Commission – General
President speech: The National Human Rights Consultation: Outcomes
Discover a speech on the outcomes of the National Human Rights Consultation.
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Commission – General
Commission – General
The Admission and Exclusion of Asylum Seekers Conference
Discover a speech on asylum seekers.
Commission – General
National Human Rights Institutions
The Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (hereafter the Australian Human Rights Commission) is one of the oldest National Human Rights Institutions in the Asia Pacific region. It was originally established in 1981 as the Human Rights Commission and then restructured in 1986 to become the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. It is a founding member and a strong supporter of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions.
Commission – General
President speeches: Protecting the human rights of Indigenous people and communities
I would like to acknowledge the Kaurna peoples, the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today, and pay my respects to their elders past and present.
Commission – General
Presentation at the Governor’s Leadership Foundation Forum
HREOC is a statutory body independent of government. While our main function is to promote an understanding and acceptance of human rights in Australia, we are also charged with the responsibilities of investigating, and attempting to conciliate complaints of unlawful discrimination under the federal Racial Discrimination Act 1975, the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Age Discrimination Act 2004.1 HREOC also has specific responsibilities to report annually to Parliament on the enjoyment of human rights of Indigenous Australians.
Commission – General
2022 Human Rights Day Oration by Larissa Behrendt
"No More Just Tinkering at the Edges" Human Rights Day Oration by Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO 9 December 2022 I pay my respects to the Gadigal and the Elders who have kept knowledge on this country and shared so generously this unceded land. Before I start, I would like to thank the...
Commission – General
President speech: How human rights can promote the wellbeing of children in Australia
Discover a speech on promoting children's wellbeing through human rights.
Commission – General
The Death Penalty - a matter of principle
It is almost 40 years since the last man was hanged in Australia. Today, the death penalty has been abolished in every Australian jurisdiction. Opposition to the death penalty attracts bi-partisan political support. Yet in a region where many of our closest neighbours still maintain the death penalty, I believe Australia can - and should - take a stronger stand against state sanctioned execution.
Commission – General
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This session focuses primarily on relationships between National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI’s) and the Judiciary, but as well touches on their relationship with officers of the executive government such as the Attorney-General. One of the stated aims of this session is to assess how the independent institutions of the judiciary and NHRI’s can mutually and independently strengthen national protection systems for human rights.
Commission – General
President speech: National Human Rights Consultation: ‘The Great Debate’
My role today is to talk about what a Human Rights Act for Australia might look like and to address some of the arguments that have been made against an Act of this kind being adopted.
Commission – General
In defence of human rights
I would like to acknowledge that we are meeting on the traditional country of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and pay my respects to their elders past and present.
Commission – General
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The theme of this Conference - Human Rights and Equality for Women in the 21st Century - is rich fare for any time of the day. It calls for speculation about the future and assessment of the past; it invites fresh perspectives and challenges the imagination; it asks for re-examination of motives and goals.
Commission – General
Enhancing Equality: Reforming Anti-Discrimination Laws to Make Australia Fairer
I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Wurundjeri people, and I pay my respects to their elders past and present.