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On 14 and 15 February 2008, HREOC held a planning summit at Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont Point in Sydney, entitled HREOC21. The 21 refers to the number of years that have passed since HREOC was established by an act of federal Parliament in 1986.

Reports on complaints of discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference, criminal record and trade union activity are available on our discrimination in employment and occupation page.

One of the Commission’s central functions is to undertake education programs that increase public awareness and generate discussion of human rights and anti-discrimination issues within Australia.

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…

The 2006-07 year has been largely dedicated to identifying and eliminating the discrimination faced by people in same-sex relationships in accessing basic financial and work-related entitlements.

2008-09 has been a year of positive developments in the human rights area. While many human rights challenges lie ahead, as Human Rights Commissioner, I have been excited by the progress that Australia has made in human rights, both domestically and internationally during the year.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Act gives HREOC the function of inquiring into complaints concerning breaches of human rights by the Commonwealth (or persons/organisations acting on behalf of the Commonwealth) and discrimination in employment.