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Commission - General
15 September 2021SpeechHuman Rights Day Oration 2020: Rosemary Kayess and Nas Campanella
The 2020 Human Rights Day Oration was delivered by leading disability rights advocate Rosemary Kayess, winner of the 2019 Human Rights Medal, and a contributor to the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Ms Kayess discussed the social transformation of CRPD and the impact it has had on the community as well as her work with the Disability Royal -
Rights and Freedoms
28 July 2020Opinion pieceWearing a mask will protect human liberties, not infringe upon them
There’s been a lot of talk, anger and resistance to the changes of our rights and freedoms as Australia deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. In some way or another, each and every one of us has encountered restrictions – on our freedom of movement, the right to peaceful protest, the ability to engage in public areas without wearing masks and the requirement to provide personal information for… -
Rights and Freedoms
5 November 2020Speech
Do we have the necessary legal grammar to talk human rights?
We’re all talking human rights—but do we have the necessary legal grammar for them? Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM Acknowledgement Chief Justice, Justices, Masters and Registrars, good morning. Thank you to Justice Paul Tottle for the invitation to speak with you today. I’m sorry I can’t be with you in 3D, but WA once again has distanced itself from the rest of Australia in closing … -
Rights and Freedoms
21 April 2020Opinion piece
Resisting extremism in a pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic spread to this big island of ours, our leaders made a momentous decision: they decided to save as many human lives as possible. This was the right decision. It shows we as a country care about human life above all else. But now we face an even harder question: how to save lives while preventing economic collapse and staying true to our democratic values? In order… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
13 October 2020Opinion pieceWho are we leaving behind?
In presenting last week’s Federal Budget, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said, “we will get through this together.” Togetherness is an important value in Australia. It speaks to the basic liberal democratic principle that no-one in our community should be left behind. While much of last week’s Budget analysis focused on the details of tax breaks and tax cuts, at a basic level the Budget is also a… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
15 June 2021Media Release
Commission urges immediate action on COVID-19 risk to people in immigration detention
The Australian Government must act urgently to reduce the number of people in closed immigration detention in response to the ongoing risks posed by COVID-19, according to a new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission. Management of COVID-19 risks in immigration detention recommends new safety measures be introduced to protect people in immigration detention, and the wider community… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
2 December 2020Publication
Inspections of Australia's immigration detention facilities 2019 Report
Human Rights Commissioner’s foreword For several decades, the Australian Human Rights Commission has expressed deep and longstanding concern about the human rights of people held in Australia’s immigration detention facilities. As a result of our most recent inspection process, that concern has deepened. Some of the issues of greatest concern to the Commission are as follows. A number of… -
Disability Rights
30 June 2021ProjectReform of the assistance animals provision of the Disability Discrimination Act (2003)
Reform of the assistance animals provision of the Disability Discrimination Act REPORT FOLLOWING CONSULTATIONS ON SECTION 9(1)(f) OF THE DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT 1992 DEALING WITH ASSISTANCE ANIMALS OTHER THAN GUIDE DOGS AND HEARING DOGS. Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner 18 November 2003 Section 9 of the Disability Discrimination Act ("the DDA") defines … -
Rights and Freedoms
1 December 2020Video
Balancing Human Rights During COVID19
Protecting public health and protecting human rights are not mutually exclusive choices – but how do we keep the balance between the two? What safeguards do we need to protect rights and freedoms in Australia and prevent the ‘creeping authoritarianism’ we have witnessed elsewhere in the world? These were just some of the big questions of our time discussed by the panellists during the …