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Commission - General
3 July 2024Opinion pieceLet’s resist the worst of times with the best of humanity
When I began my term as President of the Australian Human Rights Commission seven years ago, the marriage equality plebiscite was engulfing our nation, in much the same way as the recent Voice referendum did. -
Commission - General
6 November 2025E-bulletin (Monthly)
President's message | November 2025
For the common good: climate justice begins with human rights The evidence on the threat to humans posed by climate change is clear. The planet is getting hotter. Seas are rising. Rainfall patterns are changing. In Australia, lives and livelihoods are already being lost to more frequent and severe disasters. The risk of bushfires, drought, floods and heatwaves is increasing. Billions are… -
Commission - General
4 November 2025Media Release
Urgent action on climate change essential for human rights
The Australian Human Rights Commission is calling for urgent action from government and business to address the escalating impacts of climate change on Australians’ human rights. Launching its first major report on climate change, Human rights on a warming Earth, Commission President Hugh de Kretser said, ‘The evidence on the extreme threat to humans posed by climate change is clear. By… -
Commission - General
10 October 2025Speech
Achieving stronger legal human rights protections in Australia
Hugh de Kretser discusses progress and setbacks in Australia's human rights protections at the annual Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Conference in July 2025. -
Commission - General
3 October 2025Publication
Annual Report 2024-25
The Annual Report is our primary performance reporting document for our activities over the period 2024-25, including our financial statements. -
Commission - General
14 October 2025Speech
Alan Missen Oration 2025
Hugh de Kretser speaks about the legacy of Alan Missen and how his values are reflected in the ongoing work of the Australian Human Rights Commission. 26 August 2025 -
Commission - General
9 September 2025E-bulletin (Monthly)
President's message | September 2025
Migration and addressing racism in Australia Migration has fuelled modern Australia’s success. It is connected to our economic prosperity and national character. Half of us have at least one parent born overseas and a quarter are born overseas. There has been bipartisan political support for a non-discriminatory migration policy since the 1970’s and there is strong and consistent public… -
Commission - General
3 November 2025Publication
Human rights on a warming Earth
Overview The evidence on the human threat posed by climate change is clear. The planet is getting hotter. Seas are rising. Rainfall patterns are changing. In Australia, our bushfire seasons are getting longer and more dangerous. The risk of drought, floods and heatwaves is increasing. We wrote this report to raise awareness of the connection between climate change and human rights and to… -
Commission - General
6 August 2025E-bulletin (Monthly)
President's message | August 2025
Dear friends, Protecting people's rights in rural and regional Australia People living in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia face greater challenges in realising their human rights than people in the cities. So it was good to speak about this at the recent rural, regional and remote community legal centre summit in Port Macquarie. Jesuit Social Services’ Dropping off the Edge… -
Commission - General
4 August 2025Speech
A Human Rights Vision for Rural and Regional Australia
Hugh de Kretser discusses human rights issues facing regional, rural and remote Australian communities at the July 2025 Community Legal Centres NSW Summit. Limited access to healthcare and education, the impact of climate change and disasters and justice for First Nations communities are just some of the challenges rural communities experience in Australia. -
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Commission - General
9 October 2025Media Release
Finalists announced for 2025 Australian Human Rights Awards
A diverse group of human rights advocates has been named as finalists in the 2025 Australian Human Rights Awards, ranging from youth support workers and filmmakers to justice advocates and medical professionals. -
Commission - General
4 February 2025E-bulletin (Monthly)
President's message | February 2025
UN decisions confirm Australia's human rights obligations to refugees and people seeking asylum sent offshore The Refugee Convention is the international community’s commitment to work together to protect people fleeing violence and persecution. When Australia agreed to be bound by the Refugee Convention and its 1967 protocol, we agreed to protect refugees who came to our country seeking… -
Commission - General
3 July 2024Speech
National Press Club Address - President Rosalind Croucher - 3 July
Free + Equal: safeguarding the rights of all Australians Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM FAAL FRSA FACLM(Hon) FRSN I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we are meeting today, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations People attending in person or watching today’s broadcast. Commissioner… -
Commission - General
4 March 2025E-bulletin (Monthly)
President's message | March 2025
We must work together to address the scourge of racism. The Director-General of ASIO, Mike Burgess, said in Parliament last week that “in terms of threats to life” antisemitism is ASIO’s top priority. He said he believed it was the first time a form of racism was the agency’s highest priority. The assessment underscored the intensification and severity of the attacks against the Jewish… -
Commission - General
4 July 2024E-bulletin (Monthly)
July 2024: Commission News | President's letter
Dear friends, I am pleased to report the Free + Equal Conference was a resounding success. A big thank you to everyone who participated in these timely and significant discussions about human rights and the urgent need for a Human Rights Act in Australia. A snapshot of the conference: 700+ delegates pledged support for a national Human Rights Act 60+ speakers 1200+ attendees over two days 12… -
Commission - General
9 October 2024E-bulletin (Monthly)
October 2024: Commission News | President's message
Dear friends, Australia is one of the safest, most stable and prosperous countries on the planet. For most of us, most of the time, it is a great place to live. For many Australians, human rights violations are things that happen to other people in other places, often overseas. This can lead to complacency about our own rights protection and the importance of protecting the rights of those… -
Commission - General
3 October 2025E-bulletin (Monthly)
AHRC President's message | October 2025
Two years on from 7 October 2023, the need to address racism against affected communities in Australia is urgent -
Commission - General
3 May 2024E-bulletin (Monthly)
May 2024: Commission News | President's letter
Letter from the President: May 2024 It has been a challenging time, with the tragic events at Bondi and Wakeley casting a sombre shadow. It's imperative that we condemn these acts of violence in the strongest possible terms and work together to ensure such tragedies do not occur again. The aftermath of these attacks has sparked heated debate in the media about the right to free speech, and… -
Commission - General
2 July 2024Speech
Occasional Address — University of New South Wales graduation
Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM Chancellor, David Gonski AC, Dean, Professor George Williams AO, distinguished guests, graduating students and families. Graduations are such a special moment— not just in a university calendar, but also in your lives. It is significant that this occurs on the winter solstice: the day when the sun stands still. In its Latin, ‘solstitium’, became …
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