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Australia’s Age Discrimination Commissioner, the Hon Dr Kay Patterson AO, has called on the federal and state and territory Attorneys-General to act urgently to implement the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) recommendations on powers of attorney at the COAG meeting on 27 July. The Australian Human Rights Commission has heard from lawyers, peak bodies and frontline workers of a sharp…

Australia’s Age Discrimination Commissioner has called on organisations providing services to older people to deliver ageism awareness training to their staff, with new research showing it can be highly effective in shifting attitudes. The Australian Human Rights Commission surveyed aged care and community workers before and after undertaking a training session, which covered several topics …

The President of the Australian Human Rights Commission is calling for respect for human rights to be front of mind for all Australians as the situation in the Middle East continues to worsen. Commission President and Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM said: “The devastating conflict in Israel and Gaza and its horrific civilian fallout is…

Commissioner June Oscar AO has given her support to the reported recommendations of the Federal Government’s Northern Territory Regional Controller Dorelle Anderson to introduce temporary alcohol restrictions across communities in Central Australia following a recent increase in crime and violence in the region. 

Australian Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell and Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow have today written to Minister David Coleman, calling for an urgent and compassionate resolution for the Tamil family detained in immigration detention on Christmas Island. “Given their connection to Australia, showing compassion and allowing the family to stay together in the only community the…

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…

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Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan said the reported racial abuse directed at NRL player Latrell Mitchell demonstrates the need for professional sports organisations, including clubs and codes, to work together to address spectator racism.

Former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, is calling on Australian employers to issue a limited waiver of confidentiality obligations in non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for the purpose of allowing people to make a confidential submission to the National Inquiry into Workplace Sexual Harassment (the National Inquiry). The National Inquiry, supported by Government, is …

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is calling on Australia to prioritise raising the age of criminal responsibility as part of its Concluding Observations on Australia's performance in protecting the country's children and young people. This comes at a time when there is a strong push around the country to improve our responses to juvenile offending and do more to divert children…

The Australian Human Rights Commission is urging all Australian state and territory governments to fully commit to implementing an important human rights framework for people held in detention settings following the suspension of a tour of Australia by United Nations inspectors. A delegation from the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (UN SPT) has been in Australia since last week…

The Australian Human Rights Commission calls on the Australian Government to make urgent changes to improve protections for approximately 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers living in the Australian community. A new report released today, Lives on hold: Refugees and asylum seekers in the ‘Legacy Caseload’, reveals the human rights situation for approximately 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers…

Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds says ”confronting new findings from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study provide evidence, for the first time, of the scale of child maltreatment in Australia. "Child maltreatment is a much bigger problem than we thought, leading to serious negative lifelong harms for children, and massive costs to the community. “The ground…

Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, has condemned the neo-Nazi rally held in regional New South Wales on the weekend, warning it is further proof of the urgent need for a national strategy to combat racism.