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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
17 January 2019Opinion pieceTurning the tide on Indigenous children in out of home care
Child protection intervention in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families across the country is at crisis point. Women are telling me it’s like another stolen generation and as I travel across Australia hearing their stories, it certainly does feel that way. As the 2018 Family Matters report reveals, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children make up just over 36 per cent of all… -
Age Discrimination
8 August 2023SpeechBuilding a better cultural inheritance for an ageing Australia
Hon Dr Kay Patterson AO Age Discrimination Commissioner Keynote Address to National Press Club of Australia, Canberra Wednesday, 28 June, 2023 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Welcome Thank you Andrew Tillett (National Press Club Vice President) for your kind introduction. I am sometimes introduced incorrectly, but maybe more accurately, as the Ageing Discrimination Commissioner. I wish to acknowledge… -
Children's Rights
20 September 2013SpeechStrings, sealing wax and other fancy stuff
ACECQA NQF Conference Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre 13 September 2013 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY 1. Acknowledgments Slide 1 – Introduction I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to the Traditional Owners of the land we meet on today – the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay respect to their elders both past and present. It is on their lands that the Sydney Convention… -
Children's Rights
27 July 2021Opinion piece
Protect children from data surveillance
Even before birth, Australian children are the targets of technology that collects their data and threatens their privacy – but right now we have an opportunity to protect them and future generations. Parents who use pregnancy apps or share ultrasounds on social media can expect information about their children to be collected and sold to advertisers for profit. Once a child is born, baby… -
Children's Rights
17 January 2019Media Release
Commission welcomes National Apology
The Australian Human Rights Commission today welcomes the Prime Minister’s National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, which will take place this morning at Parliament House in Canberra. The National Children’s Commissioner, Megan Mitchell said it’s an incredibly significant and historic moment in time. “I applaud the Prime Minister in taking this… -
Rights and Freedoms
29 May 2024Opinion pieceIn 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… -
Legal
14 December 2012SpeechDignity, Fairness and Good Government: The Role of a Human Rights Act - Lord Bingham
It would clearly test to destruction the tolerance of the ordinary red-blooded Australian to have a Pom getting off the plane from London and telling them how to run their country. So I shall not presume to say how the current human rights debate in this country should be resolved. But perhaps I may contribute some thoughts, prompted by our own experience in the United Kingdom, acknowledging as I… -
14 December 2012Book page
Bringing them Home - Chapter 11
Actually what you see in a lot of us is the shell, and I believe as an Aboriginal person that everything is inside of me to heal me if I know how to use it, if I know how to maintain it, if I know how to bring out and use it. But sometimes the past is just too hard to look at. Confidential evidence 284, South Australia. -
Age Discrimination
13 June 2024Media Release
Age Discrimination Commissioner: Australia has a long way to go to end elder abuse
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,… -
Rights and Freedoms
18 November 2020Webpage
What human rights are at particular risk of being restricted during a pandemic?
Learn how human rights were restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic and how vulnerable people and groups were subjected to more human rights incursions. -
Legal
17 January 2019Speech
‘Vulnerability and the Law’ - UNSW
University of New South Wales Law Journal Launch of Thematic Issue on ‘Vulnerability and the Law’ Vol 41(3) 2018 27 September 2018 * Check against delivery Acknowledgements I pay my respects to the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and to their elders past and present—as well as to emerging leaders. Thank you to Lachlan Peake and Veronica Sebesfi for the invitation to speak tonight. Can I… -
Age Discrimination
22 July 2020Media Release
Urgent call to harmonise powers of attorney
Australia’s Age Discrimination Commissioner, the Hon Dr Kay Patterson AO, has called on the federal and state and territory Attorneys-General to act urgently to implement the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) recommendations on powers of attorney at the COAG meeting on 27 July. The Australian Human Rights Commission has heard from lawyers, peak bodies and frontline workers of a sharp… -
Children's Rights
16 November 2021Media Release
Proposal to raise the age does not go far enough
All 16 of Australia’s children’s commissioners, guardians and advocates say a commitment by state attorneys-general to develop a proposal to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12 does not go far enough. In a joint statement, Australian children’s commissioners, guardians and advocates said: “We are pleased that some jurisdictions have for the first time indicated they will look at… -
14 December 2012Book page
Annual Report 2008-2009: Chapter 10
This year marked the end of my nationwide Listening Tour and the beginning of what has been a busy but rewarding time in my term as Commissioner. I am delighted to report that it has been an exciting year for progressing gender and age equality in Australia. The Listening Tour played an important role in setting the agenda for my term. In deciding where the Commission should focus its efforts, I… -
Commission – General
14 December 2012SpeechKeynote address to the Victoria Legal Aid Civil Justice Law and Practice Conference
I would like to begin this morning by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to their elders past and present. -
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 -
Technology and Human Rights
2 July 2023Opinion pieceAustralia needs to be a world leader in ethical AI
Find out more about how Australia can be a leader in responsible and ethical artificial intelligence. -
14 December 2012Book page
Same-Sex: Same Entitlements: Chapter 8
Same-sex couples are not eligible for a range of rebates and tax concessions available to opposite-sex couples. This means same-sex couples may end up paying more tax than opposite-sex couples because tax legislation does not recognise their relationship. -
27 September 2018Webpage
Get Informed about human rights
Discover everything about human rights, including the different types of rights, how human rights have changed over time and why are important to us today. -
8 December 2020Book page
Part 4: Healthy and engaged lives
Learn how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls face challenges with their health, wellbeing and education and how this is being addressed.