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The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomes the appointment of Professor Anna Cody to the role of Sex Discrimination Commissioner. “On behalf of Commissioners and staff, I warmly welcome Professor Cody to the Commission. She has a distinguished career as an academic, as a lawyer specialising in discrimination and as a passionate advocate for human rights,” said Commission President,…

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO, and National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds have issued a joint statement following the death of a First Nations teenager who had been held in a youth detention unit at the Casuarina adult prison in Perth. Commissioner Oscar: “My thoughts are with the family and community of the 16-year-old boy who passed…

The deadline for sponsored delegate applications for the Wiyi Yani U Thangani National Summit has been extended to Sunday 2 April 2023.

View a statement by Commission President, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

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.

Launched today to coincide with the 2022 International Day of Older Persons, the Elder Abuse: Shift Your Perspective campaign includes a series of videos which prompt perpetrators to consider how their behaviour might be affecting older people in their lives.

National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollonds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, June Oscar AO have urged all Australian governments to raise the age of criminal responsibility as a matter of priority. A report commissioned by a meeting of Attorneys-General in July last year recommended that all jurisdictions raise the age and ensure younger teenagers…

This historic event is set to inform a range of new approaches for advancing the rights, health, safety, wellbeing and economic opportunities of First Nations women and girls.

Monday 16 October 2023: A diverse array of people and organisations from across Australia have been selected as finalists for this year’s Australian Human Rights Awards, the country’s premier national event for honouring and celebrating Australia’s human rights heroes. The 21 finalists were selected from over 260 nominations across five categories, including the prestigious Australian Human…

“Australia’s continued success as a multicultural nation must include an ongoing commitment to addressing racism,” the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said.

The Respect@Work Council has published new guidelines on the use of confidentiality clauses in settling workplace sexual harassment cases, and good practice indicators to assist organisations prevent and respond to workplace sexual harassment.

A decision by the Australian Federal Police to end the use of spit hoods has been welcomed by the Australian Human Rights Commission. Today the AFP announced the AFP and ACT police will no longer use spit hoods, and instead the AFP will provide ‘alternative equipment and implement procedures to better protect officers from spitting and biting.’ The decision follows a review initiated last…

Celebrating and showcasing the lives of First Nations children is the focus of today’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. With the theme this year of ‘My Dreaming, My Future’, the day also provides a valuable opportunity to reflect on how Australians can work together to improve a range of health, social and human rights outcomes for young First Nations people

Commissioner Hollonds said vulnerable children and their families have been let down by federal, state and territory governments for decades with key recommendations from various inquiries and Royal Commissions going unimplemented.

The Australian Human Rights Commission is urging all federal parliamentarians to support the passage of the new Australian Human Rights Commission Legislation Amendment (Selection and Appointment) Bill 2022. Commission President, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM, has welcomed the introduction to Parliament of the new Bill by Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus QC MP, last week. The…

Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture: Racial Equality in the Time of COVID The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected Australia’s diverse communities. From the racial targeting of Asian Australians to the hard lockdown imposed on residents in Melbourne’s public housing towers, the pandemic has also raised questions about the place of diverse communities in Australian society. The Australian…

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…

All 16 of Australia’s children’s commissioners, guardians and advocates say a commitment by state attorneys-general to develop a proposal to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12 does not go far enough. In a joint statement, Australian children’s commissioners, guardians and advocates said: “We are pleased that some jurisdictions have for the first time indicated they will look at…