The ACT Parliament has passed legislation enshrining the right to a healthy environment in the ACT Human Rights Act ..read more

The Human Rights Act campaign made a submission to the Federal Senate Economics Committee inquiry into the National Housing and Homelessness Plan (No.2) Bill 2024 ..read more

On 8 August 2024 the Human Rights Law Centre and UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion held a webinar on the right to housing ..read more

The Australian Human Rights Commission's Free + Equal Conference on 6 - 7 June 2024 outlined why we need an Australian Human Rights Act ..read more

The Human Rights Act campaign made a submission to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s COVID-19 response Inquiry ..read more

A coalition of 104 civil society organisations have welcomed the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights call for an Australian Human Rights Act as an important step forward towards a fairer, more compassionate Australia. Chaired by Josh Burns, Labor MP for McNamara, the inquiry into Australia’s human rights framework recommended that the Albanese Government and Federal Parliament ensure everyone can benefit from having human rights at the heart of government decision making through a Human Rights Act. Australia is the only western liberal democracy without a legislated Human Rights Act ..read more

Jasreet from Werribee Secondary College is the winner of our 2024 School Writing Competition with this entry: In a nation founded on the principles of fairness, equality, and justice, the implementation of an Australian Charter of Human Rights stands as a crucial milestone in our journey towards a more equitable society. This Charter serves as a beacon of hope, ensuring that the rights and dignity of all individuals are not just protected, but revered. By enshrining human rights into the fabric of our legal and governmental systems, we pave the way for a more compassionate and inclusive Austra ..read more

Too many people, especially children, do not have full access to their right to education, a new report, authored by the University of Newcastle’s Centre for Law and Social Justice in collaboration with the Human Rights Law Centre, has found. Despite a long history of commitment to both human rights and education, Australia does not recognise an enforceable right to education in federal law. Not only is this inconsistent with Australia’s obligations under international human rights law, but it also has real consequences for people whose right to education is infringed upon. The Right to Educat ..read more

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the missing human rights considerations in federal government decisions and policies, the Human Rights Law Centre today told the Federal Government COVID-19 inquiry on behalf of the Charter of Rights campaign, a coalition made up of over 90 organisations.  In a submission to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Centre called for an Australian Charter of Human Rights, which would put human rights at the heart of government decision-making and laws. The Charter would have been a powerful tool to challenge controversial decisions by the then-Morri ..read more

A new resource has been developed to assist Victorian lawyers and civil society advocates defend and promote human rights for all Victorians.  Launched by the Human Rights Law Centre, and supported by the Victoria Law Foundation’s Community Legal Grants, the resource focuses on how the Victorian Charter of Human Rights works, provides examples of how it has been used to uphold human rights, and how to take action such as making a complaint with the Victorian Ombudsman.  The COVID-19 pandemic was a clear example of how having clear human rights considerations at the heart of law-makin ..read more