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Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Opinion pieceAll people have a fundamental human right to seek asylum from persecution (2010)
The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published. -
Legal
14 December 2012WebpageRecommended decision on application for exemption under Disability Discrimination Act section 55: Employers Making A Difference
By email received on 14 August 2001, Employers Making A Difference have requested an exemption under section 55 of the Disability Discrimination Act from liability under the Act, for a period of five years, to permit them to advertise positions as being only open to people with a disability. -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Inquiry into Access to Justice (2009)
The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) makes this submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee in its Inquiry into Access to Justice. -
Education14 December 2012Webpage
Human Rights Explained: The Emergence of Rights in Law
Discover the historical evolution of legal rights, from the Magna Carta to modern treaties, and their impact on human rights law. Learn more with this fact sheet. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012WebpageUseful resources - Human rights at your fingertips
View resources that document various areas of human rights, including Indigenous, disability, children, women, racial, civil, social and cultural rights. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
8 October 2014Opinion pieceKeeping asylum seeker children in detention doesn't stop people smugglers - so why do it?
The former and current ministers for immigration and border security, Chris Bowen and Scott Morrison, agree on one thing: that asylum seeker children are not detained to deter people smuggling. Rather, it appears that patrol boats and naval frigates, commanded by a three star general, and a refusal to allow refugees to settle here, have reduced the number of boats reaching Australia. Why… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
5 July 2021Opinion pieceReturn to country endangered by failure to invest
Covid-19 has triggered the most significant return to country by First Nations people since the homeland movement commenced in the 1960s. Thousands, like myself, returned to remote communities out of necessity. Facing the unknown, our family leaders who could made the courageous decision to gather loved ones and travel out to country, with minimal resources. Importantly, Australian… -
Age Discrimination
13 September 2021Publication
What’s age got to do with it? (2021)
This report identifies stereotypes, attitudes and beliefs about age that prevail in Australia, and captures some of the ways in which people in Australia understand and experience their impacts. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
Federal Anti-discrimination Law - 2004
In May last year I stepped down from my position as a Judge of the Federal Court to accept the role as President of HREOC. It has been a time of new challenges, such as the need to balance the legislative and administrative responsibilities that the Commission has been given by the federal government, with the important role of advocating for the rights of those on the margins of Australian… -
Rights and Freedoms
21 August 2019Project
Freedom of Religion
For over 20 years now, the Commission has advocated for more comprehensive legal protection in Australia for freedom of thought, conscience and religion. -
Commission – General
3 April 2017Speech
Hobart Oration
Explore a speech by Professor Gillian Triggs, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, in relation to the state of human rights in Australia. -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Submission to the Law Reform Commission
"Not every disturbance or catastrophe qualifies as a public emergency which threatens the life of the nation, as required by article 4, paragraph 1. The Covenant requires that even during an armed conflict measures derogating from the Covenant are allowed only if and to the extent that the situation constitutes a threat to the life of the nation. If States parties consider invoking article 4… -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Commission submissions: P v P
1.1 It is submitted that the law in Australia is both uncertain and unsatisfactory as to the issue of whether a child's view should ordinarily be taken into account by a court when that court is considering whether to authorise medical treatment on the child. -
14 December 2012Book page
Annual Report 2001-2002: Chapter 1
The Commission is an national independent statutory body established under the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986. It has a President and five Commissioners. The five positions are currently held by three persons. Please refer to the organisational chart on page 16 for further information. -
Commission – General
18 March 2013Webpage
What are human rights?
Learn about Australia's international human rights commitments and the future of human rights legislation. -
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… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
10 October 2014Opinion piece
Magna Carta shelters asylum-seekers
NEXT year is the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, signed reluctantly by King John at the demand of his rebellious barons in 1215. Buried in the middle of this foundational document of English constitutional law — setting out the single measure for wine and ale and the rights of widows on the death of their husband — are these words: “No freeman is to be taken or imprisoned or disseised… -
Rights and Freedoms
20 January 2021Webpage
International engagement
Understand how The Australian Human Rights Commission, as the accredited national human rights institution for Australia, engages with UN mechanisms to promote and protect human rights both domestically and internationally. -
Education1 April 2016Webpage
A Brief Human Rights Timeline
Explore the Brief Human Rights Timeline to trace the evolution of ethical behaviour, justice, and human dignity across civilizations. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
8 November 2013Webpage
Index of Commission's work
Major publications The Forgotten Children: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014 (2015) Asylum seekers, refugees and human rights: snapshot report 2013 Human rights standards for immigration detention (2013) An age of uncertainty: Inquiry into the treatment of individuals suspected of people smuggling offences who say that they are children (2012) A last resort?…