Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Australia has obligations to protect the human rights of all asylum seekers who arrive in Australia
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Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Immigration detention and human rights
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Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Commission urges immediate action on COVID-19 risk to people in immigration detention
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Commissioners call for compassionate decision on Tamil family
Australia's Human Rights Commissioner and National Children's Commissioner have welcomed the release of the Murugappan family from closed immigration detention on Christmas Island into community detention. However, the decision does not resolve the family’s long-term future. The Commission has long...
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Media Statement: Federal Court improves pathways to protection for more than a thousand asylum seekers taken to Ashmore reef
More than 1,000 asylum seekers have a greater ability to apply for protection in Australia following a landmark judgment by the Federal Court on Tuesday. “When a person seeks asylum in Australia, it’s vital that their application be processed quickly, fairly and transparently. This judgment will...
Meet the Commissioner
Edward Santow
Edward Santow has been Human Rights Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission since August 2016.
Ed leads the Commission’s work on detention and implementing the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT); refugees and migration; human rights issues affecting LGBTI people; counter-terrorism and national security; technology and human rights; freedom of expression; and freedom of religion.
Ed’s areas of expertise include human rights, public law and discrimination law. He is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), and serves on a number of boards and committees, including the Australia Pro Bono Centre.
