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Commission - General
11 June 2025E-bulletin (Monthly)President's message | June 2025
We must end the practice of police investigating police deaths in custody Two recent Aboriginal deaths in custody in the Northern Territory have again raised questions about the treatment of First Nations people in Australia’s criminal justice systems. Kumanjayi White, a 24 year-old Warlpiri man with disability, died in Alice Springs on 27 May after being restrained by police on the floor of… -
Commission - General
13 May 2025E-bulletin (Monthly)
President's message | May 2025
Cost of living issues are human rights issues Someone said to me just before election day that human rights hadn’t featured much in the federal election campaign. It’s true that the words “human rights” didn’t feature much - but human rights issues did. This was an election about the cost of living in Australia and human rights has a lot to say about that. Australia has promised to protect… -
Commission - General
2 April 2025E-bulletin (Monthly)
President's message | April 2025
The vital global role of National Human Rights Institutions Many people who are familiar with the Australian Human Rights Commission are less familiar with the global context in which we operate. The Commission is Australia’s national human rights institution (NHRI) and one of 118 NRHIs globally. NHRIs play a vital role promoting and protecting the human rights of all people in their… -
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 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
10 December 2024E-bulletin (Monthly)
President's message | December 2024
It's Human Rights Day; a day to reflect on human rights challenges and progress. 76 years ago today, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the pinnacles of human achievement. In adopting the Declaration after the horrors of World War 2, the international community said, “never again”. The Declaration lists 30 rights that are essential for all of us… -
Commission - General
6 November 2024E-bulletin (Monthly)
President's message | November 2024
Dear friends, I’m pleased to share the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Annual Report 2023-24 which has been tabled in the Australian Parliament. In my first three months in this role, one of the things that has struck me is the breadth and depth of the Commission’s work. Our Annual Report highlights this. One of the Commission’s core functions is providing access to justice for people… -
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
11 September 2024E-bulletin (Monthly)
September 2024: Commission News | President's Message
Dear friends, It was good to reflect at the recent Law Institute of Victoria Legal Sector Dinner on access to justice, the role of lawyers and the law. Too often our legal system delivers unequal access to justice – different standards of justice depending on who you are, where you live and how much is in your bank account. Laws granting people rights are meaningless if people can’t enforce… -
Commission - General
8 August 2024E-bulletin (Monthly)
August 2024: Commission News | President's message
The Australian Human Rights Commission is a vital national institution which has been promoting justice and human rights for Australians for close to forty years. It is an honour to write to you as the Commission’s new President. -
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…