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Technology and Human Rights28 February 2024Opinion piece
Let’s not elevate brain tech over our humanity
Learn more about how Neuralink's successful implantation could raise human rights issues about neurotechnology. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees7 December 2023Opinion piece
Hasty detainee laws raise human rights concerns
Read an opinion piece from Australia's Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay raising concerns about the passage of new laws responding to the fallout from the recent NZYQ High Court decision. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice31 October 2023Opinion piece
Now is the time to act. The referendum must not lead to despair, but to a search for new ways to secure justice
This opinion piece by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO, appeared in The Guardian Australia on Sunday 29 October 2023 The day the proposal for a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous voice was rejected by the majority of my fellow Australians will be remembered by many as a sombre day in our country’s history. After the result, there is much pain… -
Race Discrimination6 October 2023Opinion piece
Whatever the voice vote’s result, Australia has a racism problem we must tackle
Read Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan's op-ed, published in The Guardian Australia. "Australia will, fundamentally, be changed on 14 October. However the cards fall in the voice referendum, one thing is for sure: our next urgent national priority is tackling racism." -
Age Discrimination29 September 2023Opinion piece
Reaching across generations brings benefits for everyone
By Commission President and Acting Age Discrimination Commissioner, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM Every year on the International Day of Older Persons (IDOP), the world comes together to celebrate and reflect on the contributions of older people in our communities. This year’s IDOP theme is ‘Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice28 September 2023Opinion piece
The referendum is Australia’s gateway moment
Read Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, June Oscar's op-ed in support of the Voice Referendum, published in The Guardian Australia. "We’ve been advocating for a permanent representative body for decades. My old people wanted this. My family in remote Australia facing unbelievable struggles daily want this." -
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. -
Technology and Human Rights24 August 2023Opinion piece
Why Misinformation Bill risks Freedoms it Aims to Protect
Learn more about the federal government’s proposed Communications Legislation Amendment (Combating Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill. -
Technology and Human Rights2 July 2023Opinion piece
Australia needs to be a world leader in ethical AI
Find out more about how Australia can be a leader in responsible and ethical artificial intelligence. -
Technology and Human Rights16 May 2023Opinion piece
Chatbot Race must not be Run with Blinkers on
Learn more about the risks of developing generative artificial intelligence products with disregard for human rights. -
Technology and Human Rights16 May 2023Opinion piece
Big tech is Ignoring the Human Cost Behind the Rise of ChatGPT
Read more about how big technology companies' race to develop generative AI products is threatening human rights. -
Technology and Human Rights15 May 2023Opinion piece
‘Weaponised' AI an existential threat to truth, human rights
This opinion piece by Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay appeared in The Australian on Monday 15 May 2023. In George Orwell's 1984, the Ministry of Truth exercises absolute control of information according to The Party ethos, “Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present, controls the past”. If the Ministry of Truth existed today, a more accurate slogan would… -
Commission – General13 March 2023Opinion piece
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. -
Rights and Freedoms20 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. -
Rights and Freedoms18 March 2022Opinion piece
Time for review on COVID-19 border and quarantine restrictions
OPINION With the McGowan Government announcing earlier this week that the Western Australian hard border will ease on February 5, 2022, Australia is inching ever closer to border closures becoming a thing of the past. But while many of us would like this to be true, it is important to realise that we’re not there yet. While border restrictions are easing around Australia and State premiers… -
Rights and Freedoms18 March 2022Opinion piece
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 face at home and leave the rest of the world to deal with their own problems. That would be a grave … -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice18 March 2022Opinion piece
We will not sit down or stand to the side
OPINION There are moments in history where the forces of what has come before and the energy of the present reconfigure the social and political landscape. In Australia and around the globe, reckoning with misogyny and the interrelated issues of systemic racism and patriarchal destruction has been centuries in the making. On Tuesday, on International Women’s Day, a new play by Victoria… -
Rights and Freedoms21 January 2022Opinion piece
Novak Djokovic drew global attention to Australia's immigration detention regime. Now we need proper scrutiny of all places of detention
Novak Djokovic’s recent detention at Melbourne’s Park Hotel drew international attention to Australia’s use of hotels as Alternative Places of Detention by immigration authorities. But while Djokovic’s detention was measured in days, others still remaining in the Park Hotel measure their detention in years. Hotels are simply not appropriate places to detain people for extended periods. The… -
Rights and Freedoms18 November 2021Opinion piece
Loss of freedoms and rights has harmed us
OPINION November 18, 2021 Ronald Reagan famously said that “freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction”. For many Australians, until recently, freedom has been something we have largely been able to take for granted in our daily lives. But with millions of Australians only recently emerging from lengthy lockdowns, and every single one of us still… -
Age Discrimination1 October 2021Opinion piece
Generational divide? It’s more myth than reality
Although antagonism between the generations is often seen as inevitable, the ‘generational wars’ we hear about are not supported by Australians themselves. A new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission, What’s age got to do with it? A snapshot of ageism across the Australian lifespan, examines what young adult, middle-aged and older Australians really think about age and ageism…