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Immigration detention centre in dusty field
Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Immigration detention and human rights

The human rights of people who are in immigration detention are of special concern to the Commission. Liberty is a fundamental human right, recognised in major human rights instruments to which Australia is a party.

Rights and Freedoms

Discrimination in Employment on the Basis of Criminal Record

In recent years the Australian Human Rights Commission has received a significant number of complaints from people alleging discrimination in employment on the basis of criminal record. The complaints indicate that there is a great deal of misunderstanding by both employers and people with criminal...
Logo: Children in Immigration Detention
Children's Rights

National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention

The Australian Human Rights Commission’s (then known as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission) National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention was announced on 28 November 2001. The Inquiry was conducted throughout 2002. It received over 340 submissions and visited all...
'Freedom' - child's artwork from Rural and Remote Education Inquiry
Rights and Freedoms

Rural and Remote Education Inquiry

Rural and Remote Education Inquiry The National Inquiry into Rural and Remote Education was initiated by the Commission in February 1999. The 1998 Bush Talks consultations on the human rights concerns of regional, rural and remote Australians had revealed that access to education of an appropriate...
terminally ill patient
Rights and Freedoms

Human Rights and Euthanasia

Euthanasia, or voluntary assisted suicide, has been the subject of much moral, religious, philosophical, legal and human rights debate in Australia. At the core of this debate is how to reconcile competing values: the desire of individuals to choose to die with dignity when suffering, and the need...
Rural human rights
Rights and Freedoms

The Human Rights of Rural Australians

Every person in Australia, regardless of who they are or where they live, is entitled to respect for and protection of their human rights. People living in remote, rural and regional Australia often find it harder to fully enjoy their human rights because of their location.
Homeless man sleeping (c) Sonny Harlow
Rights and Freedoms

Housing, homelessness and human rights

People experiencing homelessness face violations of a wide range of human rights. Access to safe and secure housing is one of the most basic human rights. However, homelessness is not just about housing.

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