Submission to Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Act 2021 review
The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor is reviewing the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) laws, which gave the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) unprecedented and invasive powers to monitor online activity, access data, and take over a person’s online account.
The Human Rights Law Centre is calling for stronger safeguards for the right to privacy and warned that these powers enable the AFP and ACIC to undertake significant invasions of privacy, encroach on the right to privacy, and threaten to have a chilling effect on the work of journalists and their sources.
Our submission recommends:
- the establishment of an independent advocate, a public interest monitor, to review warrant applications;
- significant narrowing of the wide range of offences for which the warrants can currently be issued; and
- safeguards that limit the use of intrusive powers after all other avenues to achieve the same results have been exhausted.
The Human Rights Law Centre raised these significant concerns when the laws were introduced three years ago, pointing to the disproportionality and insufficient safeguards, but these concerns were largely ignored.
Submission to Inquiry into the Whistleblower Protection Authority Bill 2025
The Albanese Government is being pushed take the opportunity to enact stronger legal protections for whistleblowers and establish a Whistleblower Protection Authority.
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Joint submission against expansion of the Making Queensland Safer Act 2024
The Human Rights Law Centre and Change the Record have are strongly opposed to the Crisafulli Government's laws that will sentence even more children to adult-length terms of imprisonment. The laws will lock up children for even longer, and harm kids, families, and communities.
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Submission to 2025-26 Federal Budget consultation
The Human Rights Law Centre has put forward recommendations to the 2025-26 federal budget submissions across a range of issues, including campaigning for an Australian Human Rights Act, migration justice, prisoners’ rights, whistleblower protection and modern slavery.
Read moreACNC: 31 117 719 267 | Connect with the Human Rights Law Centre
Acknowledgement of Country
The Human Rights Law Centre acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands across Australia, including the lands of the Wurundjeri, Boon Wurrung, Gadigal, Ngunnawal, Cammeraygal, Darug, Wadawurrung, Turrbal and Jagera people where we work from.
We pay our respect to Elders past and present. This land always was, and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
WARNING: This site contains images or names of people who have passed away.