The Human Rights Law Centre has a proud history of impact. Over the last 18 years, working with community partners, we have helped to achieve many human rights wins including:
- decriminalising abortion across Australia;
- securing marriage equality for LGBTIQA+ people in Australia;
- overturning indefinite immigration detention;
- diverting Aboriginal children away from the criminal legal system and challenged their detention in adult prisons;
- winning a successful constitutional cases to protect protest and voting rights; and
- bringing over 500 people to safety from offshore detention camps.
Prior to the establishment of Equality Australia, the Human Rights Law Centre also had a dedicated LGBTIQA+ rights team who advanced many important reforms. We supported the establishment of Equality Australia after the successful campaign for marriage equality in 2017.
Legal action
We take strategic legal action to secure redress for people and communities in need to ensure accountability, to establish precedents that protect human rights, and to prompt law and policy change.
Policy solutions
We conduct deep analysis, consultation and research to develop policy solutions which advance human rights.
Advocacy
We advocate with decision makers, in the media and through national and international accountability mechanisms to secure law and policy reforms which advance human rights and protect them from attacks.
Partnership
We work alongside people and communities affected by human rights violations and place their voices and interests at the heart of our work.
Abortion decriminalised Australia-wide
For years, the Human Rights Law Centre has been fighting to ensure abortion is treated as healthcare and wiped from the criminal laws of every state and territory around Australia. In September 2023, we reached this critical milestone with the passing of abortion laws in Western Australia.
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History is made as Australia says YES to marriage equality
This is a historic day for the LGBTI community. A day where we saw equality, fairness and love win. A day when LGBTI couples in Australia were finally treated with the same dignity and respect when it comes to who they love.
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Stopping the imprisonment of children in adult jails
In November 2016, the Victorian Andrews Government decided to use the Grevillea Unit in the Barwon maximum security adult prison as a youth jail and started sending children as young as 15 there. The Human Rights Law Centre used legal action to challenge this under Victoria’s Human Rights Charter.
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Overturning indefinite immigration detention
From 2004 to 2023, the Australian Government was able to lock people up indefinitely because they did not have a visa.
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Justice for Tanya Day
The Human Rights Law Centre supported the advocacy of the family Tanya Day who died in police custody, to secure a commitment from the Victorian Government to replace public intoxication laws with a public health response.
Read more#BringThemHere: Human Rights Law Centre and GetUp launch stories of men trapped on Manus Island
The Human Rights Law Centre and GetUp are launching a major campaign today featuring the stories of the men imprisoned on Manus Island and their families in Australia, calling on the government to allow the men be brought to safety in Australia to rebuild their lives.
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Justice for the family of Reza Berati
Reza Berati was imprisoned in the Manus Island detention centre after seeking safety in Australia. He was beaten to death in 2014. The Human Rights Law Centre and Maurice Blackburn represented the Berati family in legal action to hold the Australian Government and G4S to account.
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Legal challenge reunites family torn apart for years
For almost five years, the Australian government refused to process Abdullah and Fatima’s family visa application, so the Human Rights Law Centre supported them to reunite the family together.
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Supporting the family of Ms Dhu
In 2014, Ms Dhu, a 22-year-old Yamatji woman with her whole life ahead of her, was locked up for unpaid fines. Three days later, she died a cruel and inhuman death in police custody.
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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, Darug and Wadawurrung 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.