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Legal
17 January 2019Speech‘Vulnerability and the Law’ - UNSW
University of New South Wales Law Journal Launch of Thematic Issue on ‘Vulnerability and the Law’ Vol 41(3) 2018 27 September 2018 * Check against delivery Acknowledgements I pay my respects to the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and to their elders past and present—as well as to emerging leaders. Thank you to Lachlan Peake and Veronica Sebesfi for the invitation to speak tonight. Can I… -
14 December 2012Book page
Mandatory detention laws in Australia (2001)
This paper gives a brief overview of the mandatory detention laws currently operating in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It examines their operation and gives some insights into how they have impacted on particular groups including young people and Indigenous Australians. It gives a critique of mandatory detention by reference to Australia's international human rights obligations,… -
Rights and Freedoms
22 January 2014Opinion pieceFreedoms versus anti-discrimination laws? A false debate
Responsibility, anti-discrimination laws, human rights and freedoms - these words have been at the center of an ideological debate about how to protect fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom from detention without trial. But if we are serious about securing these fundamental freedoms in Australian law, we must legislate to protect them, just as… -
Rights and Freedoms
6 June 2019Speech
Law, Lawyers and Human Rights
Law Week Breakfast Law Society of Western Australia Perth, 13 May 2019 Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM, President, Australian Human Rights Commission Acknowledgements Thanks to Greg McIntyre SC, President of the Law Society of Western Australia, for the wonderful invitation to speak at the opening of Law Week in Perth. I would like to begin my contribution by acknowledging the… -
Rights and Freedoms
1 May 2013Webpage
Prohibition on retrospective criminal laws
Learn how people can't be found guilty of a criminal offence that was not viewed as a criminal offence under the law at the time when it was committed. -
3 October 2014Opinion piece
Time to strengthen our lax surrogacy laws
Nationwide regulations are urgently needed to cover situations when Australians are engaging surrogates to have children for them. The range of assisted reproductive technologies available today presents many legal, moral and ethical challenges. These are challenges we can no longer ignore and require national, state and international leadership. In Australia, altruistic surrogacy is… -
Children's Rights
25 August 2023Media ReleaseNational Children’s Commissioner slams ‘shocking’ new Qld youth justice laws
The National Children’s Commissioner has expressed alarm at the Queensland Government rushing through legislation to allow children to be detained indefinitely in adult detention facilities, in a further contravention of the Queensland Human Rights Act. -
Commission – General
23 August 2024SpeechA Human Rights Act for Australia
Human rights are the blueprint for a decent, dignified life for all. Human rights are the key to creating the kind of society we all want to live in. A speech by Commission President, Hugh de Krester. -
Rights and Freedoms
29 July 2021Webpage
Face masks and federal discrimination law
At various times during the COVID-19 pandemic, state and territory governments in Australia have made it a requirement for people to wear a face mask in certain settings. The different rules and exemptions around face masks are set out in the relevant state and territory public health orders. The latest mask-wearing requirements can be found on the appropriate state and territory government… -
Rights and Freedoms
10 December 2021News story
The case to modernise Australia’s federal discrimination law
A new discussion paper outlining 38 recommendations for reform of Australia’s federal discrimination law system has been released by the Australian Human Rights Commission. The Discrimination Law Position Paper, part of the Commission’s major project Free and Equal: An Australian conversation on human rights, is the result of an extensive consultation process undertaken in 2020 and 2021. The… -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Opinion piece
Opinion Pieces - Scrutinising our counter-terrorism laws (2008)
In 2006, I was a member of the Government-appointed Sheller Committee, which recommended the establishment of an independent review of counter-terrorism laws. -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
A Human Rights Guide to Australia's Counter-Terrorism Laws
This guide provides a basic overview of Australia’s counter-terrorism laws from a human rights perspective. It discusses the following questions: -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Opinion piece
Opinion Pieces - Immigration detention laws need reviewing (2008)
This is an often depressing tour that we at the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) undertake every year to monitor the conditions of immigration detention in Australia for compliance with internationally recognised human rights obligations. We tour and inspect the facilities, interview the staff and meet with the detainees themselves. -
Rights and Freedoms
31 January 2019Submission
Review of the Family Law System (2018)
As Australia’s family law system becomes ever more complex and needs to respond to a greater diversity of clients, it is timely to review how it protects the human rights of individuals and their families, in particular the most vulnerable in our communities, including children and victims of family and domestic violence. -
Rights and Freedoms
29 October 2020News story
‘Metadata law’ review makes key changes
The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed recommendations for reform of the mandatory data retention regime (known as the ‘metadata law’). The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has made 22 recommendations to improve human rights and other protections following its review of the metadata law. The PJCIS report proposes better reporting requirements,… -
Age Discrimination
20 August 2024SubmissionInquiry into the Financial Services Regulatory Framework in Relation to Financial Abuse (2024)
Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services -
Sex Discrimination
6 September 2024Media ReleaseCommissioners welcome ongoing investment to end gendered violence
Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and National Children’s Commissioner welcome the National Cabinet’s funding announcement to end gendered violence in Australia this morning. -
Sex Discrimination
9 June 2023Media Release
Commission welcomes passage of new ACT intersex laws
New legislation protecting the rights of people in the Australian Capital Territory who have variations in sex characteristics (VSC) has been welcomed by the Commission. Yesterday the ACT Parliament passed the Variation in Sex Characteristics (Restricted Medical Treatment) Bill 2023 establishes legal protections and processes to support people with VSC to make their own decisions about… -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
Enhancing Equality: Reforming Anti-Discrimination Laws to Make Australia Fairer
I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Wurundjeri people, and I pay my respects to their elders past and present. -
Rights and Freedoms
17 January 2019Media Release
Encryption law falls short on rights safeguards
Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow warns significant threats to human rights remain despite some improvements to Australia’s encryption law. “Police and security agencies must be equipped with robust powers to protect our national security. However, these powers need independent oversight, to ensure any impact on our human rights is proportionate to the relevant risks,” said…