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Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 December 2024Media ReleaseWomen in immigration detention at serious risk of harassment and violence
The Australian Human Rights Commission has called for significant reform to the country’s immigration detention system, after a new report into the treatment of women in detention found their rights, safety and wellbeing are being widely overlooked. These failures, it found, are compounding the risk to women of harassment, violence, and ill health. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
17 June 2019Media Release
Risk management in immigration detention report released
Any significant restrictions imposed on a person held in immigration detention, including the widespread use of restraints like handcuffs, must be tailored to individual circumstances and risks, according to a new report released by the Australian Human Rights Commission today. The Commission has made 34 recommendations to improve risk management practice based on its inspections of… -
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… -
Childrens Rights
2 July 2025Media ReleaseNational Children’s Commissioner calls for urgent action on ‘safer’ childcare
National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds has called for national leadership on systems reforms required to keep children safe following news of the distressing case of the childcare worker alleged to have sexually abused numerous children in Victoria. ‘This is not the first time and it won’t be the last, unless governments across the federation take urgent action to implement the… -
Rights and Freedoms
16 July 2019Media ReleaseUrgent call for Federal Government to protect 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers at risk in the community
The Australian Human Rights Commission calls on the Australian Government to make urgent changes to improve protections for approximately 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers living in the Australian community. A new report released today, Lives on hold: Refugees and asylum seekers in the ‘Legacy Caseload’, reveals the human rights situation for approximately 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers… -
Business and Human Rights
22 December 2021Media ReleaseAustralian and New Zealand Human Rights Commissions and FIFA publish Human Rights Risk Assessment ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™
Discover the publication by the Australian and New Zealand Human Rights Commissions and FIFA. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 March 2020Media ReleaseFailure to close the gap puts Indigenous communities at increased risk
The Close the Gap Campaign is cancelling its public events to mark Close the Gap Day on Thursday 19 March 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to endure higher levels of illness and higher levels of comorbidity. We have three times the rate of preventable admissions to hospital, overcrowded housing and a lack of access to basic health… -
Rights and Freedoms
26 February 2025Media Release
Australia must learn from COVID-19 response and prioritise human rights in future emergencies
A major new report about the COVID-19 pandemic by the Australian Human Rights Commission has highlighted how critical gaps in the emergency response could be improved upon in future crises. -
Commission - General
7 March 2025Media ReleaseAustralian women are diverse, so the approach to women’s safety should be as well
This International Women’s Day, the Commissioners at the Australian Human Rights Commission stand together to call for urgent action to ensure that all women and girls—of every background, age or disability—can live free from violence, discrimination, and inequality. This year’s International Women’s Day theme, “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” is a reminder that… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
4 December 2024Media Release
First Nations Commissioner calls for new police powers in Port Augusta CBD to be reconsidered
Calls from local First Nations residents to repeal the recently decreed Port Augusta Declared Public Precinct have been backed by Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.