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Commission – General27 August 2021Publication
Corporate Plan 2021 - 2022
Respect for human rights and freedoms is the cornerstone of a cohesive and peaceful society in which everyone can make a contribution and feel safe and included. This Corporate Plan shows how we achieve our purpose and promote an Australian society where human rights are enjoyed by everyone, everywhere, everyday -
Commission – General18 August 2022Publication
Corporate Plan 2022 - 2023
This Corporate Plan shows how we achieve our purpose and promote an Australian society where human rights are enjoyed by everyone, everywhere, everyday. -
Rights and Freedoms22 July 2014Speech
Accessing Justice – The Australian Experience
20th International AIDS Conference, Melbourne -
Complaint Information Service14 December 2012Publication
ADR as a tool for social change: a discussion (2008)
Human rights and anti-discrimination law in Australia, as in many countries in the Asia Pacific, provides for complaints about discrimination and violations of human rights to be resolved by conciliation. The use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in this context has been criticised. In particular, it has been claimed that the individualised form of the complaint process, coupled with the confidential nature of conciliation outcomes, restricts the social reformative potential of human rights and anti-discrimination law. -
Legal14 December 2012Webpage
Submissions made by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Social Justice Commissioner was granted leave to appear as amicus curiae in two proceedings before the Queensland Supreme Court: Giblet & Ors v Qld & Anor, Chong & Ors v Qld & Anor. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice11 December 2019Speech
2019 ANZSOC Conference, Justice reimagined: The intersection between Academia, Government, Industry and the Community
Title: Our women have spoken: the need for strengths-based approaches to violence prevention in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities Yaningi warangira ngindaji yuwa muwayi ingirranggu, Noongar yani U. Well thank you and good morning what a gathering. Thank you to the conference organisers and the working group and for inviting me to open with this keynote address. The issues you are ... -
Rights and Freedoms1 May 2021Media Release
Travel ban and sanctions on Australians travelling from India
The travel ban on Australian citizens returning from India, accompanied by criminal sanctions under the Biosecurity Act, raises serious human rights concerns. The Commission supports the continuation of aid to the Indian Government as it copes with the current COVID-19 crisis, but the Commission holds deep concerns about these extraordinary new restrictions on Australians returning to Australia ... -
Rights and Freedoms10 July 2024Submission
Civics in Australia
Learn more about the importance of civics education, engagement and participation in Australia - and what it means for human rights. -
14 December 2012Book page
Native Title Report 2009: Chapter 4
During the reporting period, Australian governments continued to develop tenure reform policies for Indigenous land. Governments frequently describe these policies as a means of promoting home ownership and economic development on Indigenous land. The reality is not so simple. -
Rights and Freedoms8 May 2020News story
Commission position on the draft ‘COVIDSafe App’ Bill
The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed the release of the exposure draft of the Privacy Amendment (Public Health Contact Information) Bill 2020 (the ‘draft Bill’). This sets out the legal protections for the Australian Government’s contact-tracing COVIDSafe App. The Commission has previously welcomed the development of the COVIDSafe App as an important public health initiative, which ... -
14 December 2012Book page
Native Title Report 2011: Chapter 1: Reviewing key developments in the Reporting Period
In this Chapter I review key developments within the native title system that occurred throughout the Reporting Period (1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011) and consider the impact of these events on the exercise and enjoyment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ human rights. -
Legal17 June 2019Submission
Review of citizenship loss provisions in the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth)
The Commission urges reform of these citizenship loss provisions, and makes 11 recommendations to ameliorate the significant human rights concerns. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice4 August 2023Webpage
Self-determination and Indigenous peoples
Self-determination is an ongoing process of ensuring that peoples are able to make decisions about matters that affect their lives. Essential to the exercise of self-determination is choice, participation and control. The outcomes of self-determining processes must correspond to the free and voluntary choice of the people concerned, including in relation to the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum. -
Rights and Freedoms29 July 2021Webpage
Face masks and federal discrimination law
At various times during the COVID-19 pandemic, state and territory governments in Australia have made it a requirement for people to wear a face mask in certain settings. The different rules and exemptions around face masks are set out in the relevant state and territory public health orders. The latest mask-wearing requirements can be found on the appropriate state and territory government websites -
Rights and Freedoms14 December 2012Project
Discrimination in Employment on the Basis of Criminal Record
In recent years the Australian Human Rights Commission has received a significant number of complaints from people alleging discrimination in employment on the basis of criminal record. The complaints indicate that there is a great deal of misunderstanding by both employers and people with criminal records about discrimination on the basis of criminal record. -
Rights and Freedoms16 July 2019Media Release
Urgent call for Federal Government to protect 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers at risk in the community
The Australian Human Rights Commission calls on the Australian Government to make urgent changes to improve protections for approximately 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers living in the Australian community. A new report released today, Lives on hold: Refugees and asylum seekers in the ‘Legacy Caseload’ , reveals the human rights situation for approximately 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers ... -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees2 July 2020Opinion piece
Blanket bans would be unacceptable
During lockdown, many of us – myself included – have become even more reliant on our mobile phones. They have kept us in contact with parents, children and grandchildren, our colleagues and friends during this difficult time. When my two-year old first saw his grandmother on a smartphone, he squealed with delight. It wasn’t quite the same as being together — he pawed at the screen to try to touch ... -
Rights and Freedoms28 September 2023Opinion piece
COVID-19 Inquiry a missed opportunity
Read the Human Rights Commissioner, Ms Lorraine Finlay's op-ed about the terms of reference for the inquiry in Australia's pandemic response. Understanding the full human cost of the pandemic is vital for ensuring a more effective response for future public emergencies. -
Legal14 December 2012Webpage
The protection of genetic information of Indigenous peoples
This submission is made by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. It considers the human rights implications of the use of the genetic information of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (herein, Indigenous peoples) and the adequacy of current levels of protection. -
Rights and Freedoms26 June 2020Publication
Implementing OPCAT in Australia (2020)
The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) aims to improve how people’s human rights are protected when they are detained.