Race Discrimination Commissioner, Mr Giridharan Sivaraman
Meet Giridharan Sivaraman, Race Discrimination Commissioner, advocating for rights and inclusion. Learn about racism and take action.
Race Discrimination
The escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and addressing the impacts in our communities
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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, delivered a powerful statement last week raising the urgency of the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“The war in Gaza must end. Clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, including war crimes and possibly other crimes under international law, have been committed by all parties. It is time – well past time – for peace, investigation and accountability,” he said.
Giridharan Sivaraman commences as Race Discrimination Commissioner
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Australia’s new Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, said a united approach to anti-racism was essential if our society is to better address and ultimately dismantle systemic racial discrimination in all its forms.
Commissioner Sivaraman, who commenced in the role today, said his immediate priority will be to progress a National Anti-Racism Framework as a central reference point to help guide Australia’s collective efforts to comprehensively combat racism.
Anti-racism grant to support communities affected by war in Gaza
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The Australian Human Rights Commission will undertake further anti-racism work to support communities in Australia affected by the war in Gaza and the Middle East, supported by a $2 million grant from the Commonwealth.
The grant responds to an increase in racism targeting Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, and Jewish communities within Australia since the outbreak of the conflict.
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.
'Racism in Sport' - Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture 2023
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Hundreds of people around the country gathered with experts to discuss one of the most pressing issues of our time: "Racism in Sport." The 2023 oration was delivered by Ellen Van Neerven, an award-winning writer of Mununjali (Yugambeh language group – South East Queensland) and Dutch heritage.
A panel discussion on racism in sport followed the oration, moderated by Laurie Lawira, a senior producer and reporter for SBS World News. Alongside Ellen Van-Neerven, the panel was comprised of several leading experts; Kyah Simon, Karen Farquharson and Molina Asthana.
Australia's human rights progress
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Australia is widely considered the land of the "fair go".
And while that may ring true for many people, not all in our country are yet afforded the dignity and basic rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
As the final episode in our series commemorating the Declaration’s 75th anniversary explores, its promise in Australia remains a “work in progress”.
Learn more about our series here.
What does 'human rights' mean to you?
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10 December 2023 marked 75 years since the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In this first of a 5-part video series commemorating the anniversary from a local perspective, we hear from a diverse group of Australians about what human rights means to them.
The Commission acknowledges this series comes at a time of major global crises. It is in the pursuit of peace, justice, and equality that we discover our common ground.
Now, more than ever, it’s time to promote and protect human rights.
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.
Australia’s human rights champions put social justice and equality centre stage
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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).