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Organisers of a major national human rights conference have just announced a 60% discount for students who want to attend the historic gathering in June during the Vivid Sydney festival. Presented by the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Free + Equal Human Rights Conference is set to attract hundreds of delegates from across Australia’s human rights, civil society, legal, justice,…

Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss has welcomed the appointment of Senator Malarndirri McCarthy as the new Minister for Indigenous Australians. Senator McCarthy was sworn in today following the resignation last week of former Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney, who has left the frontbench and will not contest the next election. …

Grave concern over recently released CCTV footage depicting a First Nations child of 13 years of age with an intellectual disability, being forcibly restrained

Two of Australia’s most famous legal eagles are set to team up to prosecute the case for an Australian Human Rights Act at an historic two-day forum in June during the Vivid Sydney festival. Eminent international jurist and former High Court judge Michael Kirby and leading international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson (who represents Julian Assange) will tag team at the Free + Equal…

A new report has found governments and their departments at all levels across the country are failing to adequately identify and address racism – even avoiding the term ‘racism’ – and that approaches across the board are ad-hoc, disjointed, reactive, and lacking coordination between governments, agencies and sectors.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss today paid tribute to Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, who has resigned from the frontbench and will not contest the next election.

Age Discrimination Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM has warned the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is likely to lead to an increased risk of elder abuse with Australia needing to further bolster its efforts to address the nationwide problem. Elder abuse is when harm is done to an older person by someone they know and trust, often a family member. It can take many forms, including neglect,…

First Nations female leaders from across Australia are demanding immediate reform to Western Australia’s approach to youth justice in the wake of today’s riots at the Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre. Hundreds of First Nations women are attending the Wiyi Yani U Thangani National Summit in Canberra this week, including Commissioner for Children and Young People WA Jacqueline McGowan…

Waleed Aly, Michael Kirby, Jennifer Robinson, Adam Spencer and Nazeem Hussain are part of a unique and compelling show during the upcoming Vivid Sydney festival which will explore how an Australian Human Rights Act could help stop rights going wrong in the future. Part of the Vivid Ideas program, Rights On Time puts a fresh spin on the panel format by locating Nazeem Hussain in a…

Vivid Sydney festivalgoers looking for some fabulous intellectual entertainment can now have double the fun at the Rights On Time panel show on Thursday 6 June with a 2-for-1 ticket offer now available! Get set for the time of your rights as ‘sleek geek’ Adam Spencer corrals some of Australia’s favourite TV personalities, comedians, legal eagles and social justice advocates as they travel…

A new parliamentary report recommending a National Human Rights Act as part of a revitalised Human Rights Framework brings Australia closer than ever before to establishing the basic legal protections that Australians need. The report, tabled in Federal Parliament today, includes an example of legislation for a National Human Rights Act, building on decades of work and reinforcing…

The report identifies data collection and education on racism, and cultural safety as key themes. It also identifies media regulation, standards, and legal protections as priority areas for action. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Katie Kiss, has marked the start of Reconciliation Week by calling on Australians to finally overcome generations of disadvantage and division when it comes to First Nations rights, and forge a path for unity. The Commissioner warned that systemic failures facing Indigenous communities in all sectors of society including…

Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner is set to appear before the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva next week to provide analysis of how Australia measures up against our obligations under the UN’s Convention Against Torture (CAT) and its associated Optional Protocol (OPCAT).