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Legal
28 March 2018Media ReleasePathways to Justice - ALRC report welcomed by Commissioner June Oscar AO
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO has urged Federal, State and Territory governments to genuinely consider the Australian Law Reform Commission’s report into the over-representation of Indigenous people in custody. The report, tabled in Federal Parliament today, contains 35 recommendations to address community safety and imprisonment rates… -
Rights and Freedoms
29 January 2024Media ReleaseStatement on the ruling of the International Court of Justice 26 January 2024
The Australian Human Rights Commission reiterates our calls for: human rights to be respected for Palestinians and Israelis; the need to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law; and the rights to protest, freedom of assembly and association. Following the interim ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 26 January, we join calls for: urgently needed basic services… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
26 February 2018Media ReleaseClose the Gap Campaign welcomes extension of the Tackling Indigenous Smoking programs
The Close the Gap Campaign welcomes the new investment in the successful ‘National Tackling Indigenous Smoking’ (TIS) programs. The Federal Minister for Indigenous Health Ken Wyatt announced the Federal Government will provide a further $183.7 million to TIS over four years across its current 37 regional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander TIS health providers. The Campaign’s recently… -
Commission – General
5 April 2019Media ReleaseRoyal Commission Commencement Welcomed
The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomes the commencement of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of people with disability. The Commission also welcomes the appointment of Disability Discrimination Commissioner Alastair McEwin to the Royal Commission. The Commission warmly thanks Mr McEwin for his service over the last two and a half years. “Alastair… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
5 May 2019Speech
Human Rights Dinner 2019 - Human Rights Law Centre
Jalangurru lanygu balangarri. Yaningi warangira ngindaji yuwa muwayi ingirranggu, Gadigal yani U. I acknowledge the Gadigal people of Eora Nation whose land we gather on tonight, and all your elders past, present and emerging. And I acknowledge all of my esteemed colleagues from the Australian Human Rights Commission including Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher. There are many other names… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 November 2023Media ReleaseCommission commends High Court ruling on indefinite immigration detention
The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed yesterday’s High Court ruling which determined that Australia’s system of indefinite immigration detention is unlawful. The landmark decision overturns almost two decades of the practice by Australian authorities in finding it is unlawful to hold a person in immigration detention when there is no real prospect of them being removed from… -
14 December 2012Book page
Bringing them Home - Chapter 3
Within months of the `First Fleet' arrival at Sydney Cove in 1788 there was `open animosity' as Indigenous people protested against `the Europeans cutting down trees, taking their food and game, and driving them back into others' territories'. Bitter conflict followed as Aboriginal people engaged in `guerilla warfare - plundering crops, burning huts, and driving away stock' to be met by `punitive… -
14 December 2012Book page
Bringing them Home - Chapter 5
The colony of Moreton Bay was established as a penal outpost of New South Wales in 1825. Extreme violence accompanied the rapid expansion of European settlers, particularly in the north. This violence and the spread of introduced diseases resulted in a rapid decrease in the Indigenous population. Kidnapping Indigenous women and children for economic and sexual exploitation was common. -
14 December 2012Book page
National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
ChilOut was established in July 2001 by a group of concerned parents and citizens who felt compelled to advocate and act on behalf of children and their parents living in Australia's immigration detention centres (IDC). -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 October 2019Media Release
Court finds asylum seekers entitled to fair process
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 … -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 2005 :
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, has issued a challenge to Australian governments to address Indigenous health inequality and inequality of opportunity through a new campaign outlined in this year"s Social Justice Report. -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 1998 : Chapter 1: The Aftermath for Indigenous Peoples
It has been worth it because the wider community is more aware of the issues and our history, but the opening of the old scars has been difficult. It's vital that the truth comes out, though. -
Children's Rights
10 October 2013SpeechThe right to a full life: survival and healthy development for all children
Megan Mitchell National Children’s Commissioner Australian Human Rights Commission Grand Rounds Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick Wednesday 9 October 2013 Click to view slides (Powerpoint) [15 MB] Acknowledgments Slide 1 Thank you Aunty Barbara Keeley Simms for your heartfelt and thought provoking Welcome to Country. And I’d like to also thank Karen Zwi for her kind introduction and… -
14 December 2012Book page
Commission Website: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
Whilst employed as a registered nurse at the Woomera detention centre, it came within the parameters of my duties to treat all detainees, men, women, and children. I would like to share some anecdotes of some of those patient contacts that occurred between myself and specifically the children (or child related contacts). The dates of my employment at the WIRPC were early August 2000- mid February… -
Legal
13 December 2013Publication
Commonwealth v Australian Capital Territory [2013] HCA 55
In Commonwealth v Australian Capital Territory, the High Court held unanimously that the whole of the Marriage Equality (Same Sex) Act 2013 (ACT) (the ACT Act) was inconsistent with the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) (the Marriage Act) and was therefore of no effect. -
Disability Rights
14 December 2012WebpageDISABILITY DISCRIMINATION BILL 1992: Second Reading
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Hon. G.G.D. Scholes)--I understand that it is the wish of the House to debate the Disability Discrimination Bill concurrently with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Legislation Amendment Bill. There being no objection, the Chair will allow that course to be followed. -
Children's Rights
30 October 2020Media Release
Anne Hollonds commences as National Children’s Commissioner
Anne Hollonds has commenced in her role as Australia’s new National Children’s Commissioner. Commissioner Hollonds emphasised the need for greater recognition of the importance of childhood in Australia. “Childhood is quite rightly described as critically important for people's social, health and economic outcomes, but the value of childhood is not only about the future adult that a child… -
14 December 2012Book page
HREOC Website: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
Commissioners: DR SEV OZDOWSKI, Human Rights Commissioner MRS ROBIN SULLIVAN, Queensland Children's Commissioner PROFESSOR TRANG THOMAS, Professor of Psychology, Melbourne Institute of Technology MS VANESSA LESNIE, Secretary to the Inquiry -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
12 February 2018Media Release
Time to rebuild the structure of Closing the Gap
Australia is a long way short of closing the gap by 2030 and needs to rebuild the foundations of the strategy as a matter of urgency. The Close the Gap Campaign welcomes the news that there has been an improvement in several closing the gap targets, however, only meeting 3 out of 7 targets for such a critical national priority is no cause for celebration. Close the Gap Campaign Co-Chair and … -
Rights and Freedoms
22 April 2021Media Release
Greater scrutiny of emergency powers needed
The Australian Human Rights Commission has called for greater accountability to be embedded in laws that extend the Commonwealth’s power in the event of national emergencies. In its submission to a Senate inquiry examining the National Emergency Declaration Act 2020, the Commission recommended five changes to legislation that was enacted by parliament in 2020. Human Rights Commissioner…