Described by Lawyers’ Weekly as “Australia’s foremost legal human rights body”, ALHR has achieved widespread human rights protection, promotion and progressive law reform over the past 20 years via the successful engagement and activation of the legal profession in States and Territories across Australia. In the 2012-2013 year alone, ALHR completed 24 substantive submissions to Federal, State and Territory parliamentary committees of inquiry as well as to various United Nations bodies. The substantive submissions were drafted with the help of ALHR’s various committee members and member-experts on relevant and various areas of law.
While written advocacy forms a strong part of ALHR’s mandate, the various State and Territory committees have held, hosted and co-hosted a wide array of educational events on topical human rights issues in Australia from asylum seeker and refugee rights to the death penalty, climate change and human rights and the need for an international law of ecocide, to youth justice reform and addressing the use of drones in combatting terrorism internationally.
ALHR has a proud history in engaging, inspiring and activating thousands of members of the Australian legal profession and the general public to maintain a vigil and watching brief on the structural integrity of the foundations and pillars of our Australian democracy. ALHR works tirelessly to inspire and enliven important discussions and dialogues about human rights issues that affect every person on every street corner of society with a view to preserving and defending our precious democratic freedoms.
