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Commission – General

March 2024: Commission news | President's letter

Commissioner June Oscar AO finishes her term as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Social Justice Commissioner early next month. Friday 8 March marks International Women’s Day, and Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody will attend the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York.

Commission welcomes new Age Discrimination Commissioner

The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomes the appointment of Robert Fitzgerald AM as the new Age Discrimination Commissioner.

“We are extremely delighted by this appointment. On behalf of staff and Commissioners, I warmly welcome Robert Fitzgerald as Age Discrimination Commissioner,” said Commission President, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM.

Commission welcomes new Race Discrimination Commissioner

The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomes the appointment of Giridharan Sivaraman as the new Race Discrimination Commissioner.

“We are very excited by this appointment. On behalf of the Commission, I would like to warmly welcome Giridharan Sivaraman to the role of Race Discrimination Commissioner,” said Commission President, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM.

Clean Slate Without Prejudice

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In 2009, boxing program ‘Clean Slate Without Prejudice’ was founded by First Nations leaders and local police to help curb youth crime in Redfern, Sydney. 

75 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created, it’s just one community-led initiative that’s empowering children and inspiring change. 

But Indigenous youth remain over-represented in Australia’s juvenile detention system - a major barrier in improving the human rights of First Nations people. 

Missing Perspectives

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “everyone is entitled” to all rights and freedoms, “without distinction of any kind”.  

But 75 years since its creation, disability rights advocate Hannah Diviney says Australia needs to do more to fulfill that promise.  

In episode 3 of our series commemorating the UDHR’s anniversary, hear the story of ‘Missing Perspectives’, a global news platform founded by Hannah and Phoebe Saintilin for marginalised young women.

How a milestone human rights document came to be

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It is considered one of the most important documents ever written in human history.

But how did the Universal Declaration of Human Rights shape Australia, and what does it still mean for us today?

In part two of our video series commemorating its 75th anniversary, we look at the Declaration's inception.

Learn more about our series here.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 75 Years On Video Series

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In a video series commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we hear from a diverse group of Australians about what human rights means to them and where our nation still needs to improve.

View the rest of the series here.

Positive duty for employers: Commission’s powers commence

Content type: Media Release
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The Commission has new regulatory powers to ensure Australian workplaces, organisations and businesses meet the positive duty requirements.

Australia’s human rights champions put social justice and equality centre stage

Content type: Media Release
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Women’s equity and racial equality advocate Juliana Nkrumah AM has been awarded the prestigious Human Rights Medal at the 2023 Australian Human Rights Awards in Sydney tonight.

Other awards went to Gabriel Osborne (Young People’s Award), Northern Pictures (Media and Creative Industries Award), Advocacy Tasmania (Community Award) and the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Law Award).

Attorney-General to deliver 2023 Human Rights Day Oration

Content type: Media Release
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Commonwealth Attorney-General the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP will deliver this year’s Human Rights Day Oration at the 2023 Australian Human Rights Awards in Sydney on 8 December.