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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
30 January 2014Opinion pieceWe need to fix the Constitution, says Social Justice Commissioner
Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the nation’s Constitution is a waste of time, 2UE Drive host Justin Smith recently argued . There are many things the Constitution doesn’t recognise, he said, the document is dull, and we would be better off if we paid attention instead to the words we use every day. I agree with Mr Smith on one point: the Constitution isn’t a page ... -
Race Discrimination
16 March 2021SpeechAustralia needs a National Anti-Racism Framework
Speech by the National Race Discrimination Commissioner, Chin Tan, ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Hello everyone, wherever you are in Australia. I join you from the lands of the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation. I pay my respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. Welcome to you and thank you ... -
Rights and Freedoms
5 May 2019VideoHuman Rights Awards 2018
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. The Young People’s Human Rights Medal went to Saxon Mullins, who received a standing ovation. Saxon told her story of sexual assault on national television and highlighted the need ... -
Rights and Freedoms
20 January 2023Opinion piece
Australia needs to deliver on our treaty promises
As with any agreement, there are certain requirements that OPCAT signatories need to fulfill, and Australia has been given longer than any other country to meet our OPCAT commitments. Today – 20 January 2023 – is our extended compliance deadline, and Australia has failed to deliver on our promises. -
Children's Rights
16 September 2020Opinion pieceGreater focus needed on kids during pandemic
Since lockdown restrictions were introduced in March, the national 24/7 counselling and support service Kids Helpline has received a significant increase in the volume of children and young people seeking help, up 24% to the end of August compared to 2019. The concerns they raised in counselling sessions provide important insights into how governments, parents and educators can better support ... -
Age Discrimination
27 November 2019Media ReleaseAttorneys-General Need to Act on Elder Abuse
Age Discrimination Commissioner Dr Kay Patterson is calling on the Council of Attorneys-General to agree to take immediate action on elder abuse at their meeting tomorrow to develop a timetable outlining its action plan. “Elder abuse is a blight on our society. Older Australians do not have time on their side, they need immediate action from Governments at state and federal levels,” said Dr ... -
Rights and Freedoms
17 January 2019Speech
2018 Human Rights Awards
14 December 2018 Westin Hotel, Sydney (Check against delivery) [Thank you for your warm welcome to country] Introduction I begin by paying my respects to the Gadigal people of the Eora nation— to their elders, past and present, and to the future generations; and I particularly acknowledge all Indigenous guests joining us here today. On behalf of the Australian Human Rights Commission may I welcome ... -
Children's Rights
21 July 2022Media Release
Government action needed to protect children in detention
Learn how the Human Rights Commission is deeply concerned about the safety and wellbeing of teenagers who were kept in adult detention centres. -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Opinion piece
No need to abandon human rights to be tough on terror (2006)
In the post-September 11 world, debate about counter-terrorism is often characterised as an argument between 'the realists', who appreciate the need for tough new counter-terrorism laws, and 'the out of touch', who fail to take the terrorist threat seriously. -
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 ... -
Sex Discrimination
12 January 2019Publication
Have your Say – Conversation Toolkit (2018)
The Commission has developed a toolkit to help interested individuals or groups within Australian workplaces, communities and groups to conduct facilitated conversations to inform the National Inquiry into sexual harassment in Australian workplaces. Anyone can use this toolkit to facilitate a discussion at your workplace, in a community organisation or among a group of friends. -
Rights and Freedoms
3 May 2024Opinion piece
We need debate on sensible limits on free speech
When president Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the 1941 State of the Union address he spoke of four essential human freedoms people “everywhere in the world” ought to enjoy. The very first of these was freedom of speech and expression. Free speech was listed first because it is the bedrock of democracy. Salman Rushdie famously described it as “the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life ... -
Disability Rights
17 November 2015PublicationInfo and Communications Technology in the A.P.S – the need for change
The low rate of employment of people with disability in the Australian Public Service (APS) is unsatisfactory in terms of the government’s broader objectives, and from the Australian Human Rights Commission’s perspective in terms of the right to work of people with disability. The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) sees the wider use of accessible Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as necessary to improving the APS performance on the employment of people with disability. -
Rights and Freedoms
1 July 2020News story
More protections needed for people of faith
A new position paper examines the prevalence and effects of serious harms experienced by religious communities inside Australia. Developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in partnership with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC), Freedom of religion in Australia: a focus on serious harms examines existing research and draws on first-person accounts ... -
Children's Rights
7 June 2024Webpage
Greater focus needed on kids during pandemic
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Children's Rights
24 August 2022Media Release
Survey shows children need better mental health support
A national survey examining the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people during the COVID-19 pandemic shows children and their families need better support from schools and mental health services. An initiative of the National Children's Commissioner, the survey found that children most commonly seek mental health support from their families, friends and schools. However, these ... -
Legal
30 January 2019SubmissionMigration (Validation of Port Appointment) Bill 2018
1 Introduction 1. The Commission makes this submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee in relation to the Migration (Validation of Port Appointment) Bill 2018 (Cth) (the Bill) introduced by the Australian Government. 2 Summary 2. The Commission welcomes the opportunity to make a submission in relation to this Bill. 3. The Bill seeks to retrospectively validate ... -
Legal
30 January 2019Submission
Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018
1. Executive summary The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) makes this submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, in response to its review of the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018 (Cth) (the Bill). The Explanatory Memorandum states that the purpose of the Bill is to introduce measures to allow ... -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
16 March 2022News story
Urgent funding needed to support Indigenous community-led health solutions
The Close the Gap campaign has called for an urgent investment in community-led health services to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the country. The 2022 Close the Gap Report: Transforming Power – Voices for Generational Change has 12 recommendations for large-scale transformation and systemic reform to avoid further preventable deaths and protect ... -
Rights and Freedoms
17 January 2019Speech
Alice Tay Lecture in Law and Human Rights 2018 - ‘Rights-mindedness’
‘Rights-mindedness’ — making human rights real in public service and community understanding 70 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Alice Tay Lecture in Law and Human Rights 2018 Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM President, Australian Human Rights Commission Sir Roland Wilson Building Canberra 25 September 2018 Abstract A key function of the Australian Human ...