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31 January 2013Webpage
2003 Human Rights Medal and Awards Winners
The 2003 Medal and Awards presentation ceremony was held on 10 December 2003 at a luncheon at the Sheraton on the Park hotel in Sydney. The Human Rights Day address was delivered by Commission President, the Hon. John von Doussa QC and Julie McCrossin was the MC. The judges were: Steve Ahern, Jack Beetson, Justice Catherine Branson, Nicholas Cowdery QC, Andrea Durbach, Cath Dwyer, Alastair… -
Rights and Freedoms
11 May 2016SpeechHuman rights across the Tasman: a widening gulf
I am honoured to have been invited to give this lecture at the Law School of the University of Canterbury, funded by the generosity of the Sir Eric Hotung Fellowship. While I had settled the subject matter of this lecture, I thought it would be helpful to know what other Hotung Fellows had discussed in previous years. I looked at last year’s lecture and was pleased to see that Professor… -
Rights and Freedoms
20 January 2023Opinion piece
Australia needs to deliver on our treaty promises
As with any agreement, there are certain requirements that OPCAT signatories need to fulfill, and Australia has been given longer than any other country to meet our OPCAT commitments. Today – 20 January 2023 – is our extended compliance deadline, and Australia has failed to deliver on our promises. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
14 December 2012Opinion pieceTreating asylum seekers well is in all our interests (2011)
The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published. -
31 January 2013Webpage
2002 Human Rights Medal and Awards Winners
The 2002 Medal and Awards presentation ceremony was held on 10 December 2002 at a luncheon at "Dockside", Cockle Bay Wharf in Sydney. The guest speaker was Professor Lowitja O'Donoghue and Julie McCrossin was the MC. The judges were: Nick Xynias AO BEM, Professor Gillian Triggs, Professor Larissa Behrendt, John Highfield, Mick O'Regan, Steve Ahern, Sandra Symons, Jacqui Rees, Mike Steketee,… -
Race Discrimination
19 May 2020WebpageThe Moveable Feast – Australia and race hate as experienced in the lifetime as an observer
Learn about the experiences of a lifetime observer of race discrimination in this thought-provoking speech by Thomas Keneally AO. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 November 2023Media Release
Commission commends High Court ruling on indefinite immigration detention
The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed yesterday’s High Court ruling which determined that Australia’s system of indefinite immigration detention is unlawful. The landmark decision overturns almost two decades of the practice by Australian authorities in finding it is unlawful to hold a person in immigration detention when there is no real prospect of them being removed from… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
19 June 2013Speech
Australian Government’s third country processing regime & human rights
Explore a speech delivered by the former President of the Human Rights Commission, Professor Gillian Triggs, to the Refugee Advice and Casework Service. -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Speech
"The rights of the child and international human rights law"
This morning I am going to talk to you about unaccompanied child migrants in the wider context of current world trends. In so doing, I have taken full account of the lessons to be learned from the experiences of the victims of British child migration schemes. -
Legal
14 December 2012WebpageNational Human Rights Consultation - Appendix 2
The Declaration recognises the legitimate entitlement of Indigenous people to all human rights – based on principles of equality, partnership, good faith and mutual benefit... -
31 January 2013Webpage
2001 Human Rights Medal and Awards Winners
The 2001 Medal and Awards presentation ceremony was held on 9 December 2001 at Star Court, Darling Harbour in Sydney. The guest speaker was Professor Gillian Triggs. The judges were: Rt Hon. Ian Sinclair AC, Justice Elizabeth Evatt AC, Jackie Huggins AM, Nicholas Cowdery QC, Justice Catherine Branson, Ruth McColl SC, Mark Davis, Dr David McKnight, Vivian Schenker, Dr Peter O'Brien, Nick… -
28 October 2013Book page
Appendix 1: Key human rights obligations
Australia’s key human rights obligations which are relevant to asylum seekers, refugees and people in immigration detention are set out below. People should not be returned to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened (referred to as ‘ refoulement’) [208] Everyone has the right not to be subjected to arbitrary detention [209] Children should only be detained as a measure of… -
14 December 2012Book page
Community arrangements for asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons - Recommendations
Recommendation 2: The need to detain should be assessed on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration individual circumstances. That assessment should be conducted when a person is taken into immigration detention or as soon as possible thereafter. A person should only be held in a closed immigration detention facility if they are individually assessed as posing an unacceptable risk to the… -
14 December 2012Book page
Homelessness is a Human Rights Issue (2008)
Access to safe and secure housing is one of the most basic human rights. However, homelessness is not just about housing. Fundamentally, homelessness is about lack of connectedness with family, friends and the community and lack of control over one’s environment. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
2 December 2020Publication
Inspections of Australia's immigration detention facilities 2019 Report
Human Rights Commissioner’s foreword For several decades, the Australian Human Rights Commission has expressed deep and longstanding concern about the human rights of people held in Australia’s immigration detention facilities. As a result of our most recent inspection process, that concern has deepened. Some of the issues of greatest concern to the Commission are as follows. A number of… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
14 December 2012Publication
Community arrangements for asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons (2012)
Community arrangements for asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons Observations from visits conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission from December 2011 to May 2012 July 2012 Download Complete report PDF (3.21 MB) Complete report Word (9.0 MB) Contents 1 Summary 2 Recommendations 3 Introduction 4 Australia’s mandatory detention and excision regime 5 Community arrangements for… -
31 January 2013Webpage
2004 Human Rights Medal and Awards Winners
The 2004 Medal and Awards presentation ceremony was held on 10 December 2004 at a luncheon at the Sheraton on the Park hotel in Sydney. The Human Rights Day address was delivered by Commission President, the Hon. John von Doussa QC and Julie McCrossin was the MC. The judges were: Jonathan Biggins, Justice Catherine Branson, David Cooper, Maurice Corcoran, Nicholas Cowdery QC, Eva Cox, Morag… -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Speech
The National Human Rights Consultation - Your chance to be a Human Rights Hero
Good morning. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet – the Gadigal people of the Eora nation – and their elders both past and present. -
14 December 2012Book page
Psychological Well Being of Child and Adolescent Refugee and Asylum Seekers
This paper outlines major international research findings of the past ten years reflecting knowledge gathered about the psychological health of child and adolescent refugee/asylum seekers. In doing so, several key areas of consistency are identified. First, with the majority of research in this area centered on the prevalence of psychopathology, and particularly post-traumatic stress symptoms, it… -
14 December 2012Book page
Human Rights 21: From the bench: landmark human rights cases
Why do I love HREOC? Well, I was there at the birth. I watched the Commission grow and accept new challenges every year. Australians used to be blind to the inequalities of women, to injustice to Aboriginals and other indigenous peoples, to Asian Australians, to gays and other sexual minorities, to people with disabilities and many others. If our eyes have been opened, we should be grateful to…