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Asylum Seekers and Refugees
6 October 2021Media ReleaseStatement on ending offshore processing in PNG
The Australian Human Rights Commission acknowledges the Federal Government’s announcement that it will stop the offshore processing of asylum seekers on Papua New Guinea at the end of 2021. -
Legal
17 May 2023SpeechAccess to justice
Your Honours, distinguished guests: I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land, the Wurrindjeri people of the Kulin nation and pay my respects to their elders, especially to those elders present today. May also thank our host the Hon Justice Mordy Bromberg and the ICJ for inviting me to this, the ninth Community Opening of the Legal Year. Together we celebrate the partnership of the… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
7 October 2022Media Release
Joint Statement on the use of hotel APODs
This Statement provides guidance on the short-term use of hotel APODs, including access to open‑air exercise, access to meaningful programs and activities, and the need to ensure medical and welfare services are of the same standard as those provided in other immigration detention facilities. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
13 October 2020Opinion piece
Who are we leaving behind?
In presenting last week’s Federal Budget, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said, “we will get through this together.” Togetherness is an important value in Australia. It speaks to the basic liberal democratic principle that no-one in our community should be left behind. While much of last week’s Budget analysis focused on the details of tax breaks and tax cuts, at a basic level the Budget is also a… -
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. -
Race Discrimination
7 August 2024Webpage
National Anti-Racism Framework
The Australian Human Rights Commission has launched a plan to develop a National Anti-Racism Framework. The Commission is working with all levels of Government, peak bodies, human rights agencies and community organisations to progress the Framework. -
Commission – General
27 August 2024News storyStatement by Commission President Hugh de Kretser
Australian Human Rights Commission President Hugh de Kretser has expressed concerns about calls for Palestinians fleeing Gaza to be denied entry to Australia. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
16 June 2020Submission
Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020
The concerns outlined in this submission draw on the Commission’s work inspecting Australia’s immigration detention facilities. The Commission has conducted such inspections since the mid-1990s. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
17 June 2019Media Release
Risk management in immigration detention report released
Any significant restrictions imposed on a person held in immigration detention, including the widespread use of restraints like handcuffs, must be tailored to individual circumstances and risks, according to a new report released by the Australian Human Rights Commission today. The Commission has made 34 recommendations to improve risk management practice based on its inspections of… -
Rights and Freedoms
2 September 2019Media ReleaseCommissioners call for compassionate approach for Tamil family
Australian Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell and Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow have today written to Minister David Coleman, calling for an urgent and compassionate resolution for the Tamil family detained in immigration detention on Christmas Island. “Given their connection to Australia, showing compassion and allowing the family to stay together in the only community the… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
5 August 2020Media Release
Statement on Christmas Island immigration detention
The Australian Human Rights Commission is deeply concerned that the Australian Border Force plans to re-open the immigration detention facility at Christmas Island. The Commission has carried out inspections of Australia's onshore and offshore immigration detention facilities for many years. The Commission's advice has been consistent: Christmas Island is not an appropriate place for an -
Commission – General
17 January 2019Media Release
Finalists for 2018 Government Award revealed
Four finalists have been selected from a diverse range of nominations for the 2018 Human Rights Awards’ Government Award. This year marks the first time our Awards recognise Government as a stand-alone category. “There are many Government groups and individuals helping others overcome discrimination and isolation and building tolerance and respect in the community and further afield,” said … -
Rights and Freedoms
11 November 2022Media Release
Human Rights Commissioner to raise juvenile and immigration detention concerns with UN torture committee in Geneva
Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner is set to appear before the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva next week to provide analysis of how Australia measures up against our obligations under the UN’s Convention Against Torture (CAT) and its associated Optional Protocol (OPCAT). -
Rights and Freedoms
17 January 2019Speech
Echoes of breaking glass: reflections on Kristallnacht
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY We know the basic facts of Kristallnacht. On the 9th and 10th of November 1938, mobs attacked Jews in Germany and neighbouring states. They did so freely; without restraint. Many Jews were killed, many more were injured, and many more than that were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Jewish businesses were destroyed; schools and cemeteries vandalised. Over 1000 … -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
15 June 2021Media Release
Commission urges immediate action on COVID-19 risk to people in immigration detention
The Australian Government must act urgently to reduce the number of people in closed immigration detention in response to the ongoing risks posed by COVID-19, according to a new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission. Management of COVID-19 risks in immigration detention recommends new safety measures be introduced to protect people in immigration detention, and the wider community… -
8 October 2024Webpage
Stats & Facts
Explore statistics and facts to learn about different human rights topics in Australia. -
Rights and Freedoms
29 July 2024Teachers Article
Let's Talk About...
Explore the Let's Talk About... suite of resources for primary school students. Featuring videos and interactive activities across the topics of equality and equity, education, refugees, disability, and bodies, identity, and sexuality. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
17 June 2019Publication
Risk management in immigration detention (2019)
This report examines the human rights implications of current risk management practices in immigration detention. It is based on information gathered during inspections of four immigration detention facilities conducted in the second half of 2018. -
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…
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