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14 December 2012Book page
Native Title Report 2003 : Chapter 2 : Native Title Policy - State and Commonwealth profiles
Human rights principles require that Indigenous people's relationships to land, based on traditional laws and customs, be given legal recognition and protection. International legal principles also recognise that Indigenous peoples have economic, social and cultural human rights. Native title, as it is constructed through the Australian legal system, has a limited capacity to meet these human… -
Age Discrimination
12 November 2015Project
Elder abuse
Elder abuse can take various forms, including: financial, physical, psychological, emotional and sexual abuse, or neglect. No older person should be subjected to any form of abuse. -
Children's Rights
20 November 2014SpeechChildren as Citizens Book Launch
Megan MitchellNational Children’s Commissioner Children as Citizens Book LaunchUniversity of South Australia8 August 2014 Check Against Delivery Introduction Hello everyone and thank you for having me here. Thank you, Dr Dobson, for the kind introduction. Thank you in particular to Professor Pauline Harris, from the University of South Australia, and Harry Manatakis, Department for Education… -
2 October 2018Webpage
Make a complaint
The Australian Human Rights Commission investigates and conciliates complaints about discrimination and breaches of human rights. -
Children's Rights
21 October 2015Opinion piece
The human rights of children are at risk if control orders are placed on 14-year-olds
On Tuesday this week Attorney-General George Brandis foreshadowed extending laws concerning control orders to fourteen- and fifteen-year-old children. Brandis said the fact that a 15-year-old boy had been inspired to perform a terrorist act demonstrated that the reach of Islamic State and IS surrogates and agents in Australia is extending to people younger and younger. In announcing the… -
Rights and Freedoms
8 April 2014Opinion pieceFree speech, the public service and civilising behaviour
Before anyone screams "free speech", they should actually know what they are talking about. Earlier this week the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet released new social media protocols. The protocols limit the capacity of public servants to make statements that are "harsh or extreme in their criticism of the government, government policies, a member of Parliament from another political… -
Commission – General
9 April 2013PublicationStrategic Plan 2011-2014
Every three years we are required under our legislation to prepare a new Strategic Plan. We treat this as an opportunity to reflect on our effectiveness in undertaking our functions and duties, and to identify how we can ensure that our future work will result in tangible improvements in human rights for people in Australia. -
Children's Rights
24 August 2022Publication
'Mental health shapes my life': COVID-19 & kids' wellbeing (2022)
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, children and their families have experienced unparalleled disruptions to their daily lives. Although the pandemic is far from over, it is important that we understand how children have dealt with these. -
14 December 2012Book page
HREOC Website: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
DR OZDOWSKI: This is one of a series of hearings to be conducted around Australia. My name is Dr Sev Ozdowski and I am the Human Rights Commissioner and I am assisted in the Inquiry by two colleagues of mine, Mrs Robin Sullivan who is to the left of me, the Queensland Children's Commissioner. To the right of me is Dr Trang Thomas who is a Professor of Psychology at Melbourne Institute of… -
Disability Rights
26 November 2013Opinion pieceWe have to stop this
“Are you talking about rape? I’ve been raped many times. You just have to get used to it.” Imagine that your daughter, sister, mother, wife, girlfriend or female friend had the grave misfortune to have this happen to her - and that this statement, thick with defeat and resignation, was her response to such a gross perpetration of violence against her. Now imagine she is in a care facility… -
LGBTIQ+
11 March 2015Opinion pieceAustralian Marriage Forum ad might be distasteful but it should have been screened
On Sunday night, the Australian Marriage Forum (AMF) broadcast an advertisement against marriage for same-sex couples. The advertisement was scheduled to be broadcast on Channels 7, 9 and SBS. The AMF advertisement argued that same-sex couples should not be able to marry under the law, because children "wherever possible" need a mother and a father. It is hardly a new or ground-breaking… -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Publication
Annual Report 2006-2007:
This Annual Report reflects the commitment and dedication of the Commissioners and staff at the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) to the promotion and protection of human rights in Australia. Over the 2006-07 reporting period HREOC has acted on a broad range of challenging and complex human rights issues. -
Rights and Freedoms
19 January 2015Opinion piece
Charlie Hebdo V 18C: no contest
Charlie Hebdo would have risked being censored by the courts, but self-censorship is the reality of Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. -
14 December 2012Book page
16. Temporary Protection Visas for Children Released from Immigration Detention
The immigration status that results in the detention of children under Australian law also affects their entitlements to various services on release from detention, after they have been recognised as refugees. As discussed in Chapter 6 on Australia's Detention Policy, most children detained in immigration detention facilities for long periods are detained because they arrive in Australia without… -
14 December 2012Book page
Native Title Report 2005 : Chapter 3 : The economic logic of the NIC Principles and economic development on Indigenous lands
As my predecessor pointed out in the Native Title Report 2003, native title is a political process as well as a legal process. Indigenous people enter a relationship with the State on the basis of their identity as the traditional owner group of an area of land. In some cases native title has provided the first opportunity since colonisation for a relationship of this type to be formed. -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 2001: Chapter 2: Mutual obligation, welfare reform and Indigenous participation: a human rights perspective
In recent years a mutual obligation approach has been adopted to reform public policy on welfare and employment issues. There has been much discussion about the applicability of this approach within an Indigenous policy context. It is seen by many as consistent with Indigenous cultural values such as reciprocity and an emphasis on community, as well as suggesting an antidote to the damage caused… -
Sex Discrimination
31 July 2018Media ReleaseAustralian Universities audited one year on from the landmark Change the course report
The Australian Human Rights Commission has conducted an audit of Australian Universities, to coincide with the one year anniversary of the landmark Change the course report into sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities. The Change the course report found one in five (21%) students reported experiencing sexual harassment in a university setting in 2016 and 1.6% of… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
15 March 2017PublicationClose the Gap - Progress & Priorities report 2017
Closing the gap in health equality between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians is an agreed national priority. The Campaign continues to grow each year with 220,000 pledges having been made from across the Australian community, committing to seeing the health outcomes gap close in this generation – by 2030. -
Race Discrimination
28 July 2016PublicationLeading for Change: A blueprint for cultural diversity and inclusive leadership (2016)
Leading for Change starts the conversation about improving the representation of cultural diversity within Australian leadership. It provides guidance for how organisations can nurture leadership that is fit for our multicultural society and our global economy. -
18 September 2018Webpage
Contact
We offer a range of services to help you understand and protect your human rights. Contact the Australian Human Rights Commission.