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Asylum Seekers and Refugees
16 June 2015PublicationChildren in immigration detention: statements by the United Nations
Learn how the United Nations states that children do not belong in immigration detention and that under international law, states should not detain them. -
4 February 2015Book page
6 Mothers and babies in detention
6.1 Responsive and sensitive parenting 6.2 Pregnant women in Australian detention centres 6.3 Pregnancies on Nauru 6.4 Babies with no nationality 6.5 Miscarriages, deaths and terminations 6.6 Family separation 6.7 Mental health disorders in new mothers 6.8 Parent disempowerment 6.9 Motor, sensory and language development in babies 6.10 Adequate nutrition and healthcare 6.11 Protection from … -
14 December 2012Book page
National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
Although it is not possible to precisely specify all the circumstance that lead people to arrive in Australia through people smuggling routes, there can be no doubt that they undertake perilous journeys which put their lives and that of accompanying family members at risk. Given the very high rates of approval for those who have sought asylum in Australia through these routes, it is reasonable to… -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 2001: Chapter 5: Juvenile diversionary schemes and Indigenous people
On 27 July 2000, the Commonwealth government and the Northern Territory Government signed an agreement for the establishment of a juvenile pre-court diversion scheme in the Northern Territory (NT). This agreement arose specifically as a response to the continued criticism of the NT’s mandatory minimum imprisonment laws and their impact on juveniles and Indigenous people. By establishing the… -
Rights and Freedoms
9 March 2023Media ReleaseCommission launches model for an Australian Human Rights Act
Australia is the only liberal democracy that does not have an act or charter of rights at the national level, and there are currently very few legal protections for the fundamental rights of Australians. -
Legal
14 December 2012WebpageDiscussion Paper "Australia's Children: Safe and Well - A National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children"
“If the measures were targeted solely to parents or families in need of assistance to prevent neglect or abuse of children, as they are in s123UC of the legislation, then some form of income management may be capable of being seen as an appropriate exercise of the governments ‘margin of discretion’ to ensure that families benefit from welfare and receive the minimum essentials… -
28 October 2013Book page
3 Third country processing
As at 23 September 2013 there were 710 asylum seekers detained in the ‘regional processing centre’ on Nauru and 798 asylum seekers detained in the centre on Manus Island. [145] It is estimated that there are currently at least 44 children in the regional processing centre on Nauru, all of whom were transferred with their families as part of the new RSA, having arrived in Australia after 19… -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Submission to National Human Rights Consultation (2009)
The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) welcomes the opportunity to make this submission to the National Human Rights Consultation (the Consultation). -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Inquiry into the Native Title Amendment Bill 2009
Submission by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner to the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs -
14 December 2012Book page
Achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality within a generation - A human rights based approach
Improving the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a longstanding challenge for governments in Australia. While there have been improvements made in some areas since the 1970s (notably in reducing high rates of infant mortality1) overall progress has been slow and inconsistent. The inequality gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other… -
Children's Rights
5 September 2022Media ReleaseOngoing juvenile detention crisis a failure of basic support for kids and families
Commissioner Hollonds said vulnerable children and their families have been let down by federal, state and territory governments for decades with key recommendations from various inquiries and Royal Commissions going unimplemented. -
Children's Rights
24 August 2022Media Release
Survey shows children need better mental health support
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,… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
18 March 2020Media ReleaseWe say: No more preventable deaths
The Close the Gap Campaign has warned that only systemic reform will make up for the harrowing failure of the last 12 years of government policy on closing the gaps in health equity, social and economic disadvantage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The 2020 Close the Gap Campaign report, again written by the Lowitja Institute and released today, sets out a blueprint for… -
14 December 2012Book page
2011 Immigration detention in Leonora
The Australian Human Rights Commission visited the immigration detention facility in Leonora, Western Australia from 23 to 26 November 2010. This statement contains a brief overview of the key observations and concerns arising from the Commission’s visit. It focuses on conditions as they were at that time. -
14 December 2012Book page
National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
The United Nations Youth Association of Australia welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention. The issue of immigration detention for children has been coming under increased scrutiny in the past eight months. As far as it affects our international standing, the standards by which we treat children and… -
14 December 2012Book page
Commission Website: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
Department of Justice and Youth Studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology The Department of Justice and Youth Studies (JYS) is part of the Faculty of Education, Language and Community Services (FELCS) at RMIT University. JYS offers undergraduate courses in Criminal Justice Administration and Youth Affairs, as well as Masters by Research and PhD programs. -
Age Discrimination
20 May 2016PublicationEuthanasia, human rights and the law
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. -
14 December 2012Book page
Commission Website: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
Staff in the Social Policy and Advocacy Research Centre, and the Youth Studies Flagship at the Australian Catholic University welcome the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's initiative in establishing an inquiry into children in Australia's immigration detention centres. -
14 December 2012Book page
2011 Immigration detention at Curtin
For more than a decade, the Australian Human Rights Commission has called for reforms to Australia’s system of mandatory and indefinite immigration detention – both in light of the impacts it has on people’s mental health and wellbeing, and because it leads to breaches of Australia’s international human rights obligations. During this time, the Commission has investigated… -
Disability Rights
3 December 2020Opinion pieceBeing acknowledged is the first step to being included
When I started my career as a young lawyer, I made a decision to tell people upfront that I used a wheelchair. On the occasions when I didn't, people often didn’t realise that I was the lawyer who they had spoken to on the phone. They would assume I was attending a meeting for work experience, or address their questions to my colleague instead of me. This continued even as my career…