency department (ED).

We conducted a descriptive community survey using a semistructured questionnaire. Newly resettled refugees from the Middle East and Africa were interviewed, statistical analysis was performed, and standard content analysis methods were applied to free-text responses.

Emergency health-seeking behaviour, sociocultural barriers and beliefs about Australia’s emergency health services.

Half the African refugees (53/106) (50%), compared with only 15/49 (31%) of the Middle Eastern refugees, preferred an ED service over other forms of care for an urgent medical condition (P = 0.024). Qualitative data revealed that most newly resettled refugees understand how to use the emergency health services. However, while most indicated that they were able to make a call for emergency medical help, a substantial number of our respondents revealed that they were afraid to make such a call for fear of security implications, on the basis of experiences from their home countries.

Reasons for differences in preferences of health care access, and determining how best to educate the community on the use of ED services, warrant further investigation. From a policy perspective, the increasing health care needs of refugees need re-examination when planning health care provision to refugees.