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This Annual Report is evidence of the vital role that the Commissioners and staff at the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (the Commission) play in promoting and protecting human rights. In the last year, the Commission has not shied away from the big issues.

This Annual Report reflects the commitment and dedication of the Commissioners and staff at the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) to the promotion and protection of human rights in Australia. Over the 2006-07 reporting period HREOC has acted on a broad range of challenging and complex human rights issues.

The low rate of employment of people with disability in the Australian Public Service (APS) is unsatisfactory in terms of the government’s broader objectives, and from the Australian Human Rights Commission’s perspective in terms of the right to work of people with disability. The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) sees the wider use of accessible Information and Communications…

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

The Australian Human Rights and Commission has made a submission on behalf of the Indigenous Peoples Organisation Network (IPON) of Australia to Professor S. James Anaya, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous Peoples, on the current status of Indigenous human rights in Australia for his Mission to Australia which is taking place from 17-28 August 2009.

Human rights and anti-discrimination law in Australia, as in many countries in the Asia Pacific, provides for complaints about discrimination and violations of human rights to be resolved by conciliation. The use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in this context has been criticised. In particular, it has been claimed that the individualised form of the complaint process, coupled with the…

This issues paper explores voluntary euthanasia by looking at the domestic regulatory environment in comparison to relevant international laws. It concludes with a human rights-based analysis of voluntary euthanasia and some commentary on the practice informed by human rights principles.

Climate change will have significant impacts in both Australia and across the globe. Australia is one of the most arid continents in the world. It is vulnerable to risks such as disruptions to water supply; increases in the severity of storms, floods and droughts, coastal erosion due to sea level rise; and to negative human health impacts, for example through an increase in the range and spread…

In April 2012, the current UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, including its causes and consequences, Ms Rashida Manjoo, accepted an invitation to conduct a study tour to Australia. This was the first visit to Australia ever undertaken by the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women

This paper explores the many ways that homelessness impacts on a person’s ability to enjoy basic rights and freedoms. It shows that homelessness is more than just a housing issue. Homelessness is about human rights. Homeless people are not merely objects of charity, seeking help and compassion – like all Australians, they are individuals entitled to the protection and promotion of their human…

On 15 August 2005, in Brisbane Australia, 160 delegates from the International Engaging Communities conference participated in the UN-sponsored workshop, 'Engaging the Marginalised: Partnerships between Indigenous Peoples, governments and civil society'.

Since the introduction of the Age Discrimination Act 2004 (Cth), experiences of age discrimination in employment among mature age workers have featured prominently in the complaints of age discrimination received by the Australian Human Rights Commission. In 2008-09, I undertook a series of consultations with peak bodies including age-based community groups, legal service providers, business…

The Migration Amendment (Maintaining the Good Order of Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2015 (the Bill) would give increased power to ‘authorised officers’ to use force against people (including asylum seekers) in immigration detention facilities. It appears that the majority (if not all) of the authorised officers will be employees of Serco Australia Pty Ltd (Serco), the private company…

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’.

Human rights issues raised by the transfer of asylum seekers to third countries’ sets out the Australian Human Rights Commission’s position in relation to steps taken recently by the Australian Government to transfer asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat to third countries for the processing of their claims for protection.

The health and well-being of children in immigration detention Report to the Australian Human Rights Commission Monitoring Visit to Wickham Point Detention Centre, Darwin, NT (October 16 th – 18 th 2015) Professor Elizabeth Elliott AM MD MPhil MBBS FRACP FRCPCH FRCP Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney Consultant Paediatrician, The Sydney Children’s Hospitals…

These resources have been developed as an update and revision of the Australian Human Rights Commission document, 'Women of the World: Know Your International Human Rights'.

The Commission has issued these draft guidelines to provide practical assistance to Parliament and the Government in designing and implementing income management measures that protect human rights and are consistent with the RDA. They are also intended to increase awareness among affected communities about the application of the RDA to income management regimes.

The Guideline has been prepared by the Commission to assist bus infrastructure providers to comply with the DSAPT. The Guideline does not replace the provisions of the DSAPT and does not seek to alter or expand upon the content of the DSAPT.