What is the Commission doing during COVID-19?
Rights and Freedoms
Since the start of COVID-19 the Commission has:
- Provided advice directly to the federal government, various committees and key organisations to ensure measures to combat COVID-19 protect peoples’ human rights now and advance them in the recovery phase.
- Continued to investigate and conciliate complaints and provide our National Information Service throughout the pandemic to those facing discrimination on matters related to COVID-19 and otherwise.
- Developed reports on COVID-19 human rights related issues, including:
- Our Commissioners have been working closely with organisations on the frontline, advocating on their behalf to government and continuing our vital work of helping to make marginalised voices heard.
- The Commission has also continued its usual work throughout COVID-19, starting several new major projects, including an independent review of Gymnastics in Australia, a racial equality review of Basketball Australia, Implementing OPCAT in Australia, and a nationwide elder abuse awareness campaign.
The Commission publishes regular updates on what we are up to in the ‘News’ section of our website. We also have a monthly e-newsletter that you can subscribe to here.
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Further detail
Since the start of COVID-19, the Commission has advised the federal government, various committees and key organisations on a broad range of human rights topics including:
- the privacy protections of the COVIDSafe App.
- the gendered impact of the pandemic and economic response measures to address this
- the mental health impacts on children.
- measures to build social cohesion and combat the scourge of racism in the community.
- the increased risk to older people of elder abuse and employment discrimination during COVID-19.
- the vulnerability of people in immigration detention and of temporary visa holders in the community
- community solutions to keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples safe, and
- guidance for health and disability care providers for persons with disability.
- Some of our Commissioners also take part in pandemic-related Committees:
- Disability Discrimination Commissioner Dr Ben Gauntlett is also a member of the federal government’s Advisory Committee on Health Emergency Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) for People with Disability.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar sits on the Kimberley Sustainable Regions Advisory Committee.
