Holding Australia to account at the UN
Our lives are better and our communities are stronger when governments respect and protect our human rights. But our new report shows that Australia’s human rights record is sliding backwards.
Together with Kingsford Legal Centre, Indigenous People’s Organisation-Australia, and Community Legal Centres Australia, we delivered a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council for its four-yearly review of the Australian Government.
The report provides concrete solutions that Australia must take to improve its human rights record now including:
- implementing an Australian Human Rights Act to put human rights at the heart of Australia’s laws and policies
- take action on ongoing systemic racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with urgent action needed to stop Aboriginal children growing up in police and prison cells; and
- stronger legal protections for survivors and more prevention programs to stop the major problem of gender-based violence.
Thousands of people are having their fundamental human rights breached every day – from not being able to access healthcare, to being restricted from expressing their views. The Albanese Government must take urgent action – including legislating an Australian Human Rights Act.
I spoke to ABC Breakfast about the report, you can watch that segment in full here.
Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, equality and respect. The Australian Government has an opportunity to improve Australia’s commitment to human rights and help people whose basic rights and needs aren’t being met now.
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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.