Commission – General
A national Human Rights Act needs to be introduced in Australia
Opinion piece by Commission President Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM, first published in the Canberra Times.
News
Commission – General
Rights and Freedoms
Commission launches model for an Australian Human Rights Act
Australia is the only liberal democracy that does not have an act or charter of rights at the national level, and there are currently very few legal protections for the fundamental rights of Australians.
Sex Discrimination
Parliament's improved workplace culture is an example for others
After years of headlines about the toxic workplace culture at Federal Parliament, codes of conduct will for the first time apply to all parliamentarians and staffers.
Sex Discrimination
Commission welcomes parliament’s codes of conduct and improved workplace safety
The codes set standards of conduct for parliamentarians, staffers, and all other employees in parliamentary workplaces. They were endorsed by the Senate this morning and debated in the House, which is expected to also endorse them soon.
Rights and Freedoms
Making rights a reality: the need for a Human Rights Act for Australia
This presentation, on International Human Rights Day, advances the case for a Human Rights Act for Australia, reflecting on experiences during COVID and the difference a Human Rights Act may have made.
Race Discrimination
Attorney-General commits Government to anti-racism strategy in Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture
“Australia’s continued success as a multicultural nation must include an ongoing commitment to addressing racism,” the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said.
Rights and Freedoms
What is happening in Ukraine should matter to every Australian
OPINION There is almost 13,000km between Australia and Ukraine. It is literally on the other side of the world. Given the vast distances that separate us, it would be easy to claim that what happens there has nothing to do with us. That Australia should focus instead on the many challenges we...
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Incorporating UNDRIP into Australian law would kickstart important progress
Given the challenges we face collectively, it is all too seldom that the world's First Nations peoples are able to come together to develop shared solutions. When we do, we achieve great things.
Children's Rights
Protect children from data surveillance
Even before birth, Australian children are the targets of technology that collects their data and threatens their privacy – but right now we have an opportunity to protect them and future generations. Parents who use pregnancy apps or share ultrasounds on social media can expect information about...
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
LISTEN. THINK. TRUST. ACT. DIFFERENTLY. Intersectional Movements and a Gender Equal and Just Futures
Panel: Think: Associate Professor Chelsea Watego Trust: Aunty Jackie Huggins, Co-chair Treaty Advancement Committee Act: June Oscar, Social Justice Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission I want to acknowledge the lands we all stand on—all our elders past, present and emerging, wherever we...
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Commission urges immediate action on COVID-19 risk to people in immigration detention
Rights and Freedoms
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...
Rights and Freedoms
Greater scrutiny of emergency powers needed
The Australian Human Rights Commission has called for greater accountability to be embedded in laws that extend the Commonwealth’s power in the event of national emergencies. In its submission to a Senate inquiry examining the National Emergency Declaration Act 2020, the Commission recommended five...
Pagination
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