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Rights and Freedoms
17 January 2019Media ReleaseStatement by Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow
“The Commission will consider the Religious Freedom Review, and any proposals for reform, once the report is officially released. “Any law reform proposal must protect the rights of everyone in Australia. “The Commission made six recommendations to the Review. In addition to better public education on freedom of religion, the Commission called for federal law to prohibit discrimination on… -
Disability Rights
11 September 2019SpeechConvention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities briefing with civil society (2019)
22nd Session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities briefing with civil society, Monday, 9 September 2019 Geneva, Palais des Nations Room XVII Opening Statement of Australian Human Rights Commission Dr Ben Gauntlett, Disability Discrimination Commissioner Thank you, Mr Chairman. I welcome the opportunity to make this … -
Children's Rights
3 July 2023Project
Youth Justice and Child Wellbeing Reform Across Australia
The National Children’s Commissioner is investigating youth justice reform in Australia, aiming to protect children’s rights and reduce crime involvement. -
Age Discrimination
8 August 2023SpeechBuilding a better cultural inheritance for an ageing Australia
Hon Dr Kay Patterson AO Age Discrimination Commissioner Keynote Address to National Press Club of Australia, Canberra Wednesday, 28 June, 2023 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Welcome Thank you Andrew Tillett (National Press Club Vice President) for your kind introduction. I am sometimes introduced incorrectly, but maybe more accurately, as the Ageing Discrimination Commissioner. I wish to acknowledge… -
8 December 2020Book page
Part 2: Supporting strong families and communities
Learn about issues that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls face and the legal and social initiatives that work to address them. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
24 May 2023News storyUluru Statement calls for First Nations’ voice in the constitution
To resounding applause, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates from across the country have agreed to a landmark Uluru Statement calling for the establishment of a First Nations’ voice enshrined in the constitution. "We, gathered at the 2017 National Constitutional Convention, coming from all points of the southern sky, make this statement from the heart. "Our Aboriginal and Torres… -
Rights and Freedoms
22 July 2019Project
Free and Equal Conference
The Free and Equal conference was the centrepiece of a national conversation and once-in-a-decade event. The conference was held at the Hyatt Regency Sydney on Tuesday 8 October 2019. -
Rights and Freedoms
1 December 2020Video
Balancing Human Rights During COVID19
Protecting public health and protecting human rights are not mutually exclusive choices – but how do we keep the balance between the two? What safeguards do we need to protect rights and freedoms in Australia and prevent the ‘creeping authoritarianism’ we have witnessed elsewhere in the world? These were just some of the big questions of our time discussed by the panellists during the … -
Rights and Freedoms
21 August 2019Project
Freedom of Religion
For over 20 years now, the Commission has advocated for more comprehensive legal protection in Australia for freedom of thought, conscience and religion. -
International
5 December 2023News story
Visit of UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese
The Commission recently hosted a visit from Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
2 August 2023Webpage
The history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples advocating for the right to be heard
There is a long history of First Nations people advocating for the right to representation and participation in decisions that affect them. The events listed are a selection of moments in history when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have taken action to call for large-scale change by Australian governments to realise their Indigenous rights, demonstrating the history leading to the… -
Rights and Freedoms
17 January 2019Speech
A somewhat invisible world and extraordinary contributions of the AHRC
NSW Claims Discussion Group Inc 23 November 2018 [Professor Croucher spoke to this paper] Introduction Thank you, Dr Tim Channon, for inviting me to present this lunchtime address. I, too, pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land where we meet today. I was asked to talk about my personal story and a … -
Rights and Freedoms
31 January 2020Media Release
Commission warns on Religious Discrimination Bill overreach
In its submission on the latest draft of the Religious Discrimination Bill, the Australian Human Rights Commission warns that elements of the Bill are inconsistent with international human rights law. The Commission is particularly concerned that exemptions for ‘statements of belief’ in the Bill would override existing federal, state and territory discrimination laws on grounds such as race,… -
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Race Discrimination
24 October 2023EventRacism in Sport - Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture 2023
Join hundreds of people around the country as we gather with experts to discuss one of the most pressing issues of our time: "Racism in Sport." This webinar comes in response to the continued struggles faced by those harmed by racism in the world of sports and builds upon decades of advocacy by the Commission. -
Complaint Information Service29 January 2019Webpage
Information for advocates and lawyers participating in conciliation
The Commission values the positive role that advocates and lawyers can play in conciliation. Advocates and lawyers can provide important support to parties, assist parties understand and articulate how they see the law applies to a complaint and advise parties on possible options to resolve the complaint. Conciliators at the Commission decide whether it is appropriate for an advocate or… -
Rights and Freedoms
3 September 2021Webpage
Human rights considerations for vaccine passports and certificates
Learn how vaccine passports are more likely to be consistent with human rights principles when they are used as a tool to improve public health outcomes. -
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… -
Children's Rights
12 April 2023Event
Webinar: Reinventing schools to support learning & wellbeing for all
If we want children to flourish, we must ask ourselves if the school system is doing the right thing by them. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fault lines that emerge when health and learning aren’t considered holistically. Declining mental health, disengagement from learning, disruption among social connections and vastly reduced physical activity were some of the impacts on children… -
Rights and Freedoms
5 May 2019Speech
40+ years of conciliation
The Australian Human Rights Commission and Conciliation—a 40+ year success story, but … National Mediation Conference, Canberra Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM [Professor Croucher spoke to this paper] Abstract A key responsibility of the Australian Human Rights Commission is to handle complaints of breaches of human rights. This is a role that the Commission in its various iterations…
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