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Civil and Political Rights

'Collateral Damage' Report Into Australia's COVID-19 Pandemic Response

This major new report about the COVID-19 pandemic by the Australian Human Rights Commission highlights how critical gaps in the emergency response could be improved upon in future crises.

Free and Equal: An Australian conversation on human rights

'Free and Equal' logo on top of a photo of a man looking out at mountains
What makes an effective system of human rights protection for 21st century Australia? What are we doing well and what steps do we still need to take?

COVID report provides reality check on human rights during pandemic  

Opinion piece from Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay responding to criticism of the Commision's recently released report Collateral Damage: What the untold stories from the COVID-19 pandemic reveal about human rights in Australia. 

Five years since COVID-19, there are lessons we must act on

The pandemic’s exposure of deep inequalities highlights the urgent need for human rights-centred emergency responses.

Commission launches COVID-19 pandemic response report

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The Commission has released a major new report about the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlights how critical gaps in the emergency response could be improved upon in future crises.

Australia must learn from COVID-19 response and prioritise human rights in future emergencies

Content type: Media Release
Published:
A major new report about the COVID-19 pandemic by the Australian Human Rights Commission has highlighted how critical gaps in the emergency response could be improved upon in future crises.

Explainer: New national and NSW hate crime laws

The Australian Government and NSW Government recently updated their hate crime laws. This explainer is designed to help readers better understand these changes and the potential human rights implications.

Explainer: Commission does not support the Migration Amendment Bill

The Australian Government has introduced new migration laws into Parliament to expand search and seizure powers in immigration detention centres. The Commission does not support the Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2024

Pandemic probe: Statistics can’t capture the loss of trust and confidence

The Covid-19 response inquiry report is an important first step, but there is much more that needs to be done if the government wants to start rebuilding public trust.

The number one lesson should be that response measures do not operate in a vacuum. The full human impact needs to be understood and human rights need to be embedded into future emergency responses.

The 877-page inquiry report has been more than a year in the making, delivering nine guiding recommendations and 26 immediate and medium-term actions to help improve Australia’s response to any future pandemic.

COVID Review a good start, but human toll must be recognised

The findings of a federal review into the country’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted more needs to be done by all levels of governments to acknowledge the human cost of the pandemic response and ultimately restore public trust, says Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner, Lorraine Finlay.