Everyone has the right to feel included, respected and have a sense of belonging in our community.

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which Australia pledged in 1975 to do in accordance with international law. It’s a timely reminder that we must combat racism, wherever and whenever it arises, to challenge injustice and promote equity.

That’s why one of the Human Rights Law Centre’s goals in our new Strategic Plan is to secure laws and policies that advance racial and socio-economic equality. Here is how we are working with people and communities to fight racial injustice.

First Nations Justice

We advocate for a fair and compassionate youth legal system that ensures Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are not locked up and instead, can reach their full potential, supported by their families and in their communities.

We work to end the mass imprisonment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and Aboriginal-led organisations to end Aboriginal deaths in custody and provide support to families and communities throughout coronial inquest processes.

Migration Justice

Everyone who arrives in Australia – irrespective of visa status – deserves the same rights to basic healthcare, secure housing and dignity at work. Belonging is not defined by visa status, and everyone who arrives in Australia should have the right to make a permanent home in the country.

We use legal action and advocacy to end the harm being caused by the Australian Government’s cruel migration and refugee policies.

This includes:

• successfully advocating for new protections for temporary migrants who have been exploited at work – including a guarantee against visa cancellation;

• taking legal action to protect the rights of people in indefinite immigration detention, including to prevent transfer to ‘third countries’;

• reuniting refugee families who have been separated for years due to discriminatory policy and visa processing delays; and

• fighting to end Australia’s inhumane offshore detention regime.

Democratic Freedoms

Everyone’s voices matter. All of us have the right to participate in our democratic systems and public life. Our community is made stronger when people and communities who have been locked out of power enjoy legal protections to raise their voices, and express their political views, including through peaceful protest and political action.

We work to ensure that people from communities experiencing racial and socioeconomic injustice have their right to participate in democratic processes upheld without fear of reprisal.

We fight against attempts to silence the voices of human rights defenders wherever they may be, including public interest organisations threatened with bad faith lawsuits, employees expressing their political views in the workplace, protestors, and University students.

We are also developing legal and policy solutions to prevent the spread of disinformation and hate speech which disproportionally impact racialised and other targeted communities. We call for investment in community-led prevention and education programs which de-escalate and challenge racism at its roots.

Corporate Accountability

No one should suffer abuse at work, but across Australia, up to 41,000 people are trapped in conditions of modern slavery. The true cost of the clothes we wear and the food we eat is too often paid by people who are exploited by big business.

We’re working to end Australian contributions to modern slavery wherever it occurs. We advocate for legal reforms to prevent Australian companies from profiting from forced labour in their supply chains and ensure they uphold workers’ rights.

We will keep fighting for a future where every single worker who grows the food we eat and makes the goods we use, can live and work in freedom and dignity.