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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…

Community Alert Commissioner Update - COVID-19 Dear friends, We are living through an extraordinary challenge for our society and our community—A public health crisis the world has not seen since the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. These remarkable times have seen our governments take unprecedented measures to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic to save lives. The actions taken by our …

Commission News May 2020 Commissioner update COVID-19 Dear friends, As we come to grips with a new way of living (at least for now), we are reminded of how fortunate we are to be living in Australia. Measures to control COVID-19 appear to have been relatively successful—particularly in comparison with other first world nations. But it has not been without significant sacrifices. The impact…

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…

Dear friends,  I'm delighted to welcome the appointment of Hugh de Kretser as our President. For over 20 years, he has been a dedicated and effective advocate for positive change for people and communities whose human rights are at risk. We look forward to him taking the Commission into its next phase in promoting and protecting human rights in Australia when he commences in the position on…

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Celebrating human rights heroes in 2020 Every year the Commission holds the Human Rights Awards to celebrate human rights achievements. However, given the extraordinary circumstances of 2020 we believe a new and different approach is needed to celebrate the many human rights heroes who have emerged this year. View a short video from our Commissioners, and follow our social media pages as an …

We have heard the words human rights quite a lot in recent weeks, in varied and sometimes inaccurate settings. Measures to protect our health and safety must be balanced with our rights and freedoms, but if there was ever a time to articulate where that line is, it would be now. Which is why last week, I took the step of writing a piece for a mainstream publication. While the pandemic…

Support for Anti-Racism Framework In a report published in February, the Senate inquiry on ‘issues facing diaspora communities’ recommended funding the development of a comprehensive national anti-racism framework and to consider resourcing the Race Discrimination Commissioner to reinvigorate the existing National Anti-Racism Strategy. Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan spoke to Nine …

Welcoming our new Children's Commissioner, Anne Hollonds Anne Hollonds commences her role as Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner today. Anne brings with her a wealth of experience as an advocate for children and young people. She has worked as the CEO of Relationships Australia, the Benevolent Society and – most recently – the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The Commission…