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Legal
10 October 2017SubmissionInformation concerning Australia’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (2017)
This submission provides information concerning the civil and political rights of key population groups in Australia and other thematic issues engaging civil and political rights. In relation to each section, the Commission has referred to the relevant articles of the ICCPR engaged and (where appropriate) the relevant paragraph of the Committee’s list of issues prior to reporting dated 9 November 2012. -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Information concerning Australia and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Recommendation 1: The Commission recommends that the Australian Government fully incorporate into Australian law its human rights obligations to children, including through the adoption of a federal Human Rights Act. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
11 March 2021SpeechJune Oscar's IWD Speech for Children's Ground
Yaningi warangira ngindaji yuwa muwayi ingirranggu, Bunuba yani U. I acknowledge all the traditional countries that we gather on today, and pay my respects to our elders everywhere, past, present and emerging. Happy International Women’s Week 2021! I really thank Jane and all the team, children and families of Children’s Ground for designing this event, and recognising the vital importance of ... -
Children's Rights
19 September 2018Webpage
Children's Rights
Discover how the Human Rights Commission ensures that children and young people have a say when it comes to issues that impact their lives. -
Children's Rights
21 February 2013Webpage
About Children's Rights
What are children’s rights? Children as well as adults have human rights. Children also have the right to special protection because of their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse. The main international human rights treaty on children’s rights is the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRC is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Australia ratified the CRC in ... -
14 December 2012Book page
Human Rights 21: Getting the message out - Human Rights Education
One of the most important ways to protect human rights is to build community understanding and challenge attitudes which are based on myths and stereotypes. The key to this is education. -
Rights and Freedoms
11 November 2022Media ReleaseHuman 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). -
International
2 November 2023News story
Engaging with the international human rights system
The Australian Human Rights Commission has recently hosted visits from two UN Special Rapporteurs: the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children and the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change. Special Rapporteurs are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate, report on and make recommendations ... -
Children's Rights
17 July 2014Speech
Rights of children in schools: a human rights perspective on behaviour
Read a speech by the Children's Commissioner that highlights the importance of including the views of students when defining the rights of children. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
10 March 2016Opinion piece
Children's rights must come first, says Mick Gooda
The recent death of a 10-year-old in the Kimberley is a tragedy and I pass on my condolences to her family at this particularly distressing time. This tragedy has heightened my conviction that the lives of all of our children in Australia are precious and should be protected at all costs. Nearly 20 years after the Bringing Them Home Report documented the experiences of the Stolen Generations, the ... -
Rights and Freedoms
17 January 2019Media Release
Winners announced - 2018 Human Rights Awards
The Honourable Justice Peter McClellan AM and Chrissie Foster have won the prestigious 2018 Human Rights Medal for their enormous contribution to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Chrissie Foster has long campaigned for justice for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse and Justice McClellan led the five-year Royal Commission. Accepting the Medal at ... -
Rights and Freedoms
18 November 2022Speech
Housing and human rights - rights where it matters
Sandy Duncanson Memorial Lecture Housing and human rights – rights where it matters Hobart, 11 October 2022 Abstract Homelessness can happen to anyone. People with disability are at an increased risk and they are joined by a growing invisible cohort of older women. COVID-19 was a trigger for state governments to find shelter for people living rough, illustrating that solutions to homelessness are ... -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
4 August 2023Webpage
Indigenous Rights & the Voice
The Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum proposes a mechanism that addresses Indigenous peoples’ right to participation in decision making, and the right to consultation with government. The Voice could also promote the realisation of other human rights for Indigenous peoples, including to ensure the full realisation of rights to health, education, housing and the protection of Indigenous cultures. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012WebpageAustralian Council of Human Rights Agencies (ACHRA) - UPR Progress Report (2011)
The Australian Government is to be commended for its frank and robust engagement in the UPR process to date, both in the formal working group session and in engaging with the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), NGOs and civil society throughout the process. -
Children's Rights
20 November 2014Speech
Children's Rights in a Changing World
Megan Mitchell National Children's Commissioner Australian Human Rights Commission Association of Children's Welfare Agencies Conference 2014 20 August 2014 Check Against Delivery Introduction Thank you, Stephen, and good afternoon everyone. Can I start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we are meeting today, and paying my respects to their elders past and present. I’d ... -
Children's Rights
26 March 2018Project
Reporting to the United Nations on Children's Rights
In September 2019, Australia appeared before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. This UN Committee monitors Australia’s progress in fulfilling its obligations under: • the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) • the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (OPSC) • the Optional ... -
Children's Rights
23 November 2017Speech
13th Australasian Injury Prevention Network Conference
The 13 th Australasian Injury Prevention Network Conference Date: Monday, 13 th November 2017 1. Acknowledgments Good morning everyone. Thank you Rebecca for the introduction. It’s a pleasure to be invited to present at this year’s Australasian Injury Prevention Network Conference. I wish to start by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land we are gathering on here in beautiful ... -
Children's Rights
4 October 2019Media Release
UN calls for national action to protect the rights of children and young people in Australia
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is calling on Australia to prioritise raising the age of criminal responsibility as part of its Concluding Observations on Australia's performance in protecting the country's children and young people. This comes at a time when there is a strong push around the country to improve our responses to juvenile offending and do more to divert children from ... -
Children's Rights
11 January 2017Speech
A life free from violence and fear: a child’s right
2016 International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect Held by the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in Calgary, Canada Introduction Good afternoon. It’s a pleasure to be here in Calgary today to speak about the work I have done as Australia’s first National Children’s Commissioner, among so many eminent peers from across the globe. Before I begin, I would like to ... -
10 April 2015Book page
2 Background and framework for promotion and protection of human rights
2.1 Scope of international obligations 2.2 National framework 2.3 Equality before the law and non-discrimination 2.4 Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers 2.5 Right to life, liberty and security of the person 2.1 Scope of international obligations Australia prides itself on its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and has announced its candidacy for election to the Human ...