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Commission – General
14 December 2022Speech2022 Human Rights Day Oration by Larissa Behrendt
"No More Just Tinkering at the Edges" Human Rights Day Oration by Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO 9 December 2022 I pay my respects to the Gadigal and the Elders who have kept knowledge on this country and shared so generously this unceded land. Before I start, I would like to thank the Commission for the honour of the 2021 Human Rights Medal. The award reflects a long-term… -
9 May 2024Conciliation register
2021-06-08
The complainant’s adult son has an acquired brain injury, experiences seizures and uses a wheelchair. The complainant advised she booked a wheelchair accessible taxi with the respondent taxi company to take her son to the local pool for hydrotherapy and bring him home afterwards. She alleges the taxi booked to bring her son home did not arrive, leaving him alone and wet at the pool carpark… -
Rights and Freedoms
18 March 2022Opinion pieceTime 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… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
20 June 2023Media ReleaseInspection report: Serious human rights concerns in hotel detention
Explore an inspection report by the Commission that found serious human rights concerns persist in the use of hotels as alternative places of detention. -
1 February 2024Conciliation register
2022-10-08
The complainant’s son is eight years of age and has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder , learning difficulties and sensory processing difficulties. The complainant alleged the respondent government public housing provider placed her and her son in unsuitable accommodation. In particular, she claimed the home was too crowded and did not offer enough space to set up occupational therapy … -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
19 April 2024News story
Inspection report: “serious concerns” at Yongah Hill Detention Centre
An inspection report by the Australian Human Rights Commission has found that a high-security immigration detention centre in Western Australia was, in part, “no longer fit for purpose”, and raised serious concerns over safety conditions and the level of care for detainees and staff. The Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre Inspection Report followed a two-day inspection of the adult… -
Children's Rights
30 January 2022Media ReleaseChildren urged to share COVID-19 experiences
As most Australian children return to school today, they are being invited to share their stories about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their wellbeing, and how they have coped. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
15 June 2021Publication
Management of COVID-19 risks in immigration detention (2021)
Learn how COVID-19 is a threat to people held in immigration detention, as the virus can spread quickly in enclosed, confined spaces such as detention -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 October 2019Media Release
Court finds asylum seekers entitled to fair process
Up to 71 asylum seekers who missed out on making an application for a protection visa were still entitled to a fair assessment of their claims the Full Federal Court has held. The Court accepted submissions from the Australian Human Rights Commission that an internal process established by the Department of Home Affairs should have provided them with procedural fairness. As a result of the … -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
15 September 2023Media ReleaseThe Voice is an opportunity for unity: June Oscar AO
The Voice is a once in a lifetime opportunity to unite all Australians. It is the first time in Australia’s history that we are on a collective path to recognising First Nations peoples’ deep connection to this continent, and our remarkable civilisation. It is an opportunity to have a society of inclusion, unity and recognition. The referendum is also an opportunity to overcome division, to… -
Commission – General
18 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. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
5 May 2021Media Release
Media Statement: Federal Court improves pathways to protection for more than a thousand asylum seekers taken to Ashmore reef
More than 1,000 asylum seekers have a greater ability to apply for protection in Australia following a landmark judgment by the Federal Court on Tuesday. “When a person seeks asylum in Australia, it’s vital that their application be processed quickly, fairly and transparently. This judgment will remove administrative barriers for a vulnerable group of people who have been waiting too long to… -
Technology and Human Rights
15 August 2023SubmissionEthical AI in South Australia
Learn more about the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) and how AI can be developed safely and ethically to protect human rights. -
Commission – General
4 February 2025E-bulletin (Monthly)
President's message | February 2025
UN decisions confirm Australia's human rights obligations to refugees and people seeking asylum sent offshore The Refugee Convention is the international community’s commitment to work together to protect people fleeing violence and persecution. When Australia agreed to be bound by the Refugee Convention and its 1967 protocol, we agreed to protect refugees who came to our country seeking… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
2 December 2020Publication
Inspections of Australia's immigration detention facilities 2019 Report
Human Rights Commissioner’s foreword For several decades, the Australian Human Rights Commission has expressed deep and longstanding concern about the human rights of people held in Australia’s immigration detention facilities. As a result of our most recent inspection process, that concern has deepened. Some of the issues of greatest concern to the Commission are as follows. A number of… -
Rights and Freedoms
21 April 2020Opinion piece
Resisting extremism in a pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic spread to this big island of ours, our leaders made a momentous decision: they decided to save as many human lives as possible. This was the right decision. It shows we as a country care about human life above all else. But now we face an even harder question: how to save lives while preventing economic collapse and staying true to our democratic values? In order… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
1 November 2022News story
Statement of condolence for Cassius Turvey's family and community
We are deeply saddened by the death of 15-year-old Cassius Turvey last week in Perth. As this matter is before the courts, it would not be appropriate for us to make comment on the circumstances surrounding Cassius’s passing. -
14 April 2022Conciliation register
2020-04-03
The complainant has schizophrenia and a back injury and was employed in an IT role with the respondent government agency. He alleged he was treated less favourably because he has schizophrenia, including by being excluded from the workplace, being given excessive work to perform at home, having his personal property tampered with and being referred to as ‘weird’. He also alleged the agency… -
Commission – General
15 September 2021Speech
Human Rights Day Oration 2020: Rosemary Kayess and Nas Campanella
The 2020 Human Rights Day Oration was delivered by leading disability rights advocate Rosemary Kayess, winner of the 2019 Human Rights Medal, and a contributor to the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Ms Kayess discussed the social transformation of CRPD and the impact it has had on the community as well as her work with the Disability Royal
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