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This is the final report of the Commission's major, five year Inquiry into Australia's human rights framework. It recommends a National Human Rights Act for Australia and a framework to support it. Download the report, the Executive Summary, and a two-page explainer.

The Australian Human Rights Commission is the nation’s independent human rights body. We work to find practical and long-term solutions to the human rights issues facing people in Australia, as well as to build greater understanding and respect for human rights in our community.

1. What is the situation for refugees with adverse security assessments? As of May 2013 there are 56 refugees in immigration detention facilities in Australia who have been denied a protection visa as a result of receiving an adverse security assessment by the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). A number of these individuals are entering their fourth year in detention…

Every three years we are required under our legislation to prepare a new Strategic Plan. We treat this as an opportunity to reflect on our effectiveness in undertaking our functions and duties, and to identify how we can ensure that our future work will result in tangible improvements in human rights for people in Australia.

Every day, one in five Australians experiences difficulties or frustrations in performing everyday tasks with everyday things, such as consumer electronics and appliances. As technology develops, an increasing proportion of products are inaccessible to people with a range of different disabilities. These one-in-five Australians are what the author terms the ‘overlooked consumers’.

Submission to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people – Australian mission Indigenous People's Organisations Network of Australia 17 - 28 August 2009 Download Complete report PDF [667 KB] Complete report Word [502KB] Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples’ - Australian Mission The Australian Human Rights and Commission has made…

Review the OPCAT Australia Consultation Paper 2017, which discusses the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture.

The Commission recognises the importance of effective border management and recognises that Australia has a right as a sovereign State to exclude non-citizens from its territory. However, Australia also has international obligations in relation to asylum seekers who come here, including those who arrive by boat, which must be observed in its border management practices. This paper provides a…

The Pregnancy Guidelines follow the Commission's Report of the National Inquiry into Pregnancy and Work, Pregnant and Productive: It's a right not a privilege to work while pregnant, commissioned by the federal Attorney-General in August 1998.