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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… -
Rights and Freedoms
14 July 2015SpeechWhat are the proper limits on the power of Parliament?
Distinguished guests, friends and colleagues - thank you for your welcome to this Law Institute of Victoria seminar. I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and pay my respects to their elders past and present. I will always have a soft spot for the Law Institute of Victoria. I was admitted to practice in 1969 after completing my articles with Williams Winter and Higgs, and… -
Rights and Freedoms
14 July 2015Speech
What are the proper limits on the power of Parliament?
Distinguished guests, friends and colleagues - thank you for your welcome to this Law Institute of Victoria seminar. I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and pay my respects to their elders past and present. I will always have a soft spot for the Law Institute of Victoria. I was admitted to practice in 1969 after completing my articles with Williams Winter and Higgs, and… -
14 December 2012Book page
Human rights - what do I need to know? (2008)
All Australians have human rights. Human rights are universal: they are for everyone, everywhere, everyday. Human rights are based on values such as freedom, equality and dignity and seek to protect our quality of life. -
14 December 2012Book page
About the Australian Human Rights Commission (2012)
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. -
Commission – General
11 April 2013Project
What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights outlines fundamental rights and freedoms for all. Learn more about its impact and significance. -
Race Discrimination
15 October 2024Media ReleaseRace Discrimination Commissioner condemns neo-Nazi rally in regional NSW
Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, has condemned the neo-Nazi rally held in regional New South Wales on the weekend, warning it is further proof of the urgent need for a national strategy to combat racism. -
Race Discrimination
10 October 2024Opinion piece
Albanese’s cabinet reshuffle is a chance to reset the rhetoric on immigration and multiculturalism
As Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman writes for The Guardian Australia, the language used when speaking about those seeking our protection matters. He writes that Australia must take action against discrimination and racism – starting from the top. -
4 February 2015Book page
5 What does the law say about detaining children?
5.1 Mandatory detention and lawfulness 5.2 Arbitrariness 5.3 Review of detention 5.4 Shortest appropriate period of time 5.5 Decision-making in relation to children 5.6 Minimum conditions of detention 5.7 Duty of care 5.8 Findings in relation to detention law, policy and practice Both domestic and international human rights law are clear when it comes to the detention of children. The… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
11 October 2024WebpageInforming The Agenda Consultations
Informing the Agenda Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioners Term 2024-2029 Katie Kiss commenced in the role as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner on 3 April 2024. To ensure the voices of First Nations people across Australia help form the agenda for the term, the Commissioner is conducting a national listening tour to hear from… -
Children's Rights
21 October 2015Opinion pieceThe human rights of children are at risk if control orders are placed on 14-year-olds
On Tuesday this week Attorney-General George Brandis foreshadowed extending laws concerning control orders to fourteen- and fifteen-year-old children. Brandis said the fact that a 15-year-old boy had been inspired to perform a terrorist act demonstrated that the reach of Islamic State and IS surrogates and agents in Australia is extending to people younger and younger. In announcing the… -
14 December 2012Book page
Let's talk about rights: A guide to help young people have their say about human rights in Australia (2009)
This guide has been produced by the Australian Human Rights Commission to help you participate in the Australian Government’s National Human Rights Consultation. -
Children's Rights
21 February 2013Webpage
About Children's Rights
What are children’s rights? Children as well as adults have human rights. Children also have the right to special protection because of their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse. The main international human rights treaty on children’s rights is the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRC is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Australia ratified the… -
Children's Rights
11 October 2024Media Release
We must ‘help way earlier’ – united call to address systemic failures of Australia’s youth justice systems
Joint media release: Justice Reform Initiative and Australian Human Rights Commission Law and justice leaders, parliamentarians, First Nations leaders, child safety advocates, community service providers, peak organisations, and people with lived experience of child imprisonment from around Australia will come together for a landmark parliamentary event in Canberra on Thursday. Amid an… -
Commission – General
4 October 2024Media Release
Commission President reiterates calls for upholding human rights as violence in the Middle East escalates
As the violence in the Middle East escalates, and with the approaching anniversary of the brutal 7 October attacks by Hamas and the start of Israel’s devastating and continuing response, the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission has reiterated its call for upholding human rights and international humanitarian law. -
14 December 2012Book page
Ensuring human rights are respected and discrimination is addressed - Annual Report 2011-2012: Australian Human Rights Commission
As a part of the government’s commitments under the Australian Human Rights Framework, there have been extensive consultations to discuss how the current anti-discrimination legislation can be consolidated into one piece of legislation. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
ARE WE CROSSING THE LINE?: FORUM ON NATIONAL SECURITY LAWS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
This paper deals with two aspects of the bill: the preventative detention orders and the new sedition offence. It does not touch on the problematic control orders. -
Business and Human Rights
6 November 2024Opinion piecePandemic probe: Statistics can’t capture the loss of trust and confidence
The Covid-19 response inquiry report is an important first step, but there is much more that needs to be done if the government wants to start rebuilding public trust. The number one lesson should be that response measures do not operate in a vacuum. The full human impact needs to be understood and human rights need to be embedded into future emergency responses. The 877-page inquiry report… -
Children's Rights
10 October 2024Opinion piece
Australia is failing its children. A ‘tough on crime’ approach to youth justice puts politics before prevention
In an opinion piece published in The Guardian Australian, National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds reflects on the urgent need for child justice reform after the release of a landmark report by the AHRC. -
Commission – General
8 April 2013Publication
Know your rights: About us
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.