Migration Justice
Our vision is for an Australia where all people who cross national borders have a right to dignity, safety and a pathway to making Australia a permanent home.
Bringing separated families back together
Families belong together. Yet the Australian Government is deliberately separating thousands of refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia from their families overseas. Working closely in consultation with people directly impacted, we are fighting for refugee rights using a combination of strategic legal action, public advocacy, and policy reform.
Safety for people subjected to offshore detention
Australia’s inhumane offshore detention regime has destroyed thousands of lives and caused unthinkable suffering. Hundreds of people remain in limbo without any pathway to permanent safety. We continue to fight to end this harmful policy and we will not stop until every single person can rebuild their lives in freedom and safety.
Ending prolonged and indefinite immigration detention
Until recently, the Australian Government had the power to hold people in detention for the rest of their lives, simply because they did not have a visa. Through strategic court action and uncompromising public advocacy, we are fighting to dismantle this cruel system and ensure people subjected to indefinite detention can rebuild their lives in the community.
Stamping out migrant worker exploitation
Over one million of Australia’s workers are temporary migrants. Workplace exploitation of temporary migrants is endemic, but most suffer in silence. We work to ensure that everyone who arrives in Australia enjoys the same essential rights, including dignity and fair treatment at work.
How we work
We use a strategic combination of legal action, policy solutions and advocacy to address the harm being caused by the Australian Government’s migration and refugee policies and to change those policies.
We work in close partnership with the communities we represent and with other organisations working in the refugee and migrant rights and services sector.
Protecting temporary migrants from exploitation
Everyone who arrives in Australia deserves the same rights to basic healthcare, secure housing and dignity at work. But workplace exploitation is rife for people on temporary work visas in Australia. The Human Rights Law Centre's Migration Justice team advocates for the rights of migrants to be protected at work.
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Advocating for pathways to permanency for migrants
Everyone should have the chance to plan for the life they want. But over the last 25 years, successive Australian Governments have set-up a complex maze of migration policies which have made it increasingly difficult for people to settle here long term and enjoy the same rights as others. The Human Rights Law Centre is advocating to change this.
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Ending the cruel separation of refugee families
Australia’s migration laws should aim to reunite people with their loved ones, not deliberately keep them apart. The Human Rights Law Centre's Migration Justice team advocates for an end to cruel policies that separate refugees and migrants from their families.
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Ensuring safety for people subjected to offshore detention
People seeking safety in Australia should be treated with dignity and respect, not banished to a detention camp in another country. The Human Rights Law Centre's Migration Justice team continues to call for an end to this shameful policy.
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Past impact
Get the full story with our latest news, opinion pieces, human rights reports and explainers on key issues from our team.
Why we need stronger whistleblower protections
In March, Associate Legal Director, Kieran Pender was at the ACT Court of Appeal to observe McBride’s appeal – he is challenging his conviction, and the severity of his sentence.
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International Women’s Day: Rights, equality, empowerment
International Women’s Day is more than an anniversary, it’s a global celebration of what has been achieved over centuries of campaigning and action by women fighting for equality.
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High Court challenge launched for man facing deportation to Nauru
The Human Rights Law Centre has filed an urgent High Court challenge on behalf of a man who was scheduled to be deportated to Nauru. After filing the legal challenge, the Australian Government promised that our client would not be removed before his case was finished.
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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.