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As the launch of National Child Protection Week throws the spotlight on creating better futures where children and young people flourish, the National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds is speaking up for the thousands of children whose futures are bleak because Australian governments do not prioritise their human rights to safety, care and protection. Commissioner Hollonds said: “It was…

Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Sex Discrimination Commissioner say the findings of a Senate inquiry into murdered and missing First Nations women provide more evidence of how to address violence against women and girls in First Nations communities.

In a major new report, Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner is calling for significant changes to how our federal, state and territory governments approach child justice and the wellbeing of children who are or who are at risk of being caught up in the criminal justice system.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to commit to including LGBTQIA+ Australians in the 2026 Census.

Age Discrimination Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM has said Commonwealth and State and Territory governments must act now to achieve national consistency in laws governing enduring power of attorney, following the release of a new report.

Disability Discrimination Commissioner Rosemary Kayess has urged the Federal Government to make a stronger commitment to the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendations, if the vision for a more inclusive Australia is to ever be achieved.

The Queensland Government’s ‘Community Safety Act’ allowing more children to be locked up in the first instance is another step backwards for child justice and community safety, National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds said. “We all want to live in communities where kids can flourish and where everyone is safe, especially children. But this approach to offending by children doesn’t…

The Australian Human Rights Commission has supported a private member’s bill that would recognise the human right to adequate housing and support improved housing outcomes for all Australians. 

Grave concern over recently released CCTV footage depicting a First Nations child of 13 years of age with an intellectual disability, being forcibly restrained

The policies being promoted in the Queensland election campaign to address offending by children have been criticised by National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollonds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Katie Kiss as a “race to the bottom”.

Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody has called on the Federal Government to reconsider a decision to renege on a commitment to have LGBTIQA+-related questions and topics in the 2026 Census.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and the National Children’s Commissioner today criticised the failure of leadership by the Commonwealth, states and territories to incorporate human rights standards into domestic law.  

A national survey examining the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people during the COVID-19 pandemic shows children and their families need better support from schools and mental health services. An initiative of the National Children's Commissioner, the survey found that children most commonly seek mental health support from their families, friends and schools. However,…

A new report has found governments and their departments at all levels across the country are failing to adequately identify and address racism – even avoiding the term ‘racism’ – and that approaches across the board are ad-hoc, disjointed, reactive, and lacking coordination between governments, agencies and sectors.

The tragic deaths of three children in Sydney’s west over the weekend is yet another reminder of the fact that children are not just ‘witnesses’ of domestic, family and sexual violence - they are victims in their own right.

Learn how the Human Rights Commission is deeply concerned about the safety and wellbeing of teenagers who were kept in adult detention centres.

A new report on Australia’s native title system centres the voices of First Nations women to call for significant reform. For the first time since the introduction of the Native Title Act 30 years ago, the experiences of First Nations women have been elevated to show how the system is failing to deliver land justice effectively. “The native title system we have today is not what we had all…

Age Discrimination Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM has warned the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is likely to lead to an increased risk of elder abuse with Australia needing to further bolster its efforts to address the nationwide problem. Elder abuse is when harm is done to an older person by someone they know and trust, often a family member. It can take many forms, including neglect,…