Inquiries and reviews
We sometimes hold national inquiries to look at human rights problems or specific issues in detail. Find out more about our inquiries.
What is an inquiry?
An inquiry looks at human rights problems, and helps the Commission:
- understand problems
- listen to the public and
- give advice to help improve policies, practices, laws and rules.
When the Commission hold inquiries, we actively seek submissions for our inquiries, projects and conversations from a broad cross section of the community.
Inquiries may focus on topics like
- Indigenous Rights – including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and related treaties.
- Discrimination and Equality – covering age, gender, disability, race, religion, and LGBTIQ+ rights.
- Children and Families – including children’s rights, domestic violence, and parental leave.
- Justice and Law – covering criminal justice, juvenile justice, prisoners’ rights, and counter-terrorism.
- Immigration and Refugees – including asylum seekers, multiculturalism, and social inclusion.
- Workplace Rights – including bullying, harassment, pay equity, and women in leadership.
- Health and Wellbeing – covering mental health, housing, and access to healthcare.
- Digital and Emerging Issues – including cyber racism, climate change, and business and human rights.
- Human Rights Education and Policy – including human rights laws, education, and international reviews.
- broader human rights frameworks
- and more.
Inquiries
Inquiries into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues
Stolen Children Inquiry (1997)
One of the inquiries the Commission is best known for is the 1997 inquiry into the removal of children from Indigenous families, also known as the Stolen Generation.
- Report of the Inquiry- Bringing them home.
Indigenous Deaths in Custody (1996)
The Commission prepared a report for the Indigenous Deaths in Custody Inquiry.
Inquiries into disability rights issues
Willing to Work (2015)
The right to work is a fundamental human right, but one that far too many older people and people with disability in Australia do not enjoy. The Inquiry found that too many people are shut out of work because of underlying assumptions, stereotypes or myths associated with their age or disability.
Current exemption applications
Previous Inquiries
- National Inquiry into Employment and Disability (2004-2006)
- Mental health consultations (2005)
- Assistance animals other than guide dogs (2003)
- Wheelchair accessible taxis (2002)
- Captioned Movies Inquiry (2001)
- Access to election procedures (2000)
- Assistance animals and health and hygiene regulations (2000)
Reports and documents from inquiries conducted by the Commission prior to establishment of our website in 1996 are generally not available in electronic form. However, some materials from the 1993 National Inquiry into the Human Rights of People with a Mental Illness is available here in view of the continuing importance of the findings and recommendations of this inquiry.
Inquiries into sex and gender issues
- Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (2020)
- National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces (2018)
- University of New England College Review (2018)
- National university student survey on sexual assault and sexual harassment (2017)