Refine results
-
Commission – General
14 December 2012SpeechStrategies to address discrimination to build a more inclusive country
I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora people, the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today, and pay my respects to their elders. -
Rights and Freedoms
11 October 2016SpeechPeering through human rights-tinted glasses
Annual Lecture, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law. Given at the State Library of Victoria on 7 October 2016. This year, we celebrate (or mourn, according to your perspective) the 60th anniversary of the first computer to defeat a human in chess. It occurred, predictably enough, in Los Alomos, and the human was a novice. Over the next 30 years, the best humans easily saw off the best computers ... -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 December 2012SpeechThe National Apology to the Stolen Generations one year on (2009)
I acknowledge the traditional owners of the Wurundjeri country, the land where we are meeting today, and thank Joy Murphy Wandin for her warm welcome to country. I pay my respects to your elders and to those who have come before us. I would also like to thank the Wunsyaluv dancers for the dances they have performed for us today. -
Legal
3 July 2019WebpageFreedom of Information disclosure log
The Australian Human Rights Commission is required by section 11C of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 to publish a disclosure log on its website. The disclosure log lists information which has been released in response to an FOI access request. This requirement has applied since 1 May 2011. -
14 December 2012Book page
International Review of Indigenous issues in 2000: Australia - 4. National laws contributing to racism, racist practices and / or race related discrimination
On 3 June 1992 the High Court of Australia handed down its decision in Mabo v Queensland (No.2) (1992) 175 CLR 1. This decision constitutes the first recognition of indigenous property rights at common law in Australia. The Court rejected the previously existing view that Australia was terra nullius (or land belonging to no-one) upon settlement by Europeans in 1788. -
Disability Rights
14 December 2012SpeechBurdekin: The Human Rights Of Australians With Disabilities
I would like to thank ACROD for inviting me to deliver the Kenneth Jenkins Oration; both because I regard it as a privilege and because it gives me the opportunity to address a gathering of the key people in the disability field at an important time in the work of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. -
14 December 2012Book page
DIAC Response to the 2010 Australian Human Rights Commission Report on Immigration Detention on Christmas Island
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) 2010 Report on Immigration Detention on Christmas Island. -
Rights and Freedoms
10 April 2013Publication
Homelessness is a Human Rights Issue
This paper explores the many ways that homelessness impacts on a person’s ability to enjoy basic rights and freedoms. It shows that homelessness is more than just a housing issue. Homelessness is about human rights. Homeless people are not merely objects of charity, seeking help and compassion – like all Australians, they are individuals entitled to the protection and promotion of their human rights. Since human rights belong to everyone, it is in the interests of the Australian community as a whole to ensure that the rights of homeless people are respected and protected. -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 2003: Chapter 5: Addressing family violence in Indigenous communities
back to contents Chapter 5: Addressing family violence in Indigenous communities There is no issue currently causing more destruction to the fabric of Indigenous communities than family violence. This has been acknowledged by all levels of government in recent years, with a number of significant inquiries and initiatives undertaken or commenced at the federal, state and territory level to address its impact. The intensive scrutiny and public awareness of this issue has not, however, led to sufficient commitments of resources and effort to date. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 December 2012Speech
Site navigation
On 14 May 2002 the Attorney-General tabled the Social Justice Report 2001, my annual review of the exercise of human rights by Indigenous Australians, and the Native Title Report 2001, my annual review of native title developments, in federal Parliament. -
14 December 2012Book page
Commission Website: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
3. I was employed by Australasian Correctional Management (ACM) at the Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre (WIRPC) as a Psychologist from approximately October 2000 until December 2001 on a contractual basis. There were some times during this period that I was not working, but the total period for which I was working at the WIRPC during this period was approximately 14 months. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
Site navigation
I have been asked to speak today about the contributions made to Australia by women from diverse cultures. A topic difficult for its breadth, depth and complexity - like our cultures and identities themselves. Made more difficult by the variety of women's experiences and the way we choose to define 'contribution.' -
14 December 2012Book page
HREOC Social Justice Report 2002: Self-determination - the freedom to 'live well'
a) Do Indigenous peoples have a right to self-determination? b) What is Indigenous self-determination? c) Summary - Defining Indigenous self-determination -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 December 2012Speech
Site navigation
The story in my hand is the saddest of all stories. It is the story of children taken from their mothers and fathers and families. It is the story of mothers and fathers and families who lost the most precious thing in their lives. Their children. -
Disability Rights
14 December 2012Speech
DEAFNESS FORUM OF AUSTRALIA 2005 CAPTIONING AWARDS
Allow me to begin by also acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to their elders both past and present. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
Human Rights Education for Life
Thank you for inviting me here today, to speak about a topic which in my view receives too little attention yet is one of critical importance not only to the way we live but to the kind of society we live in – the topic of human rights education. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
The Death Penalty - a matter of principle
It is almost 40 years since the last man was hanged in Australia. Today, the death penalty has been abolished in every Australian jurisdiction. Opposition to the death penalty attracts bi-partisan political support. Yet in a region where many of our closest neighbours still maintain the death penalty, I believe Australia can - and should - take a stronger stand against state sanctioned execution. -
14 December 2012Book page
Same-Sex: Same Entitlements: Chapter 16
As part of the Inquiry’s audit of federal, state and territory laws, the Inquiry has identified a range of laws which potentially discriminate against same-sex couples and families, but do not fall within the previous topic-specific chapters. -
14 December 2012Book page
Indigenous Deaths in Custody
Paul Blackmore’s photographs illustrate this report. They depict an inspired local initiative. Five years ago the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody drew attention to the appalling conditions in police lock-ups in rural Australia. The cells in Murgon, three hours north-west of Brisbane, were typical - dirty, disgusting, depressing. Detective Sergeant Ryan and Senior Sergeant McReight got together in 1991, put chalkboards in the cells and started what has become the Murgon Watch-house Art Project. The results have been excellent. Vandalism has almost disappeared. -
31 January 2013Webpage
2006 Human Rights Medal and Awards Winners
The 2006 Medal and Awards presentation ceremony was held on 7 December 2006 at a luncheon at the Sheraton on the Park hotel in Sydney. The Human Rights Day address was delivered by Commission President, the Hon. John von Doussa QC and Julie McCrossin was the MC. The judges of the 2006 Human Rights Medal and Awards who give their time and expertise on a voluntary basis included: Professor ...