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Commission – General
14 December 2012SpeechPresident speech: ‘A Human Rights Act for Australia’ - Dame Roma Mitchell Memorial Luncheon
I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, and pay my respects to their elders past and present. -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012SpeechPresident Speech: Religion in the public square
I would like to begin today by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Wurundjeri peoples, and pay my respect to their elders, past and present. -
25 February 2014Book page
Secondary Year 7 – Year 10: History
Review human rights examples for the Australian school curriculum for Year 7 - Year 10 high school students studying History. -
Business and Human Rights
30 November 2022SpeechExecutive discretion in a time of COVID-19
Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have required very quick action by governments. But those responses have also involved significant limitations on people’s rights and freedoms, especially freedom of movement, and implemented through executive power often with limited parliamentary involvement. -
Rights and Freedoms
29 May 2024Opinion piece
In silence, anti-Semitism and racism flourishes
This opinion piece by Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay appeared in The Nightly on Wednesday 27 March 2024. The foundation of universal human rights lies in recognising the inherent dignity and equal rights of every single human being. Human rights can’t be applied selectively. Every Australian, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, or any other distinction, has the… -
Rights and Freedoms
17 January 2019Speech
The Ongoing Legacy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
9th International Conference on Human Rights Education—Unleashing the Full Potential of Civil Society Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM President, Australian Human Rights Commission 27 November 2018 [ Professor Croucher spoke to this paper. Some sections were not addressed fully, given the coverage of some matters by earlier speakers in the program.] Introduction Thank you Professor… -
Rights and Freedoms
12 August 2014Speech
Free speech and human rights in Australia
From the Free Speech Symposium -
14 December 2012Book page
Summary of Web Comments - Consultation on protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, sex and/or gender identity (2011)
The Australian Human Rights Commission launched its consultation regarding protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, sex and/or gender identity on 1 October 2010. -
14 December 2012Book page
National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
Australia is a signatory to a number of International Conventions, which are relevant to mandatory detention of children in Australia’s immigration detention centres. Under International law, each of the conventions that Australia has ratified is binding on the Australian state, which is obliged to bring its domestic laws into conformity with their stipulations. In Australia, International… -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Opinion piece
Everyone needs a safety net at some point in their lives (2009)
The Australian Human Rights Commission has this week lodged its submission with the National Human Rights Consultation, recommending that Australia implements a human rights act. -
14 December 2012Book page
Commission Website: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
The Diocese of Parramatta covers the western part of Sydney including Castle Hill, Mt Victoria, Penrith, Blacktown, the Mt Druitt area, Windsor and Warragamba. It is a very multicultural area with a large indigenous population. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
Human Rights and Human Security
Firstly, I must applaud Amnesty International Australia’s campaign to secure a fair trial for David Hicks. I hope you take some heart from the recent US Supreme Court ruling that the military commissions set up to try prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are illegal and must be abandoned. -
LGBTIQ+
11 March 2015Opinion pieceAustralian Marriage Forum ad might be distasteful but it should have been screened
On Sunday night, the Australian Marriage Forum (AMF) broadcast an advertisement against marriage for same-sex couples. The advertisement was scheduled to be broadcast on Channels 7, 9 and SBS. The AMF advertisement argued that same-sex couples should not be able to marry under the law, because children "wherever possible" need a mother and a father. It is hardly a new or ground-breaking… -
13 November 2014Book page
The Year in Review
Building understanding and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms We all have a responsibility to respect the rights and freedoms of others. To make this a reality, the Commission works to build greater understanding of human rights and their importance in daily life. This is one of our two key priorities for 2011-2014. We work with a broad range of groups across the country,… -
Legal
14 December 2012WebpageSubmission: National Security
1. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (the Commission) is established by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (HREOC Act). The Commission is Australia's National Human Rights Institution. -
Rights and Freedoms
11 October 2016Speech
Peering through human rights-tinted glasses
Annual Lecture, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law. Given at the State Library of Victoria on 7 October 2016. This year, we celebrate (or mourn, according to your perspective) the 60th anniversary of the first computer to defeat a human in chess. It occurred, predictably enough, in Los Alomos, and the human was a novice. Over the next 30 years, the best humans easily saw off the best… -
Rights and Freedoms
14 June 2017Speech
Sydney Town Hall: Australians of the Year 2017
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Sydney Town Hall: Australians of the Year 2017 It is wonderful to see so many of you here tonight to celebrate these four great Australians of the year and to learn about their vision for human rights in the future. Thank you to the Australia Day Council for the chance to speak to you all … for this is my last public speech before stepping down as President of the AHRC… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
2 July 2020Opinion pieceBlanket bans would be unacceptable
During lockdown, many of us – myself included – have become even more reliant on our mobile phones. They have kept us in contact with parents, children and grandchildren, our colleagues and friends during this difficult time. When my two-year old first saw his grandmother on a smartphone, he squealed with delight. It wasn’t quite the same as being together — he pawed at the screen to try to… -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Speech
Keynote Address CEO Sleepout
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with all of you, and sleep with some of you. As you will have noticed, Vinnies was good enough to let my eleven-year-old daughter Rachel join me as my guide tonight, and she'll be the only one getting any of my cuddles. The rest of you have to make your own arrangements. -
Rights and Freedoms
4 April 2014Speech
Queensland Law Society Mandatory Sentencing Policy Paper Launch
Acknowledgements Thank you for your kind introduction. I would like to begin by acknowledging the Turrbal People, the traditional owners of the lands on which we are meeting today. I would also like to acknowledge: The Honourable Justice, Margaret McMurdo AC Queensland Law Society President, Ian Brown Bar Association of Queensland President, Peter Davis QC Queensland Anti-Discrimination