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Rights and Freedoms

Time for review on COVID-19 border and quarantine restrictions

OPINION With the McGowan Government announcing earlier this week that the Western Australian hard border will ease on February 5, 2022, Australia is inching ever closer to border closures becoming a thing of the past. But while many of us would like this to be true, it is important to realise that...

Category, Opinion
Rights and Freedoms

Enhancing human rights in a post-COVID world

The catalyst of a pandemic Women in Property lunch Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM Acknowledgement Thank you to the Property Council for inviting me to speak to you today—and particularly Jane Fitzgerald whose idea it was. Let me begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land...

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

Lorraine Finlay commences term as Human Rights Commissioner

Lorraine Finlay has commenced her term as Human Rights Commissioner. Commissioner Finlay, whose appointment was announced in September, said she was looking forward to working to protect and promote human rights and freedoms with her colleagues at the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Category, Story
Rights and Freedoms

Loss of freedoms and rights has harmed us

OPINION November 18, 2021 Ronald Reagan famously said that “freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction”. For many Australians, until recently, freedom has been something we have largely been able to take for granted in our daily lives. But with millions...

Category, Opinion
Rights and Freedoms

Commission welcomes ParentsNext Inquiry recommendations

The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed the release of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights’ Inquiry report on the ParentsNext program. The report, ParentsNext: examination of Social Security (Parenting payment participation requirements – class of persons) Instrument 2021...

Category, Story
Rights and Freedoms

The Perils of Independence

The Australian Human Rights Commission’s role in protecting human rights in Australia Sir Ronald Wilson Lecture 2021 Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM President, Australian Human Rights Commission Acknowledgements Thank you Matthew McGuire for your welcome to country and Kendra Turner as MC. I...

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

Commission’s report into prolonged detention following visa cancellation

The Government should appoint an independent reviewer to examine the basis for the continued detention of people who have been in immigration detention for prolonged periods, including a detailed assessment of any risk they pose to the community, the President of the Australian Human Rights...

Category, Story
Rights and Freedoms

Travel ban and sanctions on Australians travelling from India

The travel ban on Australian citizens returning from India, accompanied by criminal sanctions under the Biosecurity Act, raises serious human rights concerns. The Commission supports the continuation of aid to the Indian Government as it copes with the current COVID-19 crisis, but the Commission...

Category, News
Rights and Freedoms

Greater scrutiny of emergency powers needed

The Australian Human Rights Commission has called for greater accountability to be embedded in laws that extend the Commonwealth’s power in the event of national emergencies. In its submission to a Senate inquiry examining the National Emergency Declaration Act 2020 , the Commission recommended five...

Category, News