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Asylum Seekers and Refugees5 May 2021Media Release
Media Statement: Federal Court improves pathways to protection for more than a thousand asylum seekers taken to Ashmore reef
More than 1,000 asylum seekers have a greater ability to apply for protection in Australia following a landmark judgment by the Federal Court on Tuesday. “When a person seeks asylum in Australia, it’s vital that their application be processed quickly, fairly and transparently. This judgment will remove administrative barriers for a vulnerable group of people who have been waiting too long to… -
Race Discrimination19 April 2021Media Release
Stop mass incarceration to prevent deaths in custody
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, June Oscar AO said Australia must stop the “mass incarceration” of its Indigenous people or else deaths in custody will continue to occur. Commissioner Oscar said her thoughts are with all the families who have lost loved ones over recent months, and in the 30 years since the Report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal… -
Sex Discrimination8 April 2021Media Release
Commission welcomes response to Respect@Work Report
The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomes the considered and constructive response to the 55 recommendations made in its 2020 Respect@Work Report on the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces. The Report and the Federal Government’s response, with whole of community buy in, paves the way for globally ground-breaking reform on workplace sexual harassment. “The… -
Commission – General23 October 2019Media Release
Media statement: Use of force in immigration detention
Fourteen complaints about the use of force in immigration detention form the basis for a comprehensive thematic report by the Australian Human Rights Commission tabled in Parliament today. The report considers the practices of handcuffing detainees, use of physical force within centres including arm and elbow locks, operations conducted by the Emergency Response Team (ERT), and the use of… -
Rights and Freedoms16 July 2019Media Release
Urgent call for Federal Government to protect 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers at risk in the community
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… -
Commission – General25 May 2020Opinion piece
Turning the Uluru Statement into action
On the ancient lands of the Anangu, dust settled and ink dried on a document that marked an extraordinary moment in Australia’s history. From all points of the southern sky, we gathered in the centre of the country we’ve called home for more than 60 thousand years, to endorse a statement that would pave the way for First Nations peoples to have a voice enshrined in the Constitution. A voice… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees17 June 2019Media Release
Risk management in immigration detention report released
Any significant restrictions imposed on a person held in immigration detention, including the widespread use of restraints like handcuffs, must be tailored to individual circumstances and risks, according to a new report released by the Australian Human Rights Commission today. The Commission has made 34 recommendations to improve risk management practice based on its inspections of… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice4 August 2023Webpage
The Voice and human rights
The Statement of Compatibility confirms that the Indigenous Voice to Parliament Bill is consistent with the realisation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ right to self-determination, with the right to equality and non-discrimination, and promotes the right to take part in public affairs. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice8 May 2019Media Release
Our Health, Our Voice, Our Choice
The Close the Gap Campaign has welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to work in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to address the inequality that continues to exist in life expectancy and other outcomes. The Prime Minister Scott Morrison has tabled the Government’s Closing the Gap Report and restated the government’s commitment to work collaboratively… -
Sex Discrimination17 October 2022Media Release
National plan to end gender-based violence must be fully resourced to achieve results
Explore a plan to end gender-based violence and how for this to succeed, all governments need to make investments in prevention and recovery strategies. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice9 December 2020Media Release
Landmark report - First Nations women and girls
A landmark report on Australia’s First Nations women and girls has been released, with an ambitious, female-led plan for structural reform. Wiyi Yani U Thangani—(Women’s Voices)—Securing Our Rights, Securing Our Future Report 2020 is a comprehensive, whole-of-life document and the result of over a hundred engagements with thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls of… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice18 March 2020Media Release
We say: No more preventable deaths
The Close the Gap Campaign has warned that only systemic reform will make up for the harrowing failure of the last 12 years of government policy on closing the gaps in health equity, social and economic disadvantage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The 2020 Close the Gap Campaign report, again written by the Lowitja Institute and released today, sets out a blueprint for… -
Sex Discrimination5 March 2020Media Release
Launch of Respect@Work report of the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins has today launched Respect@Work, the Australian Human Rights Commission’s report of the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces 2020. The report is the culmination of the world-first 18-month National Inquiry, which examined the nature and prevalence of sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, the drivers of this… -
Rights and Freedoms18 November 2020Webpage
What human rights are at particular risk of being restricted during a pandemic?
Learn how human rights were restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic and how vulnerable people and groups were subjected to more human rights incursions. -
Rights and Freedoms31 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. -
2 November 2020Webpage
About
We protect and promote human rights in Australia and internationally. The Australian Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory organisation, established by an act of Federal Parliament. -
14 December 2012Book page
15. Religion, Culture & Language for Children in Immigration Detention
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) requires Australia to protect children's rights to cultural identity, language and religion. The most effective way of ensuring enjoyment of these rights is to encourage and allow refugee and asylum-seeking children to participate in cultural and religious activities in the community. The Australian community is well equipped to respond to this need… -
Rights and Freedoms14 December 2012Webpage
Human Rights: Discrimination in Employment on Basis of Criminal Record
Australians who have a criminal record often face significant barriers to full participation in the Australian community. Trying to find a job is one of the areas of greatest difficulty for former offenders. This discussion paper explores one potential barrier to employment: discrimination in the workplace on the basis of criminal record. -
Rights and Freedoms28 October 2020Webpage
What is the Commission’s view on limiting human rights during COVID-19?
Learn how human rights should only be restricted where there is no other alternative and restrictions on rights can be justified to protect public health. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice17 January 2019Media Release
Wiyi Yani U Thangani - this is your time to have your say
The Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO is calling for submissions from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls and key organisations for the Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) project. As part of the project, Commissioner Oscar and her team have so far visited more than 40 communities and have heard from more than 1800 women and girls across the country in urban,…