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Leading disability rights activist Rosemary Kayess has won the prestigious 2019 Human Rights Medal in recognition of her work in international human rights law for people with disability. Ms Kayess, a tireless advocate for equal rights for people with disability in Australia and worldwide, contributed to drafting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and

A former Socceroo, a disability rights activist, the author of best-seller Dark Emu, a leading business consultant, and a campaigning lawyer from Queensland are waiting to hear if they will be awarded the prestigious Human Rights Award medal on Friday. The winners in all nine categories of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s annual Human Rights Awards will be announced today at a…

Age Discrimination Commissioner Dr Kay Patterson is calling on the Council of Attorneys-General to agree to take immediate action on elder abuse at their meeting tomorrow to develop a timetable outlining its action plan. “Elder abuse is a blight on our society. Older Australians do not have time on their side, they need immediate action from Governments at state and federal levels,” said Dr …

Fourteen complaints about the use of force in immigration detention form the basis for a comprehensive thematic report by the Australian Human Rights Commission tabled in Parliament today. The report considers the practices of handcuffing detainees, use of physical force within centres including arm and elbow locks, operations conducted by the Emergency Response Team (ERT), and the use of…

The Australian Human Rights Commission has warned that the proposed Cashless Debit Card Bill is not compatible with Australia’s international human rights obligations. In a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Income Management to Cashless Debit Card Transition) Bill 2019, the Commission also raises concerns regarding the lack of robust…

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 …

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Her Excellency Dr Michelle Bachelet AC, is in Sydney today to attend the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Free and Equal; A National Conversation on Human Rights. Dr Bachelet will deliver the keynote address at the conference. Her speech will focus on Australia’s human rights achievements and challenges, as well as our sphere of influence in the…

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is calling on Australia to prioritise raising the age of criminal responsibility as part of its Concluding Observations on Australia's performance in protecting the country's children and young people. This comes at a time when there is a strong push around the country to improve our responses to juvenile offending and do more to divert children…

The International Day of Older Persons is an opportunity to consider the contribution made by older Australian workers and the importance of creating age friendly workplaces. The percentage of Australians aged 65 and over in the labour force doubled between 2000 and 2015 - and 20% of people over 70 are still working. We need to continue this trend so individuals can contribute and continue…

The Australian Human Rights Commission supports reform to improve protections against religious discrimination for all people in Australia. While supporting much of the draft Religious Discrimination Bill, the Commission urges that the Bill be amended to avoid limiting other human rights and overriding existing anti-discrimination laws. “The Commission has advocated for more than 20 years…

“For more than 20 years, the Australian Human Rights Commission has called for reform to prohibit all forms of discrimination on the basis of religious and other beliefs. “Any reform in this area must protect the human rights of all people in Australia, regardless of their religion, race, gender, sexual orientation or any other status. “We will be studying the content of the draft Bill…

Australian Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell and Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow have today written to Minister David Coleman, calling for an urgent and compassionate resolution for the Tamil family detained in immigration detention on Christmas Island. “Given their connection to Australia, showing compassion and allowing the family to stay together in the only community the…

The practice of sending to Nauru families with young children who arrived in Australia seeking asylum is the subject of an inquiry report by the Australian Human Rights Commission tabled in Parliament today. [1] Mr Richard Lancaster SC, as delegate of the President, found that the regional processing centre on Nauru was not an appropriate place to send families with young children…

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…

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO has launched the Hear Us, See Us exhibition at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. The exhibition includes photos and videos of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls who took part in national consultations for the Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) project

Any significant restrictions imposed on a person held in immigration detention, including the widespread use of restraints like handcuffs, must be tailored to individual circumstances and risks, according to a new report released by the Australian Human Rights Commission today. The Commission has made 34 recommendations to improve risk management practice based on its inspections of…

Sport and human rights leaders are encouraging all Australians to “stand for inclusivity”, launching new guidelines that promote the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in sport. National Guidelines for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in sport were launched in Melbourne today. The Guidelines were developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission in

The Australian Human Rights Commission has launched a conversation guide about racism, to coincide with the world premiere of The Final Quarter documentary about AFL legend and former Australian of the Year Adam Goodes. Let’s talk race: A guide on how to conduct conversations about racism has been designed to complement the powerful documentary about the treatment of Adam Goodes in the final…

The Close the Gap Campaign has welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to work in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to address the inequality that continues to exist in life expectancy and other outcomes. The Prime Minister Scott Morrison has tabled the Government’s Closing the Gap Report and restated the government’s commitment to work collaboratively…

Statement from Alastair McEwin, Disability Discrimination Commissioner I support the motion to hold a Royal Commission into the violence, abuse and neglect of people with disability. I call upon the Government to act immediately on this motion by proceeding to establish the Royal Commission without further delay. The prevalence and pervasiveness of violence, abuse and neglect against people…