Search results

Why do I love HREOC? Well, I was there at the birth. I watched the Commission grow and accept new challenges every year. Australians used to be blind to the inequalities of women, to injustice to Aboriginals and other indigenous peoples, to Asian Australians, to gays and other sexual minorities, to people with disabilities and many others. If our eyes have been opened, we should be grateful to HREOC. In a real sense, it has been a conscience of our country: speaking out when others were silent. The Hon. Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG, Justice of the High Court of Australia

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.

HREOC plays a significant role in monitoring legislation and policy in Australia to assess compliance with human rights principles. This monitoring role includes:

HREOC reviews staff performance annually through its Performance Management Scheme. The Scheme provides an opportunity to set goals and priorities and assess the level of individual performance and contribution to Unit outcomes.

Indigenous young people with cognitive disabilities and/ or mental health issues in contact with the juvenile justice system get very little attention in literature, in policy and arguably in practice as well. We have seen that this is a forgotten group of young people who are frequently labelled as ‘complex’ (code for too hard to work with) and often receive inadequate or inappropriate service.

HREOC offers extraordinary support and the possibility of redress to those pushed to the edges of our society. The rigor and innovation of its staff and the quality policy work, inquiries, reports and educational programs have given visibility to critical social issues and informed our democracy. Australia's history as a global human rights advocate owes much to HREOC's achievements and reputation. Andrea Durbach, Director, Australasian Human Rights Centre

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.

The literature review pulls together some of the main concepts and findings about Indigenous young people with cognitive disabilities and/ or mental health issues from involvement with the juvenile justice system. However, we are also interested in finding out what is actually happening on the ground for these young people.

The position of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner was established within the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in 1993 to carry out the following functions:

This is my sixth and final Native Title Report as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. This Report covers the period 1 July 2008 – 30 June 2009.

Useful contacts for support in cases of discrimination in employment on the basis of criminal record

Media Pack Index | Media Release | Launch Speech by Pru Goward | Speech by Nareen Young | Case Studies Fact Sheets: Key Findings | The Complaints Process | Legal Definition of Sexual Harassment | Cost to Employers

On 13 February 2008 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, on behalf of the Australian Parliament, made a historic and long overdue national Apology to the Stolen Generations. With eloquence and emotion, Prime Minister Rudd said what so many Australians have wanted to say, and what so many Indigenous peoples have needed to hear:

This section outlines current knowledge around Indigenous young people with cognitive disabilities and/ or mental health issues. It introduces concepts and best practice models from Australia and internationally.